3 Mexican Groups Refuse Latin Grammys
Ranchero Groups Charge LARAS Are Biased Against Mexican Regional Music
Los Tigres del Norte, Los Temerarios, and Texas-based "tejano" group Los Palominos said that the Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (LARAS) was biased against Mexican regional stars during the first-ever Latin Grammy awards on Sept 13.
The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, which is LARAS's parent organization and gives out the traditional Grammys, said that no artist has ever refused to accept a Grammy before.
The groups' action is the latest in an ongoing fight between LARAS and Van Nuys, Calif.-based Fonovisa Records, which alleges that the academy ignores Mexico's traditional Ranchero and Norte?o genres in favor of artists associated with Miami-based producer Emilio Estefan, who is an executive with Sony Corp.'s Sony Music.
Estefan, honored as LARAS's first "Person of the Year," and his Sony Music label are major factors on the Latin music scene. His wife, Gloria Estefan, was one of the featured performers in the show, and his proteges Shakira, Carlos Vives and Ruben Blades were all nominated for awards.
The Latin Grammys established 40 categories for Latin music, expanded from only seven in the traditional Grammys, and offered a chance for artists to extend their popularity from the Spanish-speaking world to the U.S. mainstream market.
Of the 40 categories, eight awards went to Sony artists. In addition, Estefan received a Grammy for producer of the year. Fonovisa artists received three awards.
Los Palominos won the Latin Grammy for Best Tejano Performance for their "Por Eso Te Amo" album, which was recorded on the Sony Discos label. The group has since switched over to Fonovisa, and afterwards it decided to refuse its Latin Grammy, a source told Reuters.
"We support our artists in this decision," Guillermo Santisa, president of Fonovisa, which represents all three groups, said in a statement. "We firmly believe that these awards should not exist because they segregate Latin music."
LARAS spokesman Adam Sandler said that the organization "has not been contacted by any of the award recipients."
Estefan was not available for comment Friday.
Carlos Santana, Mexican band Mana and Columbian singer Shakira were top winners at the Latin Grammys.
Veteran musician Santana added to his collection of eight awards won at the regular Grammys in February, taking home the record-of-the-year prize for his collaboration with Mana in "Corazon Espinado." Santana records on the Arista label, which is owned by BMG Entertainment, a unit of Bertelsmann AG.
Both also won top honors in their respective pop categories for group and instrumental performances.
Raspy-voiced Shakira won two Latin Grammys for best female pop and rock vocal performances for "Ojos Asi," dedicating the award to her homeland, Colombia. Shakira records on the Sony Discos label.
Album of the year went to Mexican crooner Luis Miguel for "Amarte es un Placer," and "Tu Mirada," from the album, won him the award for best male pop vocal performance.
