Effective period / Period of releases: 1950 - 1971

Members: Luis Arcaraz Torras, Chuck Anderson (2), Roman Lopez (2)

Luis Arcaráz (1910-1963) was the premier Mexican orchestra leader of the postwar era, appealing to an enormous fan base on both sides of the border with a repertoire that boasted American and Latin pop favorites. After studying music and engineering in Spain, he returned to Mexico City to accept a radio job with station XEW, singing and playing piano to the tune of 36 cents an hour. But the exposure nevertheless made Arcaráz a household name, and when his first big band debuted at Tampico's Teatro Palma in 1928, ticket sales were overwhelming.

While the orchestra was famed for its vast American pop songbook, Arcaráz was a prolific composer in his own right, penning some 200 songs during his career (including his theme, "Sombra Verde"); most were written for the Mexican film industry, with dozens of motion pictures featuring Arcaráz scores. By the early '50s, the band claimed a large fan base in the southwestern U.S. and toured regularly throughout the decade.