About the Artist
Lydia Mendoza was born in 1916, in Houston, Texas. She began her musical career at the age of 7, singing and learning to play mandolin and violin. She also learned how to play guitar- which she picked up from her mother. Mendoza and her family formed a band that performed across the Rio Grande Valley in Mexican and Mexican-American towns. They weren’t celebrities by any means and in fact had to hitchhike all over, looking for places to play at and collect tips. In 1928, Lydia’s family found out about singing gig for Okeh Records, via the popular newspaper “La Prensa.” Her family traveled out to San Antonio and recorded twenty songs for Okeh under the professional name Cuarteto Carta Blanca. They received a total of $140 for their work. After a brief stint in Detriot, where Lydia’s family moved for work, they returned to San Antonio and continued to perform for Tejano audiences in a variety of settings. Most notable was their performances at the Plaza de Zacate. It was there that a local radio announcer heard Lydia sing and hired her to for his radio program, where she made $3.50 a week for her performances. In 1934, she recorded her first song, “Mal Hombre,” with Bluebird Records, who offered her a ten-year deal following the success of her debut record. Lydia continued to tour with her family for the next several years. She would perform as a soloist, accompanied by her 12-string guitar.
The 12-string guitar, also known as the “bajo sexto,” is a common instrument in Norteno and Tejano music. However, Mendoza’s guitar was particularly iconic. She tuned her guitar to B, a perfect fourth lower than a regular guitar, and a minor third lower than the standard 12 guitars. Her unique tuning allowed the guitar to have a range between that of a bajo sexto and a regular guitar.
By the early 1940s, Mendonza and her guitar gained massive popularity in the Tejano/Norteño community of Southern Texas. One of the first female Tejanas to gain success singing in the vernacular, she was viewed as the “Queen of Norteña” and given additional nicknames such as “La Alondra de la Frontera” (“The Meadowlark of the Border”), “La Cancionera de los Pobres” (“The Songstress of the Poor”), “La Gloria de Texas” (“The Glory of Texas”). Unfortunately, even with her popularity, she still faced racism as a Tejana woman. While touring with her family, she would often come across restaurants and motels that hung signs reading “No dogs or Mexicans.” She also never got to see the full profit from her hit song “Mal Hombre.” She received $60 for her first four songs recorded with Bluebird, including “Mal Hombre.” As a result, she didn’t earn royalties off of the song’s success.
Her Music
Lydia Mendoza was beloved as a performer of Tejano/Tejana music. She brought emotion to every lyric she sang, which her listeners loved her for. Medoza’s songs were often those passed down from her mother. One exception to this was her hit song, “Mal Hombre.” Mendoza says she discovered the lyrics published on a bubble gum wrapper, which was common for songs at the time. Meanwhile, it’s said that she came across the melody at a musical that her father took her to. It turns out, she covered an earlier existing version 0f “Mal Hombre” sung by Elisa Berumen. However, she put her own twist on it, using a guitar accompaniment instead of piano.
Mal Hombre
“Mal Hombre” is one of Mendoza’s most famous songs. It should be noted that the style of the song is rather unconventional in relation to some of the other Tejano music of the time. For example, it strays from the Conjunto style of Tejano music, both rhythmically and in the use of instruments. There is no accordion, just Mendoza and her 12-string guitar, playing in a style more similar to Tango. In “Mal Hombre,” she sings about sexual assault and abuse, narrating from the perspective of a victim calling out her abuser. Here is the original version and Mendoza’s cover:
Mal Hombre English Lyrics:
I was still a young girl
when, by chance, you found me.
And thanks to your worldly charm,
you crushed the flower of my innocence.
Later you treated me like all men
who are like you, treat women.
So don’t be surprised that, now,
I tell you to your face what you are.
Cold-hearted man,
your soul is so wicked it has no name.
You are a pig. You are evil.
You are a cold-hearted man.
To my sad fate abandoned,
engaged in a fierce struggle with life,
suffering the depths of cruelty,
I was weak and finally defeated.
With time, you learned of my downfall,
how my life had become a road to hell.
Some told you:
“Go save her”.
And proving who you are,
you just laughed.
Cold-hearted man,
your soul is so wicked it has no name.
You are a pig. You are evil.
You are a cold-hearted man.
A short time later in the gutter,
I defended my life in a shadowy world.
One night, with another woman,
you passed by me,
and upon seeing my expression, she said to you:
“Who is that woman?”
“Do you know her?”
“Soon you will see”, you replied,
“she’s a nobody.”
At the hearing from your lips the abuse,
you were showing again,
what you were.
Cold-hearted man,
your soul is so wicked it has no name.
You are a pig. You are evil.
You are a cold-hearted man.
El Deber De Los
In “El Deber De Los,” we hear Tejano saxophonist, Beto Villa, accompany Mendoza with a slow swing jazz groove. Mendoza strums chords on her guitar. This song demonstrates the musical range of Lydia Mendoza. She didn’t necessarily stick to one style of Tejano/Norteno music, instead, she expanded the genre by incorporating other musical varieties into her discography.
Tu Diras
In this song, Mendoza plays the violin, while her mom, Leonor Mendoza, plays the guitar. This song is a lot more similar to Conjunto music, in my opinion. While it omits most of the typical instruments of Conjunto music, like the accordion, the rhythm follows a similar style. The guitar plays a repeating “oom-pah” style in quadruple meter that is featured in other Conjunto songs, such as those by Flaco Jimenez. Also, instead of a break between verses to feature an accordion solo, “Tu Diras” features a guitar break.
Her impact
Lydia Mendoza passed away in 2007. Before she moved on, she made her mark on the music world. In 1975, she performed for President Jimmy Carter at the John. F Kennedy Center. She was conducted into both the Tejano Music Hall of Fame and the Conjunto Music Hall of Fame in 1984 ad 1991, respectively. In 1999, she was awarded the National Medal of Arts by President Bill Clinton at the White House. She is recognized in the Tejano community as a trailblazer and pioneer; one of the first female Tejano solo performers and superstars.
Work Cited
Burnett, John. “Lydia Mendoza: The First Lady of Tejano.” NPR, NPR, 24 May 2010, https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=127033025.
“Mendoza, Lydia (1916–2007).” TSHA, https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/mendoza-lydia.
“Lydia Mendoza.” National Endowment for the Arts, https://www.arts.gov/honors/heritage/lydia-mendoza.
“Lydia Mendoza Obituary (1916 – 2007) .” Lydia Mendoza, Austin American-Statesman, https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/statesman/name/lydia-mendoza-obituary?pid=100261017.
Martiniez, Norma. “Lydia Mendoza – The Lark of the Border – Honored with Historical Marker.” TPR, Texas Public Radio, 6 June 2019, https://www.tpr.org/arts-culture/2019-06-05/lydia-mendoza-the-lark-of-the-border-honored-with-historical-marker.
Magazine, Houston History. “Lydia Mendoza: Houstonian and First Woman of Tejano Music.” Published by Welcome Wilson Houston History Collaborative, 2 Dec. 2011, https://houstonhistorymagazine.org/2011/12/lydia-mendoza-houstonian-and-first-woman-of-tejano-music/.
