Eva Ybarra

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Eva Ybarra (born March 2, 1945) [1] known as the "Queen of the Accordion", is a professional conjunto musician. [2]

Contents

Early life

Ybarra was born on the west side of San Antonio, Texas, one of nine children. [2] Her father was a truck driver. [1] As a child, she played piano and accordion, later recounting: "I started by listening to the radio, and I learnt by ear, copying what I heard. But I didn't want to copy anyone, I wanted my own style." [2] She performed locally and on the radio from a young age, [1] and won her first record deal at age 14 with Rosina Records. [2]

Musical career

Ybarra writes original music as the leader of the band Eva Ybarra y Su Conjunto. She is known for using non-standard chord progressions in her compositions. [2] She has said about her style: "I use a lot of inversions and scales. Pentatonic scales. Major 9th chords...I go to dances and can play traditional for people to dance, but I prefer concerts where I can play progressive music." [3] She performs on the accordion as well as the bajo sexto, guitarrón, electric bass, and keyboards. [4]

Her albums include A Mi San Antonio (1994), and Romance Inolvidable (Unforgettable Romance) (1996). [2] They encompass several styles of music including rancheras, country songs, bolero tangos, huapangos, and ballads. [5] Some of her well-known songs include "A mi San Antonio", "El gallito madrugador" (The Early Rising Rooster), "El perico loco" (The Crazy Parrot), and "A bailar con Eva" (Dance with Eva). [4]

Ybarra began performing regularly in the Tejano Conjunto Festival, hosted by the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center, in 1981. [6] She has also taught music performance at the University of Washington and Palo Alto College, at the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center in San Antonio, and for the Apprenticeship Program of Texas Folklife. [2] She was featured in the touring exhibit "American Sabor: Latinos in U.S. Popular Music." [7]

She continues to live and perform in San Antonio. [3]

Discography

Albums

Singles

Various artist compilation albums

Album titleRecord labelCatalog numberRelease yearSong title(s)
Planet Squeezebox: Accordion Music from Around the WorldEllipsis Arts34701995"A Mi San Antonio"
A Taste of Tex Mex: 40 Tejano TidbitsEmporioDEMPCD 0281997"Pobre Palomita"
The Rough Guide to Tex-Mex World Music Network (UK)RGNET 1037 CD1999"Quiereme, Quiereme"
Tex Mex Favourites, Vol. 2Weton-Wesgram (Netherlands)KBOX32352000"Con Todo Mi Ser "
"Pobre Palomita"
Accordion DreamsHacienda RecordsHAC-75862001"Pobre Palomita"
Tejano Picante: Tex-Mex Classics Rhino R2 743652001"Dora"
Tex Mex ARC Music (UK)EUCD17872003"El Gallito Madrugador"
"La Ricachona"
Tex Mex PartyWeton-Wesgram (Netherlands)EXCEL21402004"Pobre Palomita"

Awards and honors

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Conjunto 'Shirley Temple' still singing after all these years". HoustonChronicle.com. December 29, 2015. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "Eva Ybarra: Conjunto Accordionist and Bandleader". www.arts.gov. National Endowment for the Arts. n.d. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
  3. 1 2 Buffkin, Travis. "Queen of the Accordion: the criminally overlooked Eva Ybarra". San Antonio Current. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
  4. 1 2 Ragland, Cathy (2014). "Ybarra, Eva | Grove Music". www.oxfordmusiconline.com. doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.A2263370. ISBN   978-1-56159-263-0 . Retrieved November 7, 2019.
  5. ↑ "Ybarra". www.rootsworld.com. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
  6. ↑ "Eva Ybarra". Visit San Antonio. n.d. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
  7. ↑ Buffkin, Travis. "Conjunto Legend Eva Ybarra Struggles to Find Her Place". San Antonio Current. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
  8. 1 2 "Eva Ybarra, Queen of the Accordion". Library of Congress. September 17, 2017. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
  9. ↑ "Current State Artists". Texas Commission on the Arts. 2021. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
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