The border region between the U.S. and Mexico is a unique and sometimes bleak place, with a distinct, self-sufficient culture and music. But as increasing numbers of norteños crossed the border to find work in the U.S. in the second half of the 20th century, they found themselves marginalized or even criminalized, living in unfamiliar urban surroundings and hungry for a taste of home. For nearly 40 years, the norteño duo Carlos y José offered that taste. Accordionist and vocalist Carlos Tierranegra and bajo sexto player José Rodriguez had known each other since they were kids growing up in Nuevo León, Mexico. They shared a love of music, and they officially formed their eponymous duo in Camargo, Tamaulipas, in 1968. They recorded their first album in 1969, singing and playing stark, traditional acoustic norteño music, which marries bouncy polkas and waltzes (a gift from German and Czech immigrants) with haunting, closely harmonized twin vocals. Their first regional hit was 1970’s “La Cosecha,” but it was a decade before they released the transformative “El Chubasco” in 1981. That song, with its simple story of a heartbroken young man, set them on a course for enduring fame. Although they sang corridos, they made their name with love songs like the sweet, intimate “Flor de Capomo.” The pair were unbelievably prolific, releasing nearly 90 albums over the course of their 40-year career. Rodriguez dissolved the duo in 2008 to pursue a solo career but died just a year later; Tierranegra succumbed to a heart attack in 2015. The duo remains a beloved act in both Mexico and the U.S.