San Antonio, TX— The highly-anticipated final album from Tejano music legends Los Aguilares has officially been released. “El Gran Final” dropped on all digital music platforms this week.
And fans may remember, the new music release coincides with the group’s annual anniversary celebration, held each second weekend in January, to celebrate the group’s entry into the music business.
The legendary conjunto, formed on San Antonio’s westside in 1960 by brothers Emilio and Genaro Aguilar, would go on to become one of the most formative and successful vocal duos in the world of Tejano music and scored their first major hit with “Flor Del Rio” in 1965.
With the tight vocal harmonies and skilled musicianship that defined their sound, the conjunto legends cap an extraordinary recording career with a five-song EP, recorded at 830 Studios with awarding winning engineer, Mario Ortiz Jr, and producer Miguel Aguilar Jr, grandson of the late Emilio Aguilar.
The album includes new recordings of songs from their legendary catalog of music from the 1960s through the 1980s.
Miguel Aguilar Jr, who served as a producer for the project, was inspired to capture the spirit of the duo’s classic sound and believes fans will not be disappointed.
“Los Aguilares music speaks for itself, but our interpretation of the music is as close authentically to the original recordings. We were fortunate to have a talent like Mario with us in the studio and the musicianship on this record is sincere and heartfelt. I was humbled and honored to be a part of this record that honors my family’s legacy,” said Miguel Aguilar.
Joining Miguel in the studio were two of the original members of the legendary group, Genaro Aguilar and brother Luis Aguilar, who joined the group as their drummer in the 1970s, as well as bassist Charles Howton.
For Genaro, it brought back a lot of memories.
“To get back in the studio after so many years, it took me back to those times with me and my brother Emilio. Back then, we produced the majority of the songs, so it was special to have a new generation of sound engineers and producers recreating our sound, ‘pa que se oiga mas bonito’,” he said. “To all the friends and fans that have followed us, I want to give thanks and share how wonderful they have been to Los Aguilares”.
For executive producer Miguel Aguilar Sr, Emilio’s son, assembling a team that could capture the feel of Los Aguilares was important.
“We are fortunate to have my tios Genaro and Luis on this project,” he said. “They really served as mentors and brought their many years of experience. Also having Tony Gonzalez to master this project, who mastered all of their earlier hits, was the cherry on top. We are blessed and humbled by all who contributed their talents on this project.”
The final album from Los Aguilares, “El Gran Final,” is available on all digital music platforms.
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