Rosalino "Chalino" Sánchez Félix (30 August 1960 – c. 15 May 1992) was a Mexican singer-songwriter. Posthumously called "El Rey del Corrido", he is considered one of the most influential narcocorrido singers of the late 20th century. A pioneer in Mexican music, he began composing songs for inmates who had stories they wanted to preserve in ballads. Chalino also composed and sang romantic and radio-friendly songs.
Sánchez was born in Sinaloa, the youngest of the family. Chalino had aspirations of musical notoriety from a young age. In 1984, Chalino's brother Armando was murdered in a hotel in Tijuana, inspiring him to compose his first corrido Recordando A Armando Sánchez. Eventually, Chalino began to profit via his compositions and would be gifted with guns and 'presents' by his customers. Before his brothers' murder, Chalino was introduced to Ángel Parra, who became interested in his musical talents after hearing a performance. Parra arranged for Chalino to have a meeting at his studio, Angel Studios, and began recording his first demo cassette with a norteño group named Los Cuatro de la Frontera. By 1989, Sánchez was recognized throughout California and received many requests to sing in music venues.
Chalino performed in venues in California, such as the El Parral Nightclub in South Gate, El Puma De Sinaloa, and El Farallón. He performed at the Keystone Ford Show and Noches de Taconazo. He formed Los Amables Del Norte, arguably producing his most acclaimed music while with them. He signed with record labels, such as Discos Linda, Cintas Acuario, RR, Balboa Records Edimusa, and Musart. It was during the early 1990s that Sánchez received the nickname "Rey de Los Corridos" (King of the Corridos) and was regarded as one of Mexico's greatest singers.
On January 24, 1992, Sánchez was attacked by Eduardo Gallegos while performing at the Plaza Los Arcos restaurant and nightclub in Coachella, California. Sánchez was shot twice near his armpit, striking his lung, and a gunfight ensued. Gallegos initially missed Chalino and accidentally struck 20-year-old Claudio Rene Carranza in the right leg striking the main artery, later killing him. The shooting made headlines in regional English-language newspapers and ABC World News Tonight. Afterward, Chalino saw success with his sales and began getting increased airplay. He was shot and killed by unidentified assailants hours after a performance at the Salon Bugambilias in Culiacán on May 16, 1992.
Early life and career
Rosalino Sánchez Félix was born on "Las Flechas", a small ranch in Sinaloa. He was the youngest of seven children. His parents were Santos Sanchez (died 1964) and Senorina Felix (died 1991). Chalino grew up poor and lived a difficult life. His birth name was Rosalino, but he preferred his nickname Chalino since he considered Rosalino sounded too feminine.
In 1975 his sister was raped, and two years later in 1977 Chalino saw the man at a party and allegedly shot him in revenge, killing him. After committing this act, Sanchez left for Tijuana with his gun and a Jesús Malverde chain. During his time in Tijuana, he worked as a "coyote" (an immigrant smuggler), taking immigrants into the United States.
The same year, Chalino himself crossed into the United States as an undocumented immigrant worker. He began in Oregon and later moved to Los Angeles to live with his aunt in Inglewood, California. He washed dishes, sold cars, and, according to his friends, dealt small quantities of marijuana and cocaine. He also helped his older brother, Armando, run an immigrant smuggling operation.
Chalino met Marisela Vallejos in 1984. They married while she was pregnant with their son, Adán Sánchez, and later had a second child. They were married until Chalino Sanchez died in 1992.
In 1984, Armando was shot and killed in a hotel in Tijuana, which inspired Chalino to compose his first corrido or ballad. Around this time, Chalino was arrested. He began composing songs for his fellow inmates and anyone with a story worth telling. Chalino began to earn money through his compositions and would be gifted with guns and 'presents' by his customers. Among his many customers were Lucio Villareal, El Pelavacas, and Jorge "El Coquio" Castro. A small group known as “Los Cuatro de la Frontera” recommended Chalino go to a recording studio on Olympic Boulevard in Los Angeles. The studio was called San Angel Records and was owned by Angel Mariscal. Originally another artist was meant to sing Chalino's songs, but he canceled, so Chalino sang his songs.
In 1989, Chalino recorded his first cassette of 15 songs. He sold cassettes from his car and at local swapmeets, bakeries, and other businesses across South Central Los Angeles. Chalino connected with another Mexican immigrant, Pedro Rivera, who had set up a small recording studio in Long Beach, California. Called Cintas Acuario, this studio allowed aspiring musicians to record cheaply.
Chalino and Rivera pioneered the "prohibited corridos" (corrido prohibido), songs that mythologized drug smugglers, murderers, and "valientes". The Cintas Acuario roster (which later included Pedro's children, Lupillo, Juan, and the late Jenni Rivera) was not initially aired on radio, but it became the foundation of the Latino genre in Los Angeles.
Promoters across the Southland quickly sought to book Chalino at their clubs. Chalino sang his songs in his cadence and Sinaoloan slang, something no big singer had previously done.
1992 Coachella incident
Motive Inconclusive
On 25 January 1992, Chalino was performing at the Plaza Los Arcos restaurant and nightclub in the desert city of Coachella, 120 miles east of Los Angeles. Reportedly Chalino was set to perform at 10 pm on the main stage. At around 7 pm, the center was at maximum capacity with around 400 people in attendance.
During his performance, Chalino began taking song requests from the audience. Shortly before midnight, Eduardo Gallegos, 32, a local unemployed mechanic from Thermal, California, under the influence of heroin and alcohol, requested "El Gallo de Sinaloa". Immediately afterward, Gallegos jumped up on stage and pointed a .25 caliber pistol at Chalino. In retaliation, Chalino pulled his 10 mm pistol from his waistband and then began a gun battle.
Gallegos' first four shots hit Chalino twice in the chest near his armpit striking his lung, and one bullet hit accordionist Ignacio "Nacho" Hernandez in the thigh. Chalino's shots missed Gallegos and accidentally hit 20-year-old Claudio Rene Carranza in the right leg hitting the main artery. He was later pronounced dead at John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital. Chalino and Gallegos opened fire at each other while ensuing in a brief chase into the crowd below. Nine to fifteen shots were fired and around seven more people were reportedly hit in the exchange as well. Gallegos was wrestled to the floor by a bystander until Gallegos was eventually shot in the face with his own pistol. Gallegos and Chalino were both listed as critical and both were transported to Desert Regional Hospital, in Palm Springs.
Chalino Sánchez was in the hospital for 11 days and was released home without any charges (ruled self-defense).
Eduardo Gallegos, who survived his wounds, was convicted of attempted murder and was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison.
The shooting was reported by ABC World News Tonight and in both English- and Spanish-language newspapers. Chalino saw success with his sales and began getting airplay, although it was a single, old-fashioned, non-narco song called "Nieves de Enero". For his next Los Angeles appearance at El Parral, doors had to close at 6 pm, 5–6 hours before he was due on stage.
Murder
On 15 May 1992, four months after the Coachella incident and during a performance at the Salón Bugambilias in Culiacán, Chalino was handed a note from someone in the crowd. The note is commonly believed to have been a death threat whereby he would be killed after the song, but this has never been confirmed. A video recording of the song "Alma Enamorada" shows Chalino crumpling up the note—in a clear state of shock—before singing the song as if nothing happened. After midnight, Chalino drove away from the club with two of his brothers, a cousin, and several young women. They were pulled over by a group of armed men in black Chevrolet Suburbans. They showed state police ID cards and told Chalino their commander wanted to see him. Chalino agreed and got into one of their cars while the others stayed behind.
The following day, at six in the morning, two farmers found Chalino's body by an irrigation canal near Highway 15, near the neighborhood of Los Laureles, Culiacán. He was blindfolded and his wrists were red and had rope marks. He had been shot in the back of the head twice.
Legacy and family
Since his death, Chalino's fame and recordings have grown in popularity. Chalino still amasses millions of music streams three decades after his death (for a total of 1.7 billion Spotify streams)[citation needed], plus over 200 million views for his music video for "Alma Enamorada" on YouTube alone—and continues to be a fixture on many Spanish-language radio stations. He remains a popular artist with young Hispanic listeners as well as earning the praise of artists outside his target audience, including rapper Snoop Dogg. An 8-part podcast, Ídolo: The Ballad of Chalino Sánchez was made about Chalino's life; it also investigates the circumstances of his murder.
Chalino's son Adán Sánchez followed his father's footsteps and was also a successful regional Mexican American singer; however, in 2004, while riding in his father's 1990 Lincoln Town Car, he died in a roll-over car crash after the tire blew; he was 19 years old.
Chalino Sánchez. (2024, March 21). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chalino_S%C3%A1nchez
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