The dance floor is the only place to be when Jonny Martinez
y Grupo Bravo start jamming. For their latest CD La Callejera,
released Spring of 2003, the group unveils six uptempo cumbias,
all written or co-written by Jonny. They've got a touch of vallenato,
a touch of conjunto, and loads of ritmo y sabor.
First single "Esa Morenita" gets the groove
going with vallenato beats and a frenetic accordion solo. The
track is already top 3 at several West Texas stations.
Released on AMI Records, La Callejera
also contains 4 rancheras, a bolero and a polka. On rancheras
such as Valerio Longoria's "Ojitos
Verdes" and Cornelio Reyna's "Ni Los Pleitos," Jonny returned
to his conjunto roots and achieved his most hardcore sound yet.
Jonny produced the CD, exercising a degree of creative control
unprecedented in his career. Tejano Music Awards Songwriter of
the Year Arturo Guillermo co-wrote two cuts and produced the
vocals.
Touring extensively in the U.S., Jonny
saw firsthand how crowds have been responding to the Colombian
cumbia sound. "If I'm going
to play it, I might as well write it," he reasoned, and he set
out to create some cumbias that showcase his knack for rhythm
and his trademark sense of humor.
With their charisma and enthusiasm, not
to mention their aggressive style of playing, Jonny Martinez
y Grupo Bravo quickly convert crowds into loyal fans. The youngest
of four siblings, Jonny grew up surrounded by music--his father,
Anselmo "Chemiro" Martinez,
was a popular Orquesta Tejana artist in the '60s and a 1982 inductee
into the Texas Talent Musicians Association's Hall of Fame.
After starting out at Missouri Valley
College on a football scholarship, Jonny graduated from Missouri
Valley College in Dec. 1992 with a bachelor's in mass communication.
His family roots are in Morelos, Coahuila, his grandparents'
birthplace. Jonny Martinez y Grupo Bravo blasted on to the
scene in 1995 with the album Caminos Chuecos, featuring the
ranchera title track and novelty cumbia "La Musiquera." They followed that up
with the hit ranchera "Chaparrita de Oro" off second CD, Ron
Con Coca Cola. Martinez and Arturo Hernandez took creative control
for third CD Mujer Mexicana, best known for the fiery ranchera "Mujer
Paseada."
Doug Shannon
