The pioneering Mexican norteño group Ramón Ayala y Sus Bravos del Norte took the genre beyond the cantina and into the mainstream over a career lasting more than five decades. ∙ An accordion player and veteran of several groups, Ramón Ayala met singer Cornelio Reyna in 1961 and formed the groundbreaking Los Relámpagos del Norte. ∙ Following Los Relámpagos del Norte’s breakup in 1971, Ayala put together a new band, Los Bravos del Norte, which has since released more than 100 albums. ∙ Arriba El Norte Y Arriba El Sur, Ayala’s 1991 split LP with Mexican singer Vicente Fernández, hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Regional Mexican Albums chart. ∙ The band’s catalog includes 12 Platinum albums and 2 LPs that won Latin Grammy Awards for Best Norteño Album: 2000’s Quémame Los Ojos and 2002’s El Numero 100. ∙ They have earned nine Grammy Award nominations, winning once for the 2001 live LP En Vivo...El Hombre Y Su Música, which was named Best Mexican/Mexican-American Album.