Laura Canales
Encyclopedia
Laura Canales was an American Tejano
musician and an original inductee in the Tejano Roots Hall of Fame
. Canales was born in Kingsville, Texas
.
. She attended high school at H.M. King High School
in Kingsville where she was well-known for her remarkable vocals. After graduation, her father, Perfecto Canales, encouraged her to continue her pursuit of a Tejano music
career and made her recording debut in 1973 with Los Unicos while simultaneously singing with renowned Texas conjunto and norteño group, Conjunto Bernal.
In the mid-1970s, Canales was a founding member of Tejano
group, Snowball & Company, which also went by the name, Felicidad. The band released several full-length albums and singles under both group names on San Antonio label, Fireball Records, including a cover of the song Midnight Blues which was the first regional hit of Canales' career. Members included Laura Canales (lead vocals), Oscar Soliz (keyboards, accordion, bass, harmonica), Miro Valdez (guitar, vocals), Juan Rodriguez (bass, vocals, accordion), and Balde Muñoz (drums, percussion). The band was managed by Oscar Muñoz.
honored her with the Yellow Rose of Texas Award, the state's highest honor for artists. From 1983 to 1986, Canales won both best female entertainer and female vocalist honors at the Tejano Music Awards, a record that stood until Selena
broke it in the 1990s. In 1987, Canales did a cover of José José
's Te Quiero Asi with Mazz
's Joe Lopez which appeared on the band's album Beyond.
In 1989, Canales and Balde Muñoz divorced. Canales subsequently quit Encanto and went into semi-retirement. She did manage a comeback during a surge in international popularity of Tejano music during the early 1990s. As a solo artist, this comeback yielded several well-known hits, including Cuatro Caminos, Dame La Mano, and Dile a Tu Esposa.
s in Psychology and Speech Therapy in 1997. Shortly thereafter, Canales began taking graduate classes at Texas A&M University-Kingsville, working toward a Master's degree
in Communication Science Disorders
. During her breaks from university coursework, Canales began yet another comeback by participating with the Leyendas y Raices Tour which included fellow Tejano performers Carlos Guzman, Augustin Ramirez, Sunny Ozuna
, Freddie Martinez, Mario Montes, and Grupo Sierra. In 2000, Canales became part of the first class of inductees to the Tejano Roots Hall of Fame
.
and died suddenly on April 16, 2005.
Tejano music
Tejano music or Tex-Mex music is the name given to various forms of folk and popular music originating among the Mexican-American populations of Central and Southern Texas...
musician and an original inductee in the Tejano Roots Hall of Fame
Tejano music
Tejano music or Tex-Mex music is the name given to various forms of folk and popular music originating among the Mexican-American populations of Central and Southern Texas...
. Canales was born in Kingsville, Texas
Kingsville, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 25,575 people, 8,943 households, and 6,134 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,848.8 people per square mile . There were 10,427 housing units at an average density of 753.8 per square mile...
.
Early years
Laura Canales was raised in Kingsville, Texas, a small ranching town located fifty miles southwest of Corpus Christi, TexasCorpus Christi, Texas
Corpus Christi is a coastal city in the South Texas region of the U.S. state of Texas. The county seat of Nueces County, it also extends into Aransas, Kleberg, and San Patricio counties. The MSA population in 2008 was 416,376. The population was 305,215 at the 2010 census making it the...
. She attended high school at H.M. King High School
Henrietta M. King High School
Henrietta M. King High School is a public high school in Kingsville, Texas as part of the Kingsville Independent School District.-History:H.M...
in Kingsville where she was well-known for her remarkable vocals. After graduation, her father, Perfecto Canales, encouraged her to continue her pursuit of a Tejano music
Tejano music
Tejano music or Tex-Mex music is the name given to various forms of folk and popular music originating among the Mexican-American populations of Central and Southern Texas...
career and made her recording debut in 1973 with Los Unicos while simultaneously singing with renowned Texas conjunto and norteño group, Conjunto Bernal.
In the mid-1970s, Canales was a founding member of Tejano
Tejano music
Tejano music or Tex-Mex music is the name given to various forms of folk and popular music originating among the Mexican-American populations of Central and Southern Texas...
group, Snowball & Company, which also went by the name, Felicidad. The band released several full-length albums and singles under both group names on San Antonio label, Fireball Records, including a cover of the song Midnight Blues which was the first regional hit of Canales' career. Members included Laura Canales (lead vocals), Oscar Soliz (keyboards, accordion, bass, harmonica), Miro Valdez (guitar, vocals), Juan Rodriguez (bass, vocals, accordion), and Balde Muñoz (drums, percussion). The band was managed by Oscar Muñoz.
Success
In 1981, Canales married drummer Balde Muñoz and formed the group Laura Canales & Encanto. After signing with Freddie Records, the group enjoyed enormous success. The group's single, Sí Viví Contigo, was their first major hit. In 1983, Texas Governor Mark WhiteMark White
Mark Wells White is an American lawyer, who served as the 43rd Governor of Texas from January 18,1983-January 20,1987.-Biography:...
honored her with the Yellow Rose of Texas Award, the state's highest honor for artists. From 1983 to 1986, Canales won both best female entertainer and female vocalist honors at the Tejano Music Awards, a record that stood until Selena
Selena
Selena Quintanilla-Pérez , known simply as Selena, was a Mexican American singer-songwriter. She was named the "top Latin artist of the '90s" and "Best selling Latin artist of the decade" by Billboard for her fourteen top-ten singles in the Top Latin Songs chart, including seven number-one hits...
broke it in the 1990s. In 1987, Canales did a cover of José José
José José
José Rómulo Sosa Ortiz , known by his artistic name José José, is a Mexican singer.Referred in the entertainment world as "El Príncipe de la Canción" , José José is best known for his romantic ballads and renowned for his vocals...
's Te Quiero Asi with Mazz
Mazz
Mazz is a Grammy Award–winning Tejano band originating from south Texas. They were formed in Brownsville, TX, by singer/guitarists Jimmy González and Joe López, and emerged as one of the most innovative bands in their genre after adding synthesizer to combine traditional Mexican music and popular...
's Joe Lopez which appeared on the band's album Beyond.
In 1989, Canales and Balde Muñoz divorced. Canales subsequently quit Encanto and went into semi-retirement. She did manage a comeback during a surge in international popularity of Tejano music during the early 1990s. As a solo artist, this comeback yielded several well-known hits, including Cuatro Caminos, Dame La Mano, and Dile a Tu Esposa.
Later years
Eventually, Laura Canales began preparing for life beyond Tejano music. Remembering a promise to her mother, she enrolled in classes at Texas A&M University-Kingsville. Canales graduated with Bachelor's degreeBachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
s in Psychology and Speech Therapy in 1997. Shortly thereafter, Canales began taking graduate classes at Texas A&M University-Kingsville, working toward a Master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in Communication Science Disorders
Speech and language pathology
Speech-Language Pathology specializes in communication disorders.The main components of speech production include: phonation, the process of sound production; resonance, opening and closing of the vocal folds; intonation, the variation of pitch; and voice, including aeromechanical components of...
. During her breaks from university coursework, Canales began yet another comeback by participating with the Leyendas y Raices Tour which included fellow Tejano performers Carlos Guzman, Augustin Ramirez, Sunny Ozuna
Sunny & the Sunglows
Sunny & the Sunglows were an American musical group formed in 1959 in San Antonio, Texas.The group's members were all chicanos with the exception of Amos Johnson Jr., and their style was a blend of rhythm and blues, tejano, blues, and mariachi. They first recorded in 1962 for their own label,...
, Freddie Martinez, Mario Montes, and Grupo Sierra. In 2000, Canales became part of the first class of inductees to the Tejano Roots Hall of Fame
Tejano music
Tejano music or Tex-Mex music is the name given to various forms of folk and popular music originating among the Mexican-American populations of Central and Southern Texas...
.
Illness and death
It was while attending graduate school that Laura Canales first began experiencing problems with her gall bladder. After undergoing routine gall bladder surgery, Canales developed a case of pneumoniaPneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
and died suddenly on April 16, 2005.