Pedro Ayala

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Pedro Ayala (June 29, 1911 – December 1, 1990), called "El Monarca del Acordeón", was a Mexican accordionist and songwriter from General Terán, Nuevo León, Mexico.

Pedro Ayala was a pioneer of conjunto music with his distinctive accordion playing, receiving a National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts for his contribution to conjunto and folk music.

Early life

Ayala, the son of musician Emilio Ayala, began playing the accordion when he was 5 years old. His family migrated to the United States when Pedro was about eight years old, settling in the town of Donna, Texas in the Rio Grande Valley and working as farm laborers. At age ten, he began to accompany his father on gigs for local dances, playing the tambora (drum). By age fourteen, Pedro had learned the two-row button accordion, guitar and was playing with one of his favorite accordionists, Chon Alaniz.

Personal life

Pedro Ayala married Esperanza Benitez in 1935. They had a total of nine children three of which also played instruments. Hector Ayala, Elia Ayala, Pedro Ayala Jr., Anita Ayala, Ramon Ayala, Pedro Ayala Jr. (Quito), Olga Ayala, Magdalena Ayala, and Emilio Ayala.

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Career

Ayala began his work in 1935 and decided to concentrate on the accordion as his primary instrument. He performed music when he began working on farms. Ayala, a well-known Mexican American living in Texas, was a respected performer in the 1940s and 1950s, earning the honor "El Monarca del Acordeon" (Monarch of the Accordion). In 1947, he appeared on Mira, a Texas music label. Mira later became Falcon Records, a very successful Chicano recording business. Ayala produced ten albums and many 78- and 45-rpm recordings that featured polkas, chotes, valses, and redovas throughout his career.

Ayala stayed true to the conjunto's stylistic roots throughout his career, but the ensemble has also introduced innovations, such as adding the toloche (stand-up bass) to the ensemble. He was also known as a songwriter with a distinct style of composition.

Ramon Ayala's uncles, as well as Pedro Ayala Jr. (Quito), formed his group Pedro Ayala y su Conjunto in 1957. Emilio, Pedro Ayala's youngest brother, joined the company in 1963, renaming the group to Pedro Ayala El Monarca del Ayala Touring the entire United States for the next several years.

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Awards and honors

• Ayala was a recipient of a 1988 National Heritage Fellowship awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts, which is the United States government's highest honor in the folk and traditional arts.
• He was given a Texas flag that flew over the state capitol in Austin, Texas by Governor Ann Richards.
• Pedro Ayala y Los Hermanos Ayala were invited to perform at the White House in Washington, D.C. by the Smithsonian Institution. The entire event was documented on video.
• Ayala was inducted into the Tejano R.O.O.T.S. Hall of Fame in 2004.