Manuel Esperón González was a Mexican song writer and composer. He wrote many songs for Mexican films, including Ay, Jalisco, no te rajes!

Ay, Jalisco, no te rajes!

"Ay, Jalisco, no te rajes!" is a song written for the 1941 Mexican film ¡Ay Jalisco, no te rajes!, composed by Manuel Esperón with lyrics by Ernesto Cortázar. It is one of their most popular songs and has been covered by many artists...

 for the 1941 film of the same name, Cocula for El peñón de las ánimas (The Rock of Souls) (1943), and Amor con Amor Se Paga for Hay un niño en su futuro (1952). Other Esperón compositions have become Latin standards such as Yo Soy Mexicano, Noche Plateada and No Volveré which was used in the first episode of the 2001 soap opera El juego de la vida. Among other performers, Chavela Vargas

Chavela Vargas

Isabel Vargas Lizano is a Costa Rican-born Mexican singer. She is especially known for her rendition of Mexican rancheras genre - a folkloric musical genre widely popular in Mexico - but she is also recognized for her contribution to other popular Latin American song genres...

, Pedro Infante

Pedro Infante

José Pedro Infante Cruz , better known as Pedro Infante, is the most famous actor and singer of the Golden Age of Mexican cinema and is an idol of the Latinamerican people, together with Jorge Negrete and Javier Solís, who were styled the Tres Gallos Mexicanos . He was born in Mazatlán, Sinaloa,...

, Los Panchos

Los Panchos

Los Panchos was an internationally famous Latin pop trio known for its romantic ballads and boleros.-History:...

, and Jorge Negrete

Jorge Negrete

Jorge Alberto Negrete Moreno is considered one of the most popular Mexican singers and actors of all time....

 have made his songs well-known. His fame in the USA derives from when his song The Three Caballeros was used in the Disney film The Three Caballeros

The Three Caballeros

The Three Caballeros is a 1944 American animated feature film, produced by Walt Disney and distributed by RKO Radio Pictures. The film premiered in Mexico City on December 21, 1944. It was released in the United States on February 3, 1945...

 (1944).

Esperón was born 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...

. He retired in 1987, although his songs continued to be used in filmmaking

Filmmaking

Filmmaking is the process of making a film, from an initial story, idea, or commission, through scriptwriting, casting, shooting, directing, editing, and screening the finished product before an audience that may result in a theatrical release or television program...

 and television productions.

Awards

In 1989 Esperón was awarded the Premier National Prize of Mexico for Art and Traditional Culture (de Artes y Tradiciones Populares). In 2001, he was given a tribute at the Palace of Fine Arts

Palacio de Bellas Artes

The Palacio de Bellas Artes is the most important cultural center in Mexico City as well as the rest of the country of Mexico...

 in the historical center of 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...

. Until his Death in 2011 he was the honorary President for life of the Society of Authors and Composers of Mexico.

External links

• [ Bush, John "Manuel Esperón: Biography] Allmusic.com
• "Manuel Esperón: Filmography" fandango.com