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Latin Times

Entertainment

From 'Suavemente' to 'Amor Prohibido' and 'La Chona', U.S. National Recording Registry Latino Nominees

Joaquín Castro Christina Aguilera José Feliciano Shakira Joan Baez Lin-Manuel Miranda Selena Quintanilla Vicente Fernández

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What Do Shakira, Café Tacvba, Christina Aguilera, El General, Vicente Fernández, Selena Quintanilla, José Feliciano, and Elvis Crespo Have in Common? Aside from being Latin music stars, of course.

Some of their greatest hits are part of the incredible mix of rhythms, genres, and songs by Latin artists that Hispanic Congressman Joaquín Castro has nominated this year for the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress. And yes, there's a bit of everything: from legends of the past to the most current hits that we still can't get off our playlists.

First, a bit of context: the National Recording Registry is there to preserve recordings that have made a mark on the culture, history, or aesthetics of the United States. Every year, they accept public nominations, and a few years ago, Castro began creating his own list with the goal of expanding the space for Latino voices in the Registry.

Since 2022, Castro has been submitting his nominations, and four of his picks are already in the registry: "Amor Eterno" by Juan Gabriel (1990), "El Cantante" by Héctor Lavoe (1978), "Flashdance...What a Feeling" by Irene Cara (1983), and "Gasolina" by Daddy Yankee (2004). And the coolest part? "Gasolina" became the first reggaeton song to be preserved in the registry.

What Castro is doing is part of a larger movement to ensure that Latinos have more representation in the registry. It makes sense, considering that even though Latinos represent almost 20% of the U.S. population, less than 5% of the recordings in the registry are by Latin artists. Each year, 25 recordings are added, and Castro is at the forefront advocating for Latin music.

He does the same for movies, and now is pushing for a bigger representation on videogames.

An eclectic mix of songs

This year's list is a walk through Latin music history and culture. We have "Mambo No. 5" by Pérez Prado, "Suavemente" by Elvis Crespo, and "La Chona" by Los Tucanes de Tijuana.

But that's not all, because he also nominated the first broadcast of KCOR, the first Spanish-language radio station in the U.S., which started broadcasting in 1946 from San Antonio. For those who don't know, KCOR is a historical gem, and its founder, Raoul Cortez, laid the groundwork for Univision, later led by his son-in-law Emilio Nicolás. But that's a story for another time.

Mario Quintero Lara of Los Tucanes de Tijuana at Coachella (Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

In addition, the list includes contemporary artists like Lin-Manuel Miranda and his "The Hamilton Mixtape" and Shakira with her mega-hit "Hips Don't Lie," which brought Latin rhythms to every corner of the world.

From classics like "Before the Next Teardrop Falls" by Freddy Fender and "Diamonds and Rust" by Joan Baez to hits like "Feliz Navidad" by José Feliciano and "Genie in a Bottle" by Christina Aguilera, Castro's nominations have it all.

All of this is to ensure that Latin music not only continues to resonate in our homes, but also gets preserved and receives the recognition it deserves in U.S. history. What other Latin gems do you think we'll see enter the registry next year? Here's the complete list of nominations submitted by the congressman this year:

The first broadcast of a full-time Spanish-language radio station in the United States, based in San Antonio, TX (formerly KCOR-TV, later known as KWEX-TC) (1946) (Broadcast)

The Hamilton Mixtape – Lin-Manuel Miranda (2009) - (Song)

Amor Prohibido – Selena (1992) (Album)