Tracing the history of Latino artists making country music

Alt.Latino

NPR

Music

4.5 • 673 Ratings

🗓️ 4 April 2024

⏱️ 38 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The release of Beyoncés Cowboy Carter has sparked a national conversation about who gets to sing country music and the complex roots of the genre. Which got Alt.Latino thinking — what about the Latinos in country?

This week, Anamaria Sayre and Felix Contreras travel to Austin, Texas to speak with AmeriChicana musician Carrie Rodriguez about the difference between violin and fiddle, strings and "strangs," and who gets to play country music.

Songs featured:
•Carin Leon, Leon Bridges: "It Was Always You (Siempre Fuiste Tu)"
•Cuco Sanchez: "La Cama de Piedra"
•Merle Haggard: "Big City"
•Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys: "San Antonio Rose"
•Robert Earl Keen: "Feelin' Good Again"
•Chip Taylor, Carrie Rodriguez: "Dirty Little Texas Story"
•Eva Garza: "Quiero Verte Una Vez Mas"
•Rick Trevino: "Doctor Time"
•Ruben Ramos: "Crying Time"
•Sammy Arriaga: "Tennessee Whiskey - Spanglish"
•The Mavericks: "There Goes My Heart"
•Louie TheSinger: "Come and Take It"
•Carrie Rodriguez: "I Dreamed I Was Lola Beltran"
•
Audio for this episode of Alt.Latino was edited and mixed by Joaquin Cotler. Hazel Cills is the podcast editor and digital editor for Alt.Latino, and our project manager is Grace Chung. NPR Music's executive producer is Suraya Mohamed. Our VP of Music and Visuals is Keith Jenkins.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Support for NPR and the following message come from Yarl and Pamela Mone,
0:04.4	thanking the people who make public radio great every day and also those who listen.
0:10.4	Just a quick warning, this episode contains explicit language.
0:14.1	From NPR music, this is Alt Latino. I'm Felix Contreras.
0:17.4	And I'm Anna Maria Sayer. Let the Chisme begin.
0:21.8	The St. Texas.
0:27.1	I'm not Felix.
0:30.3	It's a nice song.
0:32.5	It is a great song.
0:35.0	Let's let Beyonce sing it.
0:38.1	You know, I had a friend who'd say that to me all the time.
0:41.2	Every time I sing.
0:43.1	Who sings that song?
0:44.6	Yeah, why don't you let them sing it?
0:45.7	Oh, that's kind of cool.
0:47.4	That's brutal.
0:48.2	It's very brutal toward me.
0:50.1	I'm sorry, I take it back.
0:51.4	I'd listen to you over Beyonce any day, Felix.
0:53.6	But you know what?
0:57.8	That's only because I've been listening to the Beyonce record all weekend.
0:59.0	Oh, my God.
	...

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