Felipe Gil, also known by his nickname El Charro was a Mexican singer and songwriter of the Golden Age of Mexican cinema. He was born in Misantla, Veracruz, in 1913, into a family of musicians and he studied the music of the area.[1]
He worked for a time with Álvaro Ancona and in 1936 they were joined by Jesús "Chucho" Navarro, forming the group El Charro Gil y Sus Caporales. In 1940 Ancona was replaced by Felipe's brother Alfredo Gil. They disbanded in 1944, when Chucho Navarro and Alfredo Gil left the group to form the Trío Los Panchos with Hernando Avilés.
In 1939, Felipe Gil married the Mexican American vocalist Eva Garza after they met during Garza's concert tour in Juarez, Mexico.[2][3] The pair later relocated to New York City, where they eventually raised three children before divorcing in 1953. Felipe Gil occasionally collaborated with his wife in his performances with Sus Caporales.[2] They also recorded several boleros for Columbia Records (Catalogue # 1613-C) including: Diez Años - Rafael Hernández and Eso Si... Eso No - Felipe "El Charro" Gil.[4][5]
One of Gil and Garza's children, Felicia Garza, had a successful career performing in film, television, and theater. She was born as Felipe Gil and came out as a trans woman at age 74 in 2016.[6]
Discography
Los Angeles October 7, 1938 as "El Charro Gil y Sus Caporales (Navarro y Alvarez)"
^ abcdeSpottswood, Richard (1990). Ethnic Music on Records Volume 4 Spanish, Portuguese, Philippines, Basque: A Discography of Ethnic Recordings Produced in the United States, 1893-1942. University of Illinois Press.
