20 Questions With Ramón Ayala: ‘We Don’t Know When the End Will Be’

Ramón Ayala is one of the most iconic figures of Norteño music. He rose to fame in the ’60s as part of the duo Los Relámpagos del Norte, alongside Cornelio Reyna, and for more than half a century he has maintained a successful career with his band Ramón Ayala y sus Bravos del Norte.

So when he announced in February his El Principio De Un Final Tour, many were surprised by that title (Spanish for “The Beginning of an End”). At Coachella, Peso Pluma included him in a tribute to greats of Mexican culture on the screen at the back of the stage, while he performed his hit “Lady Gaga”.

But is Ramón Ayala retiring or not?

“Of course not,” says the “King of the Accordion” to Billboard Español. “I am now in perfect condition. If I don’t play and tour, I don’t feel happy and fulfilled. I have been a musician all my life.”

Ayala’s history with music began when he was just five years old and he accompanied his father playing the accordion to bring money home in his native Monterrey, Nuevo León, cradle of one of the three strands on which regional Mexican music is based: norteño, mariachi and banda sinaloense.

Throughout his long-lasting career, he has recorded over 100 albums, two of which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Regional Mexican Albums chart: Arriba El Norte (1991) and Antología De Un Rey (2004). He’s also placed 12 songs on Hot Latin Songs, including “Del Otro Lado del Portón”, at No. 12, and “Quémame los Ojos”, at No. 19. And he’s received two Grammy Awards and two Latin Grammys, among other accolades.

On March 9, he began his 50-concert tour in Los Angeles, which includes stops in Atlanta, El Paso, Chicago, Las Vegas, and other U.S. cities. He will soon announce dates in Mexico, in cities like Hermosillo, Tijuana, Ensenada, Culiacán, Mexico City and Monterrey, “where they will pay me a tribute in the Macroplaza,” he says of the latter.

Also in March, he released the corrido “El Retén,” the first single from an upcoming 15-track album.

In an interview with Billboard Español, Ayala answers 20 questions about his life and career, his last moments with Cornelio Reyna and how much he still has left to do.

1. How do you manage to still get up with such great enthusiasm 61 years after starting your career?

Knowing that there’s a large audience that follows us both in Mexico and in the United States, that fills our concerts and is awaiting our new music, motivates me.

2. When you started in music, did you dream of getting to where you are now?

I have been a musician since I was five years old. At that age, I already played the accordion and worked with my dad in a band in Monterrey — I dreamed of continuing doing what I did and nothing else.

3. Do you remember the first professional recording you made?

Yes, it was in 1963, a song called “Ya No Llores,” and it was such a hit that it opened the doors to Ramón Ayala and Cornelio Reyna, my dear compadre. We were Los Relámpagos del Norte. That’s how we would be until 1971.

4. Los Relámpagos del Norte have remained an inspiration. What does it mean to you to have laid the groundwork for so many generations?

Cornelio and I met when we were 14, so we were like brothers. That made us bond and better transmit our music to the audience.

5. Do you have a special memory or anecdote with Cornelio Reyna?

When we started out, Cornelio was the one who made the contracts. Once, he promised [we would play] three events in one night. We arrived to the first, we did not make it to the second, and we arrived to the third one when people were already leaving. People recognized us and threw stones at our trucks. At that moment we decided that someone should represent us, and a friend offered to do it, Servando Cano.

6. Servando Cano, who would become one of the most important representatives of regional Mexican music…

That’s right. He worked as a cashier at the National Bank of Mexico in Reynosa, Tamaulipas. He offered to be our manager and we accepted. We went to Mexico to sign the contract so that everything was well done and legally.

7. With so many hits, is there a song that’s particularly meaningful to you?

There is one that I have a special affection for, “Mi Golondrina,” because it was one of the first that I recorded. But “Rinconcito en el Cielo” is very important in my career.

8. Why did Cornelio Reyna and Ramón Ayala separate? Was there any problem between you?

There was no problem, we always got along well. What happened is that he wanted to try his luck in Mexico singing mariachi and acting in movies.

9. Did you get a chance to reunite with Reyna before his passing in 1997?

In 1995, he returned to the U.S. and asked me to do a tour as Los Relámpagos del Norte. What I proposed was to go on stage first with Los Bravos del Norte, and halfway through the show, both of us [would come out] as Los Relámpagos. We were able to do two tours like that, but he was already very sick. He returned to Mexico and died there.

10. You went through some difficult moments in your career, didn’t you?

Yes, there have been some difficult moments, but fortunately there have been more good times and successes.

11. The name of the tour “El Principio De Un Final” caused a stir. Is this a farewell for Ramón Ayala?

We just named the 2024 tour that way; we don’t know when the end will be. I feel very good, so unless God has planned something else, we will continue.

12. Have you thought about retiring to be a full-time grandpa?

No, not at all. I do spend a lot of time with my children and grandchildren, though. For example, before starting this tour, I was teaching the kids how to bottle feed the newborn goats on my ranch. But being a grandpa is only for moments.

13. During the COVID pandemic, your brother José Luis, the drummer of the band, died. That double loss must have been hard for you.

It was something very hard for me. It was the beginning of the pandemic, there were no vaccines and my little brother left. After that, I spoke with his son, José Luis Ayala Jr., who is a very good musician and is already very well integrated with us.

14. Do the other members of the band contribute ideas?

No, no. I tell them how I want things to be done and heard. We have worked very well this way; the proof is the response from the fans after so many years.

15. How is Ramón Ayala’s life in the U.S.?

I have been living in the Texas Valley for over 60 years. From Brownsville to Laredo, most of the population is Mexican, so we live and eat our carne asada as in our homeland, in addition to speaking a lot of Spanish.

16. How will you be celebrating Cinco de Mayo?

Working, fortunately. We will perform at the County Fair in Pomona, California. It is a very important event with more than 100 years of tradition.

17. Do you have any collaborative album planned?

Yes, we are going to record several of our hits with other artists. I already participated in an album celebrating Leo Dan’s career and I once did a duet with Lupillo Rivera accompanied by a sinaloense band. I also want to give you a heads up that another album is coming with Los Rieleros del Norte that is already recorded.

18. As an icon of Norteño music, what’s your opinion of the new generation of artists who are following this path?

I really like seeing how some of them have a lot of respect for Norteño music and the accordion — they play it excellently, like Edén Muñoz or Alfredo Olivas.

19. Any dream duet that didn’t get to happen?

I always dreamed of doing a duet with Pedro Infante, and I achieved it by participating in a tribute album. He was no longer with us physically, but his voice was.

20. Is there anything in your life and your career that you regret?

I regret nothing. Thanks to God I have reached the point where I am surrounded by fans, friends and family.