Sergio Vega
Sergio "El Shaka" Vega was born into a musical family in the working-class rural village of Ciudad Obregon, in the state of Sonora, Mexico. The eighth son in a family of 13, Sergio lived among uncles and members of an extended family who would play songs and sing before heading out for the day's work. Surrounded by song, the young Sergio grew up with very little, but for his immersion in regional Mexican music. At the age of 19, Sergio immigrated to the United States, to join his brothers Jesus and Ramon, who were living in Phoenix, AZ. Working construction during the day and playing bars at night with his brothers under the group name Los Hermanos Vega, Sergio gained valuable performance experience before returning to Mexico. A short time later, the Vega brothers returned to their homeland and began recording and performing under the name Los Reyes del Norte. Vega's first hit, "Como la Lluvia," earned the group some recognition. It was during those early days that Sergio earned his nickname "El Shaka," because of the fearless quality he shared with the famous Zulu warrior.
As his group gained popularity, the need for a distinct name arose. Los Shakas del Norte began recording for a small local independent label, though it wasn't long before Vega's talent and charisma were discovered by the majors. A difficult period, fraught with alcohol and drug abuse, soon clouded Vega's talent and artistic vision. Vega retired from music, and practically became lost between 2001 and 2003. In a dramatic return to the recording industry and his fans, Vega released Me Gusta Estar Contigo in 2004, earning him a place on the Billboard Latin charts and his highest sales to date. In 2005, Sergio had the misfortune of losing his brother Ramon, his musical mentor. Plaza Nueva was released that year in his memory.
Throughout the remainder of the decade, Vega recorded prodigiously, with many of his releases featuring ballads in the narcocorrido style that focuses on subjects related to drug dealers and trafficking; his albums included 2006's Necesito Dueña and Puros Madrazos: Rancheras y Corridos; 2007's Dueno de Ti... Lo Mejor de El Shaka and Cuando el Sol Salga al Revés; 2009's Quien Es Usted and Puras Cumbias; and 2010's Rey de la Banda y Norteño and Millonario de Amor. Vega had become one of regional Mexican music's great exponents, openly sharing his story of rebirth and delivery from substance abuse, and while he gave credit to God for his second chance at life, he was tragically cut down on June 26, 2010 at the age of 40 when shot to death by gunmen in a truck who pursued his red Cadillac as he drove toward a scheduled festival appearance at a Sinaloan town. Vega's murder occurred mere hours after he had refuted false online reports that he had been killed.
© Evan C. Gutierrez /TiVo
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Discography
17 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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Mis Favoritas
World - Released by Sony Music Latin on 5 Mar 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Me Gusta Estar Contigo
World - Released by Sony Music Latin on 24 Aug 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Cuando El Sol Salga Al Revés
World - Released by Sony Music Latin on 22 Oct 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Recordando A El Shaka
World - Released by Sony Music Latin on 27 Jun 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Más Exitos Con El Shaka
World - Released by Sony Music Latin on 21 Jul 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Puras Románticas
World - Released by Sony Music Latin on 19 Oct 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Dueño De Tí...Lo Mejor De El Shaka
World - Released by Sony Music Latin on 26 Jun 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Puras Cumbias
World - Released by Sony Music Latin on 23 Nov 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Necesito Dueña
World - Released by Sony Music Latin on 21 Jul 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
El Jefe De Las Plazas
World - Released by Sony Music Latin on 21 Jul 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Plaza Nueva
Latin America - Released by Sony Music Latin on 7 Mar 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sus Primeros Exitos Con Los Hermanos (Album Version)
World - Released by Sony Music Latin on 16 Aug 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Desde el Cielo
Latin America - Released by Discos Arpeggio on 18 Mar 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Que Se Mueran los Feos
World - Released by Sony Music Latin on 21 Jul 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Puros Corridos Y Rancheras
World - Released by Sony Music Latin on 28 Sep 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Desde El Cielo
World - Released by Discos Arpeggio on 4 Mar 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Los Hermanos Vega
World - Released by Discos Aries LLC on 1 Aug 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo