Linderos Del Norte

Norteño stars Los Linderos del Norte were founded in 1998 in the town of Cuauhtémoc, Chihuahua. The band's original lineup included José Ruelas, Edmundo Mendoza, José Luis Gardea, and Uriel Nava. The group performed throughout Chihuahua as a quartet. In 2000 they brought musicians Santiago Ocaña and Mario Green into the fold. In June of that same year, tragedy descended upon Los Linderos, as an accident claimed the lives of four of their members: Edmundo Valverde, Uriel Nava, José Luis Gardea, and Mario Green. The accident cost the group a great deal of morale and organizational strength, but the remaining members chose to push on to achieve their dreams. With a new lineup including Santiago Ocaña (lead vocals and bajo sexto), Rubén Sambrano Marrufo (sax and backing vocals), Alejandro Palma Chaparro (accordion and keyboard), Ignacio Díaz Ramírez (drums), and José Ruelas Meraz (bass), Los Linderos del Norte went on to record two discs and maintain a busy touring schedule between 2002 and 2006. The band came to a turning point in 2006 when Víctor Mata (longtime friend and musical director of Conjunto Primavera) introduced the band to legendary hitmaker Ramón González Mora. Mora, composer of countless regional Mexican hits and owner of A.R.C. Discos, decided to not only sign Los Linderos to his label, but also to produce their record himself. The band's new single, "Como Olvidarte," hit the airwaves in August of 2007, followed shortly thereafter by the song's video release. The song climbed from Monitor Latino's Top 40 chart into its Top 20 chart in a matter of weeks. The band's popularity has extended far beyond Mexican borders into the U.S. Los Linderos del Norte maintained a busy stateside touring schedule in 2007 and 2008, promoting their major-label debut, Como Olvidarte. ~ Evan C. Gutierrez, Rovi