Genres: LatinBy the age of six, El Tigrillo Palma knew he wanted to sing. When he was ten, he performed with is sister in a band called Los Vaqueritos de El Baral (The Cowboy of Baral), named for their home municipality of El Baral, in Guasave, Sinaloa.. During that time they would play on buses or on busy street corners,
El Tigrillo Palma
El Tigrillo Palma, is distinguished by his way of singing the ballad, simply, but with a unique and authentic style. He has only three companying musicians: guitar, fife 'El Compa Trini' and tuba. These basics are enough to make people sing and dance in each performance.
Making a Splash in the Latin Music Industry
By the age of six, El Tigrillo Palma knew he wanted to sing. When he was ten, he performed with is sister in a band called Los Vaqueritos de El Baral (The Cowboy of Baral), named for their home municipality of El Baral, in Guasave, Sinaloa.. During that time they would play on buses or on busy street corners, because performing was what was important, not being paid.
Born Efrén Aguilar, El Tigrillo Palma recorded his first hit, Los Chiquinarcos , for his 2006 album, Pistiando con la Plebada. The song was a narcocorrido, or “drug ballad.” The practice of writing ballads dealing with drug smugglers dates back to the 1930s. A corrido is a ballad sung in the noteno style. The song was re-released on a number of subsequent compilation cd's as well. His album, Por las Calles Enlodadas, released in 2007, contained another hit, El 24.
A Prolific Career
In 2005 and 2006, El Tigrillo Palma released a trio of albums with the independent label, Moreno Music: Cantándole al Chaka (2005), Pistiando en la Sierra (2006), and Anda Alterada la Gente (2006). They were met with mixed reviews and lackluster sales. They were later re-released by Univision Records after the success of Los Chiquinarcos; the albums were much more warmly received.
Through the years, Palma has toured extensively in Mexico and in southwestern United States, where he is very popular with the Hispanic population. His performances have served to capture his audience and clinch a strong fan base. His songs are available for mp3 download on his website, which is in Spanish (but can be translated), and on other music sites as well. His videos can be viewed also at his site and on YouTube.
Going Strong
El Tigrillo Palma has released twelve albums to date, including his most recent release in 2009, El ídolo de la raza pesada (In One Hundred per Million) . The first single from the album, Gente de Alto Pode was already receiving ample radio play before the album was released, so fans were eagerly awaiting the recording when it appeared.
Palma plans to continue to record and to perform. His fans are loyal and eager to receive every new performance and recording, frequently requesting downloads of his music, as mp3's and ringtones, on line. His next album is due out some time in 2010.
Did you know . . .
El Tigrillo is known to his fans as “El ídolo de la raza pesada,” roughly translated as “the Idol of Heavy Race.”
Palma's 2008 release, En Vivo Desde Hermosillo, Sonora, included a dvd with live concert footage.
During 2008, Palma's CDs were being released by multiple record labels, including Univision, Sony BMG, and Aries Music.