Latin ballad

The romantic ballad or Latin ballad is a music genre derivative of Bolero that was originated to early of the 1960s in Latin America and Spain.

Some of the best known artists of the Latin ballad are Julio Iglesias, Luis Miguel, Nino Bravo, Roberto Carlos, Raphael and José José among others. Because of its difficulty, the Latin balladeers are often recognized as skilled singers such as the case of Nino Bravo, José José, Luis Miguel or Raphael. In recent decades it has become the dominant musical genre of Latin pop.

Origin and evolution

The Latin or romantic ballad has its origin in the Latin American bolero in the 50s (Lucho Gatica, Leo Marini), but also in the romantic song in Italian (Nicola Di Bari) and French (Charles Aznavour) in the 60s and 70s.

In Mexico, the first ballad that is registered as such is "Sonata de Amor" (Sonata of Love) of Mario Alvarez in 1961. In 1965 the famous bolero singer-songwriter Armando Manzanero, recorded his first ballad, "Pobres besos míos" (My Poor Kisses).