Mexican norteño-banda group
Calibre 50 (Spanish pronunciation: [kaˈliβɾe siŋˈkwenta]) is a regional Mexican band. Formed in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, in 2010 by Edén Muñoz, the band has had several lineup changes, with the current roster consisting of lead vocalist Tony Elizondo, diatonic accordionist José Mario "Marito" Gastélum, twelve-string guitarist Oscar Arrendondo, sousaphonist Alejandro Gaxiola, and drummer Erick García.
The band is one of the most streamed regional Mexican acts in recent history.[1][2] Their musical style employs a fusion of norteño and banda music, known as norteño-banda, with low notes played by a sousaphone instead of a bass guitar as is traditional in norteño music.
History
Before forming Calibre 50, Edén Muñoz had been the accordionist and vocalist in the norteño-banda group, Colmillo Norteño. With Muñoz, the group scored the hit songs "Sueño guajiro" and "Hotel El Cid" in 2009, among others. Nevertheless, conflicts with the other members of the band led Muñoz to quit Colmillo Norteño in early 2010, and he founded his own band later that year, recruiting Armando Ramos as guitarist and backing vocalist, Martín López as sousaphonist, and Augusto Guido as drummer. The name of this new band was "Puro Colmillo Norteño", and they recorded their first album, "Renovar o Morir", under that name, as well as their first single ("El infiernito"). However, the original Colmillo Norteño sued them over the name, and after a legal dispute Muñoz' band was forced to change their name later in 2010. They chose the name by which they are known today: Calibre 50.[3] The name of the band comes from the comparison "with an element that will symbolize the strength and impact that the project has on the lives of the members, as well as those who like the Regional Mexican genre."
Calibre 50 first achieved notoriety for their controversial songs; among them corridos. Their first nationwide hit was "El tierno se fue" ("The nice guy is gone") in 2011, a ranchera written by Lalo Ayala which contains many innuendos and describes a sexual act in detail. Throughout its history, the band has recorded different styles of songs such as rancheras, corridos, ballads, cumbias, charangas, boleros, and huapangos.
In January 2014, drummer Augusto Guido left the band to work on his own group, "Los de Sinaloa"; he was replaced by Erick García.[4] Two months later, sousaphone player Martín López also left the band to work on another project, "La Iniciativa". He was subsequently replaced by Alejandro Gaxiola.[5]
In March 2017, Calibre 50 made history when the band became the first Regional Mexican act to perform on the Conan show on an episode that took place in Mexico City. Calibre 50 made their Rodeo Houston debut on March 11, 2018 to a sold out crowd.
On April 26, 2018, Calibre 50, along with Colombian Urban singer J Balvin, received an award from Pandora Radio for being the first artists to surpass a billion streams on the platform.[6]
In October 2020, the group broke the record for the most number-one songs on the Billboard Regional Mexican Airplay chart with 17 songs.[7] As of 2023, they have since broken their own record with five additional songs reaching No. 1, totaling 23 No. 1 songs on the Billboard Regional Mexican Airplay chart.
In late January 2022, Edén Muñoz left Calibre 50 to embark on a solo career.[8] On March 1, 2022, after several auditions, the band presented in a press conference their new lead vocalist, Tony Elizondo.[9] On April 8, 2022, Calibre 50 presented in another press conference their new accordionist and additional backing vocalist, Ángel Saucedo.
On April 1, 2023, guitarist and backing vocalist Armando Ramos left Calibre 50 after 13 years to start his own band, "Al Tiro". He was the last original member of Calibre 50 to leave the band. On April 2, 2023, accordionist and backing vocalist Ángel Saucedo left Calibre 50 after only one year to begin a solo career. Armando Ramos and Ángel Saucedo were replaced by Oscar Arredondo and José Mario Gastélum, respectively.[10]
