Calibre 50

History

Before Calibre 50 existed, Edén Muñoz played accordion and sang for the norteño-banda group Colmillo Norteño, where he helped create hits like "Sueño guajiro" and "Hotel El Cid" in 2009. But tensions with his bandmates made him leave in early 2010, and later that year he started his own group.

He brought in Armando Ramos on guitar and backing vocals, Martín López on sousaphone, and Augusto Guido on drums. They called themselves "Puro Colmillo Norteño" and put out their first album, "Renovar o Morir," along with the single "El infiernito." The original Colmillo Norteño sued over the name, and after a legal fight, Muñoz's band had to change it in 2010. They settled on Calibre 50, a name meant to suggest the strength and impact the project has on its members and fans of Regional Mexican music.

The band first got attention for their controversial songs, especially corridos. Their first big national hit came in 2011 with "El tierno se fue," a ranchera written by Lalo Ayala that is packed with innuendo and describes a sexual act in detail. Over the years, they have played many styles, including rancheras, corridos, ballads, cumbias, charangas, boleros, and huapangos. In January 2014, drummer Augusto Guido left to focus on his own group, "Los de Sinaloa," and Erick García took his place.

Two months later, sousaphone player Martín López left for another project, "La Iniciativa," and Alejandro Gaxiola replaced him. In March 2017, Calibre 50 made history as the first Regional Mexican act to perform on the Conan show during an episode filmed in Mexico City. They played at Rodeo Houston for the first time on March 11, 2018, to a sold-out crowd. On April 26, 2018, the band and Colombian urban singer J Balvin got an award from Pandora Radio for being the first artists to surpass one billion streams on the platform.

In October 2020, they set a record for the most number-one songs on the Billboard Regional Mexican Airplay chart with 17 tracks. They have since beaten their own record by adding 10 more number-one hits, bringing the total to 27.