Esmeralda Talamantez Mendoza is a 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...

 singer who had a string of musical hits during the mid to late 1990s with her band Viento Loco.

Biography

Esmi"Ezmi" Talamantez was born and raised in Pecos, Texas

Pecos, Texas

Pecos is the largest city in and the county seat of Reeves County, Texas, United States. It is situated in the river valley on the west bank of the Pecos River at the eastern edge of the Chihuahuan Desert and the Trans-Pecos region of west Texas and near the southern border of New Mexico...

 with her brothers Ray Jr. and Abel

Abel Talamantez

Abel Talamantez Mendoza , is a Mexican American singer. He is currently a singer for the band Cruz Martínez Y Los Super Reyes. He used to be in the bands Menudo, MDO, and A.B...

 and sisters Maria and Ramona. She attended the University of Texas at El Paso

University of Texas at El Paso

The University of Texas at El Paso is a four-year state university, and is a component institution of the University of Texas System. Its campus is located on the bank of the Rio Grande in El Paso, Texas. The school was founded in 1914 as The Texas State School of Mines and Metallurgy,...

 and then transferred to Corpus Christi, Texas

Corpus 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...

 to study business management and biology. Aspiring to excel in artist management, songwriting, and publishing, Esmi's clear cut voice was noticed by Fonovisa, and she was encouraged to unveil her hidden talents. Esmi's brother Ray Talamantez co-produced the debut album Esmi Talamantez along with former La Sombra

La Sombra

La Sombra de Chicago or La Sombra de Tony Guerrero is a Tejano band originally from Chicago, IL. The group was widely popular during the late 1980s and most of the 1990s, often described as "the number one show band in the U.S.A." and "the world." La Sombra is credited with over 20 major studio...

 guitarist Adam Vargas who wrote her debut single, "Con el Tiempo", which hit the charts in Radio y Musica and Billboard Top 20 Latin hits. The second single "Viento Loco" would have the same name as the band formed by Esmi, Ray, Ramona, Maria, and Adam. Esmi's debut album caused a chain reaction of events such as a nomination for Rising Female Star, Most Promising Band, by the Tejano music industry, and was also invited by the Tejano Music Awards

Tejano Music Awards

The Tejano Music Awards had been launched in 1980 by former art teacher and music veteran Rudy Trevino and the leader of the Latin Breed Band, Gilbert Escobedo. Only 1,500 fans turned out for the first Tejano Music Awards. Over the years, San Antonio evolved into the Nashville of Tejano music...

 to present Male Vocalist Award for 1996. Moreover, Esmi was recognized as 1996 Best New Artist at the Hispanic Music Awards held in El Paso, Texas

El Paso, Texas

El Paso, is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas and the 19th largest city in the United States...

 and also became spokesperson for Toys for Tots

Toys for Tots

Toys for Tots is a program run by the United States Marine Corps Reserve which donates toys to children whose parents cannot afford to buy them gifts for Christmas. The program was founded in 1947 by reservist Major William L...

 in that region.

Her second album Si Supieras, released in 1996, is a compilation of songs inspired by the love that she shared with Adam Vargas, with songs such as "Todo Mi Amor" which samples Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...

's "All of my Love." Later that year, Esmi was invited by the American GI Forum

American GI Forum

The American G.I. Forum is a Congressionally chartered Hispanic veterans and civil rights organization. Its motto is "Education is Our Freedom and Freedom should be Everybody's Business". AGIF currently operates chapters throughout the United States, with a focus on veteran's issues, education,...

 to perform in the Cinco de Mayo

Cinco de Mayo

Cinco de Mayo is a holiday held on May 5. It is celebrated nationwide in the United States and regionally in Mexico, primarily in the state of Puebla, where the holiday is called El Dia de la Batalla de Puebla...

 Festival in San Diego, California

San Diego, California

San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...

. Esmi performed alongside international acts such as Ricky Martin

Ricky Martin

Enrique "Ricky" Martín Morales , better known as Ricky Martin, is a Puerto Rican and Spanish pop singer and actor who achieved prominence, first as a member of the Latin boy band Menudo, then as a solo artist since 1991.During his career he has sold more than 60 million album copies worldwide...

, Thalía

Thalía

Ariadna Thalía Sodi Miranda , known simply by the mononym Thalía , is a Mexican singer and actress. She has sold over 40 million albums worldwide...

, Spanish Fly

Spanish Fly (band)

Spanish Fly is an avant garde jazz trio from New York City. It consists of Steven Bernstein , David Tronzo , and Marcus Rojas . Patricipation in other projects have limited the releases of this band.-Discography:...

, Nu Flavor

Nu Flavor

Nu Flavor is a R&B quartet from Long Beach, California consisting of Jacob Ceniceros , Anthony Dacosta , Rico Luna , and Frank Pangelinan, Jr. ....

, and many others.

Her third album Alas De Un Sueño was released in 1997. With many of the songs written by Esmi and Adam Vargas, "Ojos de Serpiente" and "Vamos a Bailar" would be the leading singles.

Esmi Talamantez Y Viento Loco performed on many popular TV programs such as "The Johnny Canales

Johnny Canales

Johnny Canales is a former Tejano singer, and was host of the popular show titled "The Johnny Canales Show". Canales is credited with one of the first live performances of Selena by her thirteenth birthday. He took Selena y Los Dinos for their first concerts in Mexico...

 Show", Puro Tejano, Tejano Country, Aqui Rogelio, "Siempre en Domingo," and the "Hora Lunatica" show in Mexico City

Mexico City

Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...

, gaining national and international exposure. Esmi and Viento Loco would perform all throughout Texas as well as in Illinois

Illinois

Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...

, Michigan

Michigan

Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....

, Florida

Florida

Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

, Kansas

Kansas

Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...

, New Mexico

New Mexico

New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...

, and California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

.

Living up to her family's musical legacy, Esmi's talent is derived from her past and present family members. Both of Esmi's grandfathers were musicians and song writers. Esmi's father, Ray Talamantez Sr., is an accomplished musician who has "jammed" with many great Tejano bands including Tortilla Factory, Brown Brandy, Little Joe Hernandez, and many others. Ray Talamantez Jr. is the former saxophone and trumpet player for La Sombra. Following in her footsteps, Esmi's sisters follow right along with their recognizable musical talents for playing saxophone, trumpet, and their outstanding harmonizing skills. Abel Talamantez, the youngest member of the family, has built his own reputation having performed with Menudo

Menudo (band)

Menudo was a Puerto Rican boy band that was formed in the 1970s by producer Edgardo Díaz, releasing their first album in 1977. The band achieved much success, especially during the 1980s, becoming the most popular Latin American teen musical group of the era....

, the Kumbia Kings

Kumbia Kings

Kumbia Kings was a Latin Grammy-winning Mexican cumbia group from Corpus Christi, Texas created by A.B. Quintanilla. Their music encompasses the styles of cumbia , hip hop and R&B. They produce songs in both Spanish and English. The band's producers from the beginning have been A.B. Quintanilla III...

, and now Los Super Reyes.

Esmi and her band were greatly influenced by local and traditional music

Traditional music

Traditional music is the term increasingly used for folk music that is not contemporary folk music. More on this is at the terminology section of the World music article...

 as well as Rock music

Rock music

Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...

 of the 1970s and 80s, including bands such as Led Zeppelin, Queen

Queen (band)

Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...

, The Bee Gees, Fleetwood Mac

Fleetwood Mac

Fleetwood Mac are a British–American rock band formed in 1967 in London.The only original member present in the band is its eponymous drummer, Mick Fleetwood...

, Prince

Prince (musician)

Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...

, Styx

Styx

In Greek mythology the Styx is the river that forms the boundary between the underworld and the world of the living, as well as a goddess and a nymph that represents the river.Styx may also refer to:-Popular culture:...

, and Air Supply

Air Supply

Air Supply is an Australian soft rock duo, consisting of Graham Russell as guitarist and singer-songwriter and Russell Hitchcock as lead vocalist. They had a succession of hits worldwide, including eight Top Ten hits in the United States, in the early 1980s...

.

Discography

• 1995: Esmi Talamantez (Fonovisa)
• 1996: Si Supieras (Fonovisa)
• 1997: Alas De Un Sueño (Fonovisa)

External links

• Esmi Talamantez Y Viento Loco Biography