Leopoldo "Polo" Urías Ramírez is a Mexican singer. He specializes in regional Mexican music; specifically the norteño-sax genre. He is the leader of the band Polo Urías y su Máquina Norteña.
Early life edit
Urías was born on November 15, 1954, in Ojinaga, Chihuahua, Mexico. He recalls that when he was very young, he would often sing while plowing in the fields with his mules.[1]
Musical career edit
Polo's professional career started in 1975 as founding member of the band Los Jilgueros del Arroyo along with his brothers, Israel, Alberto, Jesús, and Raúl. Polo served as the bassist. Then in 1985, he joined Los Rieleros del Norte as the band's primary vocalist and bassist. He was also a songwriter. His tenure with said band ended in 1993. In 1994, he released a solo album with Los Jilgueros del Arroyo providing the instrumentation. One year later, he formed the band Polo Urías y su Máquina Norteña, being the group's lead vocalist and director, as well as occasional songwriter; positions he holds to this day.
Although he resides in El Paso, Texas, the city of Ojinaga has officially honored him for his contributions. He also has impacted the city of Odessa, Texas; leading the former mayor, Larry Melton, to honor him with the key to the city and marking every November 15 as "Polo Urías Day".[2]
Today, Polo Urías y su Máquina Norteña are popular in several regions of México and the United States.
Personal life edit
Urías has eleven siblings. His nephew Adolfo is the leader of the norteño-sax band Adolfo Urías y su Lobo Norteño.
In 2007, Polo bought a tour bus valued at over $250,000 after his original bus was burned the previous year. All members of his band, including Polo, were on board and asleep at the time of the incident, but managed to escape unharmed thanks to a motorist who flagged the bus driver, José "Joe" Luis Ávila, down.
In August 2020, Urías suffered from a severe case of COVID-19 and spent several days in intensive care at an El Paso, Texas, hospital.[3] In early 2021, he suffered from a second bout of COVID-19. At the same time, one of his brothers, Jesús Urías, passed away.[4]
Discography edit
The following are the albums that Urías has released after his departure from Los Rieleros del Norte in 1993.
- Rifaré Mi Suerte (1994) (Solo album featuring instrumentation by Los Jilgueros del Arroyo)
- Sigue La Aventura (1995) (First album as Polo Urías y su Máquina Norteña)
- Incontenible (1996)
- El Campeon de Campeones (1996)
- A Todo Vapor (1997)
- Corridos (1998)
- ¿A Que Te Supo? (1998)
- Mi Historia (2000)
- De Chihuahua Para Ti (2001)
- Sin Frenos (2002)
- Para Mi Raza (2003)
- En La Cumbre (2004)
- Que Barbaros (2005)
- En Vivo - 30 Aniversario (2005)
- Y...Sigue la Máquina Dando (2006)
- A Paso Firme (2008)
- Sigo Siendo El Maestro (2009)
- Grandes Recuerdos de Cantina (2011)
- La Madre de Todas las Máquinas (2013)
- Clásicas de Ayer y Siempre (2014)
- Así de Plano (2021)
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "Universal Music Latin Entertainment". Fonovisa. May 5, 2024. Archived from the original on 2007-04-10. Retrieved 2013-05-11.
- ^ "¡De Chihuahua para el mundo! Polo Urías, una leyenda de la música norteña". www.netnoticias.mx. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
- ^ "Hijo de Polo Urías pide cadena de oración para el cantante en su lucha contra el COVID-19". People en Español. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
- ^ "After testing positive for Coronavirus again, Polo Urías is mourning the death of his brother". www.mundonow.com. Retrieved May 5, 2024.