BIOGRAPHY ON FLAVIO LONGORIA

The Longoria family dynasty in Tex-Mex music begins in the 1920s in a Mississippi cotton field, with no one in the large family of Valerio Longoria Sr. aware that a master musician was growing up in their midst. The "genius" of conjunto music, Valerio Longoria was born in Kenedy, Texas in 1924. He was the first of the post-World War II accordionists -- collectively known as the "nueva generación" (new generation) -- that launched the "classic" stage of the Texas-Mexican conjunto. He first learned to play guitar and harmonica before picking up the accordion at the age of seven. The ensemble had been evolving slowly since the 1920s, especially after Narciso Martinez introduced his new technique, it was largely Longoria that got accordion players used to the idea of standing up onstage. In addition, Longoria was the first performer to sing while playing the accordion, as well as to include modern dance trap drums in the traditional conjunto ensemble. He also added vocals to what had hitherto been a strictly instrumental style, and he expanded the conjunto's repertoire by adding genres like the romantic Cuban-Mexican bolero. By adding the more sophisticated bolero, Longoria upgraded the ensemble; by injecting what was known as a more "jaitón" ("hightoned") style into the conjunto, he instantly transformed the lowly conjunto into a more "respectable" type of music. Until this time, the conjunto was considered by middle-class tejanos to be a disreputable, low-class, "cantina" music.  Mr. Longoria has played from Miami to Chicago to Canada, anywhere that Texan and Mexican migrant workers go looking for jobs. Longoria got into the performing habit early and sustained a music career for more than 60 years. He made his first recordings at the age of 21. As a vocalist he popularized the "cancion ranchera" with his smooth style. His first recording in the cancion ranchera genre was the 1947 "El Rosalito," which became a classic in the conjunto repertoire, one of the most recorded songs in the history of the genre. In 1982, Longoria he was inducted into the Tejano Conjunto Hall of Fame and in 1986, he was awarded the National Heritage Fellowship Award. Longoria was also a master accordion instructor at the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center in San Antonio for more than 19 years with hundreds of students. Born in Corpus Christi, Texas on December 1, 1971, Flavio Longoria was the first child to Jesusita Guillen and youngest son of national Treasure, Texas Conjunto Pioneer Valerio Longoria. By the age of 11 years old, Flavio was playing the button accordion, and also playing saxophone, bass drums, and singingin his fathers conjunto that included brother ValerioIII on bajo sexto. His influenceswere of course his father Valerio Longoria, Ruben Vela, and Steve Jordan. Flavio was quickly drawn to conjunto music. By his early teens, Flavio was touring as a member of his father's group around Texas, California, Rhode Island, Virginia, and throughout the nation. He was also in the studio recording on his father's albums such as Vengo A Pedirte, Prieta Consentida, La Piragua, Amor Chiquito, and Mi Ultimo Adios. In 1985, when he was just 14, Flavio performed Endowment for the Arts with a National Heritage Award and named a National Treasure. After his father's passing in 2000, Flavio went on to from Los Longorias taking over on the accodion. With brother ValerioIII and nephew ValerioIV, the group recorded a CD entitled La Zampa that same year, a collection of his father's songs that included "Mi Desgracia," "Una Herida Mas," "Con Pasion," "Enfermo De Amor," among many hits. Flavio moved forward from (Los Longorias) and formed The Conjunto Kingz de Flavio Longoria along with Oscar Garcia. And released his first CD titled Recordando A Valerio Longoria in 2006. Flavio Longoria is the son and verdadero heredero (true heir) of a legendary accordionist. Valerio Longoria, who is considered one of the geniuses of Conjunto music, was a great innovator, composer, vocalist, recording artist, and accordionist extraordionaire, and Flavio has inherited his musical talents playing the button accordion and singing just like him. Flavio is commited to keeping his fathers style and musical legacy alive, especially those beautiful and romantic boleros that continue to resonate in the hearts of the Chicano people. La Chancla.wma Click Link To Listen

Flavio With The Fans In California