Javier Solís, Carlsbad, May 21, 2015

Year: 2015 (April 21, 2015)

11″ x 8.5″

Media: Canon® Pro Platinum High Gloss Photo Paper

Printers: Canon® PIXMA

Color

Art: Photo

Artist: Luc Paquin

The Besta-Wan Pizza House, Carlsbad, CA, USA

Javier Solís

Javier Solís (September 1, 1931 – April 19, 1966) was a popular Mexican singer of boleros and rancheras as well as a movie actor.

Singing career

Siria began singing in competitions under the pseudonym of “Javier Luquín” in which the winner would be awarded a new pair of shoes; he was eventually banned from participating because he so dominated the competition. At that time he was working as a butcher, and sang while he worked. His boss, David Lara Ríos, heard him and was so impressed with his talent that he urged Siria to dedicate himself to his music and recommended him to a voice coach, even paying for singing lessons with Noé Quintero. To his family’s relief, he hung up his boxing gloves and began a soccer career.

At age 16, Siria went to Puebla to sing with the Mariachi Metepec, but he did not get his first professional break until two years later when Julito Rodriguez and Alfredo Gil of the famous singing trio, Los Panchos, discovered him and took him to audition at CBS Records. There in 1950, he signed a contract and recorded his first album. He was singing at the same time at the Teatro Lirico in Mexico City when he met dancer Blanca Estela Saenz who would later become his wife. His first hit, “Llorarás”, came two years later, and it was his then-producer Felipe Valdes Leal who gave Siria his stage name, “Javier Solís”.

Solís began to receive international acclaim in 1957 when he began appearing in the United States and Central and South America. He was among the first artists to sing in the new style now known as bolero-ranchera. He sang boleros typically associated with trio music but which now were accompanied by mariachis. Solís was a versatile interpreter singing not only boleros, but rancheras, corridos, danzones, waltzes, and tangos, among others. His hit recordings included “Sombras”, “Payaso”, “Vereda Tropical”, “En Mi Viejo San Juan”, and “Amanecí En Tus Brazos”, the latter a re-recording of the hit written and recorded by José Alfredo Jiménez.

Luc