Stockton, California

Longstanding Mexican group Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlan was formed in 1898 in the town of Tecalitlan by Gaspar Vargas, Manuel Mendoza, and by two violinists. In December of 1934, the group traveled to the capital of Mexico to be present at the induction ceremony of President Lazaro Cardenas, and acted as the city's official Mariachi band. Three years later, Mariachi Vargas appeared in Asi Es Mi Tierra (the first of almost 200 movies) and recorded their first record. Over the next 35 years, they recorded dozens of albums of pasodobles, valses, bailables, polkas, and danzones.

Mariachi Los Camperos is led by Natividad “Nati” Cano. A traditionalist and a visionary, Cano has both mirrored and shaped the history of mariachi music. He was born in 1933 into a family of mariachi musicians in Jalisco, Mexico, one of the many west Mexican communities that gave life to the mariachi tradition. His career took him first to nearby Guadalajara, Mexico’s second largest city, and then further away to Los Angeles. In Los Angeles, he and Los Camperos emerged as a major driving force of the mariachi music tradition in the United States.
Los Camperos de Nati Cano has existed for nearly 50 years and is noted for demanding musical arrangements that highlight the individual skills and voices of the players. The ensemble employs the finest musicians from Mexico and the United States and has performed for audiences worldwide.
In December 2006, Cano’s contributions to the American music landscape were recognized when he became one of the first artists nationwide to win a USA Fellowship from United States Artists. In its inaugural year, United States Artists awarded 50 USA Fellowships to a total of 54 artists. Mr. Cano was one of only five musicians to be named a USA Fellow in the inaugural year.