Widely repected in the Mariachi word, legenday performer and studio musician Manuel Valle Villalpando holds the distinction of being the most recorded mariachi trumpet player in history.
Manuel was born in 1948 in Zacatecas, Zacatecas. His father, Ignacio Valle, played tuba in the state’s Banda del Estado, later directing the municipal band of Tlaltenango, Zacatecas, where Manuel grew up. The boy’s musical education, which began at the age of 9 under his father’s
tutelage, included an hour of solfege every afternoon and two hours of trumpet practice every evening. Unlike his father and brothers, who devoted themselves to band and orchestra traditions, Manuel was attracted to the Mariachi. In 1963, at the age of 15, he moved to Mexico City to pursue that genre.
Once in Mexico City, Manuel began playing with itinerant street groups before finding work in Plaza Gabrialdi. One of his favorite pastimes was watching Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlan perfrom at the Teatro Blanquita, and it was there he fell in love with the trumpet playing of Miguel Martinez. In 1968, after Valle had worked with a number of groups, Martinez invited him to join the ensamble he led at the time. Manuel remained with Mariachi Tolteca de Miguel Martinez for one year before joing Mariachi Perla de Occidente, where he played second trumpet to Cutberto Perez. Due to his extraordinary musicianship and ability to read the most difficult music at sight, Manuel became an in-demand studio musician, and by the early 1970’s he had recorded with all of Mexico City’s major mariachi arrangers and ensembles. In 1975, he joined the legendary Mariachi Mexico de Pepe mariachi for Discos Columbia (CBS). Manuel remained with Mariachi Mexico for three decades, during which he continued to do as many freelance recording sessions as his schedule would allow. He estimates that over the course of his career he has recorded over 20,000 songs, which include many of the most famous recordings be the most prestigious ranchera artists of his era. Her recorded over 400 songs for Vicente Fernandez alone.
In 2005, Manuel Valle’s illustrious career came to an unexpected halt when he was forced to retire from Mariachi Mexico de Pepe after suffering a heart attack. He returned to playing after two months, and although he made several major recodrings after his recovery, he never fully regained his stamina, and he eventually retired from recording. Valle currently likes on Boyle Street in Los Angeles, California neer the mariachi plaza, where he plays daily with local groups.
We are honored and proud to announce Manuel Valle Villalpando as our 2018 Mariachi Spectacular de Albuquerque Hall of Fame Inductee. We will make our induction on Wednesday, Jully 11, 2018 as we honor Manuel Valle Villalpando at our Hall of Fame ceremony here in Albuquerque. Please look to our website for detatils. www.mariachispectacular.com
