Contents
Ariel Camacho was a Mexican singer-songwriter, who was perhaps best known for being the lead guitarist and singer of his band, Ariel Camacho y Los Plebes del Rancho, which predominantly performed the regional Mexican music known as corridos.
Age, Early Life, and Education Background
José Ariel Camacho Barraza was a native of Guamuchil, Sinaloa, born under the Cancer zodiac sign on 8 July 1992, and was 22 years old at the time of his death. He was the son of teacher Reynalda Armida Barraza, and the businessman, Benito Camacho Sanchez, and was brought up alongside his older sister, Kenia Camacho, in a tight-knit Christian family in Angostura, Sinaloa. Ariel developed an interest in music at a young age, and began playing the guitar when he was seven years old, and began singing when he was 12.
Camacho met César Iván Sánchez when he was in middle school, who later served as the guitarist and back-up vocalist of his future band. After matriculating from high school, he began performing in numerous concerts near his hometown.
Interesting Facts
Camacho was given the nickname ‘La Tuyia’ by his grandfather when he was a child, because he used to play guitars that were way bigger than him. The late musician is remembered by many as ‘La Tuyia,’ ‘El Rey del Requinto,’ ‘Rey de Corazones,’ and ‘El Mentado.’
Career
Camacho began singing professionally shortly after matriculating from high school – his first major performance was in a concert in Tijuana, which was attended by over 40,000 people. He quickly grabbed the public’s attention with his expressive and unique way of playing the twelve-string guitar, although his popular instrument was the Japanese acoustic guitar, Takamine.
In early 2013, Camacho formed the group Ariel Camacho y Los Plebes del Rancho, which comprised his middle school friend, César Sánchez aka El Tigre, who served as a back-up vocalist and rhythm guitarist, and Omar Burgos aka El Cenizo, who was a sousaphone/tuba player. Camacho was the lead guitarist and vocalist of the band, which became very popular for its (supposedly) outdated combination of sousaphone tuba, 12-string guitar, and standard guitar. Shortly after its formation, the group signed a contract with JG Records, and in 2014, they signed a contract with DEL Records. Some of their band’s successful songs included “El Karma,” “Te Metiste,” “Hablemos,” and “Rey de Corazones.” The latter increased the band’s social media popularity immensely, and earned Camacho the nickname ‘El Rey de Corazónes.’
Camacho received critical acclaim for maintaining a unique classical element in most of his regional music, by honoring the artists who had come before him, including Miguel y Miguel. He frequently collaborated with numerous other corrido singers, such as Grupo Fernandez, Los Traviezoz de la Zierra, Regulo Caro and Grupo Marca Registrada.
Personal Life
It is widely believed that Camacho hadn’t married or had children at the time of his death.
Ariel Camacho’s Untimely Death
Ariel died after he was involved in a tragic car accident on 25 February 2015. The incident happened at 2 a.m. near Sinaloa – at Angostura-La Reforma Highway – when the young singer was returning home from the music festival, Carnaval de Mocorito. His bereavement was confirmed by the spokesman of his record label, Justino Aguila. According to the police report, Camacho was in the company of four people in the car, which was speeding before the driver lost control, veered off the highway, and crashed into a canal – only two passengers survived the accident.
22-year-old Ariel Camacho, a popular Mexican singer, died in a car crash Wednesday morning http://t.co/uRJQRjkwod pic.twitter.com/s9BtYWv4ex
— People (@people) February 26, 2015
One day before his death, Ariel had taken to Facebook inviting ‘all the beautiful ladies out there’ and his fans to an upcoming US concert, that was set to take place in March 2015. Ariel’s death didn’t result in the disbandment of his band; instead, its members continued holding concerts and producing music, and they even renamed the group Los Plebes del Rancho de Ariel Camacho in his honor. His family members also joined the band after his death to commemorate him and his success. His fans, family, friends, and other musicians come together at his grave – in Alhuey, Mexico – to commemorate him every year on 25 February. Many singers have paid tribute to Camacho through songs such as “Hasta el Cielo” and “Un Mentado Ariel.” Moreover, the artists Regulo Caro, Revolver Cannabis, and Gerardo Ortiz compiled the 2017 album “Ariel Camacho Para Siempre” to commemorate him.
Height, Weight, and Physical Appearance
Camacho was of Hispanic ethnicity and had a pair of dark brown eyes, and black hair. He was 5ft 6ins (1.68m) tall and weighed approximately 135lbs (61kgs).
Net Worth
Camacho had a very promising musical career, which made him very popular and fairly rich at a young age. He was reportedly worth approximately $2 million at the time of his death.
The Original Members of Ariel Camacho y Los Plebes del Rancho Band
José Manuel López Castro
José Castro was born in Mexico under the Scorpio zodiac sign on 8 November 1996, which makes him 26 years old as of 2023; he was brought up alongside his younger brother. The guitarist is an animal lover who has a pet dog named Coco. Castro was discovered on Instagram by Los Plebes del Rancho Chief Executive Officer, Angel Del Villar, who went on to sign him to the record label. The 5ft 5ins (1.65m) tall musician is worth approximately $1.5 million as of 2023. He’s unmarried without any children as of 2023.
César Sánchez
César Sánchez was born in Culiacan, Mexico, under the Virgo zodiac sign on 22 September 1996, which makes him 26 years old as of 2023. The 6ft 1ins (1.85m) tall guitarist has a strong fan base of over 300,000 followers on Instagram. His net worth is estimated at over $1 million.
Omar Burgos
The Mexican sousaphone player and musician Omar Burgos, is perhaps best known for joining the band Ulices Chaidez y sus Plebes (2015), which released the hit single “Andamos en el Ringo” in 2016. In October 2017, he accompanied his band members, Mario Arredondo and Ulices Cháidez to the Latin American Music Awards, which was held in Los Angeles, California.
Los Plebes del Rancho Band after Camacho’s Death
After Camacho passed away in 2015, a legal battle between DEL Records and the band ensued, both claiming to be the rightful possessors of the band’s name ‘Los Plebes del Rancho.’ In the end, the group was split into two: César Sánchez and José Manuel López Castro left the label, and went on to perform under the name ‘Los Plebes del Rancho’, whereas Omar Burgos took DEL Record’s side, and was recruited into the label’s new sierreño-banda group named Ulises Chaidez y sus Plebes. Los Plebes del Rancho continued releasing songs after Burgos’ exit, and some of the most popular were “Por Enamorarme” in 2016, and 2017’s “Será Que Estoy Enamorado.”
Burgos didn’t last for long in the new band, and was replaced by the tuba player, Israel Meza, after his exit. In September 2018, José Manuel López Castro exited Los Plebes del Rancho, and was shortly afterward replaced by the Mexican musician, Johnny Cortés.
