Since forming in the early 90s Intocable has risen inexorably to the top of the Latin charts with a series of bestselling releases that have proved highly influential in both the Tejano and Norteño genres.
Formed in the border town of Zapata, Texas, by friends Ricardo Muñoz (vocals/accordion) and René Martínez (drums), Intocable initially struggled to make much of an impact beyond the local scene. With a line-up by now comprising Muñoz, Martínez, Alberto Ramirez (bass) and Sergio Serna (percussion), the group gained their first real break when their music came to the attention of the EMI Latin label. Intocable made their major label debut in 1994 with Fuego Eterno, a recording that marked the beginning of their rise to the top of the Mexican charts. By the mid-90s the group had expanded to include new members Silvestre Rodriguez Jnr. (bass), Jose Angel ‘Pepe’ Farias (percussion/MC), Daniel Sánchez (bajo sexto/vocals) and Johnny Lee Rosas (bajo sexto).
On 31 January 1999, the group was involved in a road accident in Mexico that took the lives of two band members (Farias and Rodriguez Jnr.) and a road manager and left the other members with serious injuries. They returned at the end of the year with new bass player Félix Salinas with a sold-out tour and the defiant comeback album, Contigo. A series of bestselling albums at the start of the new millennium confirmed the group’s remarkable renaissance. Intimamente earned the band their first Grammy in February 2005 when it received the Best Mexican/Mexican-American album award.
