Los Alegres de Terán

by John BushLed by accordionist Eugenio Abrego and bajo sexto player Tomás Ortiz, Los Alegres de Terán led the way for intricate duo harmonies within the norteño style of Mexican music. The group was formed in Nuevo León when Abrego and Ortiz met at a club in the mid-40s, but moved around the area to Monterrey, Reynosa, and finally the border town of McAllen, TX.Beginning with their first record, 1948s Corrido de Pepito, the group pioneered rich, harmonic norteño corridos and rancheras, along with Los Cadetes de Linares and Los Tremendos Gavilanes. They recorded over a hundred LPs and had hits with many songs, including Carta Jugada, Alma Enamorada, and Entre Copa y Copa. The band also indulged in cross-marketing moves, including a spot on the bill at the first Polka Festival, held in Chicago during the mid-60s, and an appearance in several movies, notably, the 1961 melodrama Pueblito, directed by Emilio El Indio Fernández. Los Alegres de Terán were inducted into the Tejano Conjunto Hall of Fame in 1983, though Abrego passed away five years later.