Billboard Mexican Music Awards: Special Honors for Two Icons

By Justino Aguila | October 01, 2013
billboard.com

Banda El Recodo de Cruz Lizarraga and Joan Sebastian, two of the most successful acts in Latin music, will be honored with special awards at the 2013 Billboard Mexican Music Awards during the live Telemundo broadcast of the awards show on Oct. 9.

The program, airing at 7 p.m./6c from the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, will feature Banda El Recodo receiving Billboard's "Musical Legacy Award," which is given to the veteran group in recognition of their rich career in music, one that has influenced the genre and generations of artists.

Sebastian will be honored with the Billboard "Voice Award," which is given to an artist or musical group with a distinctive and unique on and off stage persona.

Banda El Recodo, formed in 1938 in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, is a genre-trailblazer celebrating 75 years in the business. The group boasts a strong touring portfolio and catalog of music that started with corridos, sones and polkas with the tambora as the primary instrument. As the band grew so did their fanbase. They've more than 180 albums to their names. Those who have previously received the prize include Los Tucanes de Tijuana and Pepe Aguilar.

Sebastian, a master lyricist, has been prolific through the years as a singer-songwriter, producer, performer and actor. His career spans four decades with nearly 40 albums in various genres such as pop, mariachi and banda. Known as "The Poet of the People," the entertainer has also earned five Grammys and landed two albums at No. 1 on Billboard's Top Latin Albums chart, including this year's "13 Celebrando el 13," which debuted in the top slot in May. The singer also has 13 top 10s on the Hot Latin Songs chart and nine No. 1s on Regional Mexican Airplay, including his iconic 2000 anthem "Secreto de Amor." Previous honorees for this special award include Paquita la del Barrio and Los Huracanes del Norte.

Finalists for the 2013 Billboard Mexican Music Awards vie for top honors in categories including artist of the year, album of the year, song of the year, artist of the year-new, digital download artist of the year, airplay artist of the year and categories for banda, norteña, ranchero/mariachi and duranguense/grupero/cumbia music.

The list of finalists includes Gerardo Ortiz, the late Jenni Rivera, La Arrolladora Banda el Limon de Rene Camacho, Roberto Tapia, Voz de Mando, Banda El Recodo, Calibre 50, 3BallMTY and Joan Sebastian.

Performers scheduled to appear include Sebastian, Banda El Recodo, Ortiz, Tapia, Banda Los Recoditos, Julion Alvarez y su Norteño  Banda, Calibre 50, Los Inquietos del Norte and Roberto Junior y su Bandeño.