José Ariel Camacho Barraza was born on July 8, 1992 in Guamuchil, Sinaloa. Camacho was a Mexican singer and songwriter who performed the Sierreño and Regional music genre and is remembered for his unique way of singing and playing the requinto. Camacho was popularly known as La Tuyia, which was originally a nickname his grandfather gave him when he was younger because his guitar was much bigger than him.
Chanilo’s parents were Benito Camacho and Reynalda Barraza and he was the youngest of two children. When he was seven, he started to play the guitar and when he was 12, he started singing. Around this time, he started performing in shows around Guamuchil and nearby locations. Later on, in middle school, he met César Iván Sánchez, who played guitar and sang backup vocals. He also later met Omar Burgos, who played the tuba. He officially started his band in 2013. His band, Ariel Camacho y Los Pebles del Rancho, consisted of Ariel Camacho as lead singer and guitarist, César Sánchez who was also known as, El Tigre, who played rhythm guitar and sang backup vocals and Omar Burgos also known as, El Cenizo, who played the sousaphone tuba. Their group became known for the unique combination of standard guitar, 12-string guitar, and sousaphone tuba. Camacho’s first-ever concert was in Tijuana, where he played for more than 40,000 people. This is around the time when he started to be known for his way of playing the requinto (12-string guitar). He also was known for his song, El Rey de Corazónes, which also made his group well-known on social media.
On February 25, 2015, Camacho and four other people were on the road from Angostura, Sinaloa, and they were riding in a 2004 Honda Accord. They were returning from a music festival called Carnaval de Mocorito, when Camacho, who was driving, lost control and crashed, resulting in two people dying and two others injured. The accident was reported to have happened at 2 in the morning on Highway Angostura – La Reforma. Camacho, who was one of the two people who died in the car crash, was said to have died on impact due to the fact he was driving at excessive speed, and it’s not certain if he was also intoxicated. He died at the age of 22. Not long after his death, his group song, El Karma blew up and became number one on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart and hit the top 5 of the Latin Albums chart. Not too long after Camacho’s death, Ariel Camacho y Los Pebles del Rancho changed their name to Los Pebles del Rancho de Ariel Camacho to honor him. The band continues to make songs in tribute to Camacho. Now, each year on the 25th of February, his band, family, friends, fans, and other artists go to his grave to commemorate him.
Ariel Camacho has really made a big impact on Mexican music, and his songs are still popular today. Even though he died at 22, Ariel Camacho’s legacy will never end.
