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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Culpable De Tu Amor
Latin America - Released by Universal Music Mexico on 1 Jan 1994
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
THE BEST OF
Latin America - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on 30 Jun 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
A Pesar De Todo (15 Super Temas)
Latin America - Released by Universal Music Mexico on 1 Jul 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Lo Más Escuchado De
Latin America - Released by Universal Music Mexico on 15 Nov 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Lo Mejor De Dos Grandes
Latin America - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on 30 Oct 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Lo Decide el Corazón
Latin America - Released by SEVILLA, INC. on 24 Jun 2022
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Desamor y Despecho
Latin America - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on 21 Apr 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
FAVORITAS CON AMOR Vol. 2
Latin America - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on 6 Feb 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Románticos por Siempre...
Latin America - Released by SEVILLA, INC. on 14 Jul 2023
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Duelo Romántico
Latin America - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on 26 Jan 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
En Peligro de Extinción
Ladron, Industria Del Amor, Grupo Bryndis
Latin America - Released by SEVILLA, INC. on 5 Apr 2024
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
¿Quieres Ser Mi Amante?
Grupo Bryndis, Industria Del Amor, Ladron
Latin America - Released by Azteca Records, LLC on 26 Apr 2024
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Hasta el Final de los Tiempos
Latin America - Released by SEVILLA, INC. on 25 Mar 2022
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
En Tu Corazón de Hotel
Latin America - Released by SEVILLA, INC. on 1 Oct 2021
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Si Me Vas a Abandonar
Latin America - Released by SEVILLA, INC. on 16 Jul 2021
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Se Roba A Grandes Artistas
Latin America - Released by Universal Music Mexico on 23 Feb 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
El Impulso de Llamarte
Latin America - Released by Discos Sabinas - Gpm Golden Parters Music on 31 Oct 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Cumbias Para Bailar
Latin America - Released by Universal Music Mexico on 29 Oct 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Románticos Con Acordeón y Más (En Vivo)
Latin America - Released by RCA Records Label on 20 Apr 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Para Olvidarme De Ti
Latin America - Released by Universal Music Mexico on 15 Dec 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Pienso En Ti
Latin America - Released by Universal Music Mexico on 1 Jan 1995
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo