Los Angeles De Charly

• Genre: Cumbia

About

The story of Los Angeles de Charly begins -- appropriately enough -- with Charly. Born Charly Bencies in Mexico's Federal District, Charly spent a lot of time in Veracruz as a youth, where he learned his first songs and discovered that he could earn food and money if he sang for people in his unique style, which came to be known as "el estilo Charly." In 1999, with an ironic nod at the television show of the same name, Bencies formed Los Angeles de Charly. Within the year they'd released La Magia Del Amor, a wildly successful album that sold huge amounts in the United States and exported the group's special brand of romantic cumbia to a legion of grateful regional Mexican music fans.

- Sarah Bardeen