Ladron
Riding to fame by staying close to the pop side of onda grupera, Ladrón (in English, Thief) has found itself admired throughout central Mexico and the Midwestern U.S., while ironically keeping a low profile in its native Monterrey, where norteño reigns supreme.
Group director and guitarist Sergio Villarreal (b. 1968), who writes nearly all the group's songs, began penning tunes at age 14 and has written at a prolific pace ever since, averaging 75 compositions per year. Determined to have another career to fall back on, he graduated engineering degree and briefly taught math and physics at the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León with a mechanical Regiomontana. At Universidad Regiomontana, Villarreal and three students formed the rock group Gatos Con Botas (Cats With Boots). The group quickly decided it felt more comfortable with the softer onda grupera style, and became Ladrón in 1991. Simplicity and softness characterize their output, which consists almost entirely of cumbias and adult contemporary ballads. Villarreal also incorporated harmonies in the clean-cut tradition of the Association. With keyboard player Omar García (b. 1969), bass player Edgar "Gary" García (b. 1970), and drummer William Mejía (b. 1971), the four-man group was the smallest in a style known for six- to eight-man ensembles.
Signed by Discos Sabinas that same year, the group found an influential patron in the legendary Mexican composer Armando Manzanero, who produced its first album, Corazón Desvalido (Broken Heart). International success arrived in 1992 with No Tengo Lágrimas (I Don't Have Tears), which produced five hit singles, a rare feat in a genre whose artists average one album per year.
Villarreal's arranging and songwriting talents weren't lost on his colleagues; he has worked as arranger for albums by groups whose style is much different from Ladrón's, including Banda Móvil, Cardenales de Nuevo León and Banda R-15. In addition, he has written songs for Liberación, Flash, and Sonido Mazter, among others, saying someday he would like to be a full-time producer and songwriter.
Ladrón added two mariachi songs to 1994's Culpable De Tu Amor (Guilty of Your Love) and recorded some rapid-fire quebraditas for its 1998 CD Enamórate De Un Ladrón (Fall In Love With a Thief), but never strayed far from its trademark romantic sound, which includes frequent references to its earlier songs. The 1996 greatest-hits CD 15 Super Temas is the only U.S. release to include songs from Corazón Desvalido. Tu Me Quieres Lastimar followed in 1998; Misma Historia appeared three years later.
© Douglas Shannon /TiVo
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Frente A Frente - Los Byby's - Ladrón
Latin America - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on 5 May 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
FAVORITAS CON AMOR
Latin America - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on 4 Feb 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Corazón Desvalido
Latin America - Released by Universal Music Mexico on 1 Jan 1991
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Por Siempre...
Latin America - Released by Dasmi Music - Gpm Golden Partners Music on 13 Oct 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
¡Mírame! ¡Mírame!
Latin America - Released by G.P.M. Golden Partners Music on 28 Sep 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Lo Más Romántico De
Latin America - Released by Universal Music Mexico on 22 Jan 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
En Realidad
Industria Del Amor, Ladron, Grupo Bryndis
World - Released by Valdivia Music Group on 5 Apr 2024
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Las Retro Chingonas
Latin America - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on 10 Jun 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
En Concierto (En Vivo)
Latin America - Released by Universal Music Mexico on 1 Jan 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Esperando Tu Regreso
World - Released by RCA Records Label on 3 Oct 2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
De Nuevo Contigo
Latin America - Released by Dasmi Music - Gpm Golden Partners Music on 5 Feb 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Raiders (feat. G-Olifant)
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by G-Olifant on 27 Apr 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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MI MOMENTO
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by 3378905 Records DK on 11 Jan 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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