José Alfredo Jiménez, The Prolific Songwriter Behind the Songs At Shaped Your Childhood
José Alfredo Jiménez was a prolific songwriter who defined a genre of music. His voice and music are ubiquitous with Regional Mexican music and Rancheras. Born in Guanajuato, the creator of the song “El Rey” enjoyed a successful and tragically short career that continues to resonate with music lovers today. Here is the story of one of Mexico’s most famous musicians.
Do you know José Alfredo Jiménez?
Whether or not you have heard the name, you have definitely heard one of his greatest hits. The singer and songwriter wrote more than 1,000 songs in a career spanning less than three decades. His time making music was short but impactful for generations to come.
The mind behind the song “El Rey” was born in 1926 in Dolores Hidalgo, Guanajuato, Mexico. Singer Miguel Aceves Mejía claimed that he discovered Jiménez in the band Los Rebeldes and saw his potential. Mejía convinced Jiménez to audition for Radio Station XEW’s Amanecer Ranchero. His audition was a success, and he subsequently started to record covers.
His career spanned from 1946 to 1973, when he became a household name for Ranchera fans. He didn’t have any official musical training, but that didn’t prevent him from becoming the hit maker of his time. His career really took off when the song “Yo” was released in 1950. The song, recorded by Andrés Huesca y Sus Costeños, became a massive success and cemented Jiménez’s legacy within Ranchera music.
Before music, he was a soccer player
José Alfredo Jiménez wasn’t always a musician. In his youth, the singer was a soccer player with a promising future as a goalkeeper. In 1942, he was in competition with Antonio Carbajal to be the goalkeeper for an amateur club. He enjoyed a brief career in semi-professional soccer in Mexico.
Despite his passion for soccer, music proved to be where he was meant to be. Along with writing so many songs, he recorded 300 of his own songs. He was doing more than recording music that people wanted to listen to. Like any good artist, his work touched on deep emotions among his listeners.
Jiménez understood the lives of the Mexican people from nostalgia to vindictiveness, writer Juan Villoro states. This kind of relatability is what turns artists into cultural icons.
His legacy remains strong after his untimely death
José Alfredo Jiménez died at 47 on Nov. 23, 1973. The singer had been an alcoholic for a large part of his life and eventually died of cirrhosis of the liver. Cirrhosis of the liver is a condition of severe and irreversible scarring due to long-term abuse, like alcoholism, or health disorders.
Yet, he created one of the most iconic songs that has been covered by several singers. The most famous rendition, of course, is Vicente Fernandez’s “El Rey.” In his short career, José Alfredo Jiménez not only created a lot of music, he also created stories that continue to move music lovers to this day.
