Latin music has profoundly shaped the American musical landscape. From the lively rhythms of Celia Cruz and Johnny Pacheco’s joint album Celia & Johnny to Daddy Yankee’s reggaetón breakthrough hit “Gasolina,” these songs represent the diverse and vibrant contributions of Latin artists to the American songbook.
Each year, the Library of Congress selects 25 recordings to the registry to preserve sound recordings that are “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant” to American life.
Last week, the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry immortalized two more Latin songs: Juan Gabriel’s heartfelt ballad “Amor Eterno” and Héctor Lavoe’s salsa anthem “El Cantante.” Now enshrined in the registry, these timeless songs testify the enduring legacy of Latin music. “For musicians of any genre, having a song inducted into the National Recording Registry is a prestigious honor,” Congressman Joaquin Castro tells Billboard Español, who’s a major driving force for Latin music on the list. “I’m very proud that the Library of Congress ultimately honored two artists from my list [this year].”
Created under the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000, the Registry has included more than twenty works of Latin music and/or musicians of Latin descent to date. The first Latin music release to be added to the Registry was Dance Mania (1958) by Tito Puente in 2002. Subsequent inductees include Santana’s electrifying Abraxas (1970), which redefined Mexican-American rock; Buena Vista Social Club’s eponymous album (1997), bringing Cuban son to American audiences; Ritchie Valens’ “La Bamba” (1957), which reinvented a son jarocho song from Veracruz, Mexico by injecting American rock into it.
“In addition to advocating for more Latino inclusion in American media — which, more than any other industry, shapes how Americans see the world around us — I would also push for more recognition of the ways that Latinos have contributed to American excellence,” Castro explains.
“Today, Latinos make up 20 percent of the United States, but less than five percent of the titles on the Registry come from Latino artists, adds the Mexican American politician from San Antonio. “As a result, the Registry became a natural place to direct my work – in part because the Library of Congress has tried in recent years to do a better job of honoring how Latinos and other racial minorities have shaped America’s growth.”
Below, we present the Latin music entries, arranged from the most recent inductions to the earliest.
Year of Induction: 2024
Year of Release: 1978
“‘El Cantante’ is an excellent example of the many songs that became emblematic at the height of the 1970s New York City salsa era,” the Library of Congress stated in an announcement.
Listen to the album here.
Year of Induction: 2024
Year of Release: 1990
“I believe that future generations – that’s what he always wanted – will see his music and make it relatable to their lives as well. He would always say that ‘as long as the people keep singing my music, Juan Gabriel will never die,’ and it’s nice to see that happening here,” said Juan Gabriel’s son, Ivan Gabriel Aguilera. “It’s something wonderful for us. It’s such a great honor. It’s a great honor for my dad. I think that for his legacy it is something great [that] he’s going to be immortalized there in the Library of Congress.”
Listen to the album here.
Year of Induction: 2023
Year of Release: 2004
Last year, “Gasolina” became the first reggaetón song to be inducted into the National Recording Registry.
Listen to the song here.
Year of Induction: 2023
Year of Release: 1907-1909 (reissued 1998)
“One might wonder why a mariachi album, much less one originally recorded on wax cylinders in Mexico, would be included in the Library of Congress, but mariachi today is an integral part of American culture,” wrote professor Jeff Nevin. “There are hundreds of schools with mariachi programs at all levels across the country (elementary schools through graduate degrees), and countless student and professional mariachi musicians performing in the US (believe it or not, there are far more mariachis in the US than in Mexico today),”
He continues: “People everywhere enjoy mariachi music in restaurants, at parties or public events, in concerts halls, on TV and in the movies, etc., not to mention the fact that the US was 18.7% Hispanic in 2020, and is expected to reach 29% — nearly a third of the population — 2050.”
Listen to the album here.
Year of Induction: 2023
Year of Release: 1983
In 1983, as the world was moving away from the disco fever of the 1970s and into the MTV era in the U.S., “Flashdance…. What a Feeling” gave pop radio a new shot of energy: It’s not a Latin song per se, but its singer-songwriter, Irene Cara, was of Puerto Rican and Cuban origin. Part of the Flashdance movie soundtrack, “What a Feeling” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Listen to the song here.
Year of Induction: 2022
Year of Release: 1997
“That Buena Vista Social Club was deemed worthy of inclusion in The Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry should come as no surprise. It’s been written that BVSC collapsed the Cold War wall between Cuba and the West, conquered the planet and launched a thousand salsa classes,” wrote professor Fred Metting.
Listen to the album here.
Year of Induction: 2022
Year of Release: 1987
“On Saturday afternoons my father would play records by Los Panchos, Trío Calaveras, Trío Tariácuri, Lola Beltrán, Mariachi Vargas. I loved all these records and I wanted to sing them, but only knew part of the words. I didn’t speak very good Spanish as a child, so I thought Spanish was the language you sang in and English was the language you spoke. To me, Spanish was always a musical language,” said Linda Ronstadt.
She continued: “I had always wanted to learn these songs on a professional level and record them … I finally got a chance when my father called me and said that they were going to do a mariachi conference in Tucson and asked if I would like to come and see it and so I did. Mariachi Vargas was coming and so was Lola Beltrán. I was a big fan of , she was a big influence on me.”
Listen to the album here.
Year of Induction: 2022
Year of Release: 1999
Ricky Martin earned the title of the “original Latin Crossover King,” largely thanks to his breakthrough hit, “Livin’ La Vida Loca,” penned by Draco Rosa and Desmond Child. Remaining at the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for five consecutive weeks, the song became emblematic of Martin’s career trajectory.
Listen to the song here.
Year of Induction: 2021
Year of Release: 1992
“Partners is a good example of how he’s a crossover,” said Maria Peña, a Library of Congress Hispanic media spokeswoman, of Jiménez. “What’s great about this album is it shows his collaborations — not to mention that he’s got a career that spanned seven decades. This is a huge acknowledgement of his work.”
The 1992 bilingual tejano album is a collaboration between Jiménez and other musicians like Los Lobos, Linda Ronstadt, Dwight Yoakum, Ry Cooder, and more.
Listen to the album here.
Year of Induction: 2019
Year of Release: 1958
Originally a traditional son jarocho song from Mexico, “La Bamba” took on new life when a 17-year-old named Ritchie Valens played it on an electric guitar in 1958. “It created a synthesis of rock ‘n’ roll and the Mexican music he grew up with,” said Matt Barton, curator of recorded sound at the Library of Congress.
Listen to the song here.
Year of Induction: 2019
Year of Release: 1990
“To fully appreciate Selena, the superstar Tejano singer, start with Ven Conmigo, the second album that Selena y Los Dinos recorded for their new major label EMI-Latin. Released in 1990, the record was a watershed for the family band from Corpus Christi, serving notice these were the new standard bearers of Tejano, the regional music popular among second- and third-generation Texans of Mexican descent,” wrote Cary O’Dell for the Library of Congress.
Listen to the album here.
Year of Induction: 2017
Year of Release: 1987
Gloria Estefan’s hit song “Rhythm Is Gonna Get You” stands as the epitome of Cuban influence on American R&B and acts as a gauge for Latino integration into the United States, particularly in Miami, which has been Estefan’s home base for a long time.
Listen to the song here.
Year of Induction: 2015
Year of Release: 1970
Carlos Santana was not the first Hispanic musician to achieve success as a rock artist: Ritchie Valens, Trini Lopez, Danny Flores of The Champs and others had previously done so,” wrote Mark Brill for the Library of Congress. “But with the release of his first two albums, and especially with his performance at the Woodstock Music Festival in 1969, Santana became the most prominent Latin artist of the rock generation. To this day, he remains the most important proponent on Latin rock in the United States.”
Listen to the album here.
Year of Induction: 2015
Year of release: 1960
Mexican American singer-songwriter Joan Baez played a pivotal role in shaping the folk revival of the 1960s, with her eponymous album serving as a cornerstone for this influential movement.
Listen to the album here.
Year of Induction: 2012
Year of Release: 1957
Cuban bassist Israel “Cachao” Lopez drew inspiration from the legendary all-star jam sessions organized and recorded by Norman Granz for his Jazz at the Philharmonic series. Motivated by this, Cachao sought to replicate a similar collaborative atmosphere among his musical peers in Havana.
Listen to the album here.
Year of Induction: 2010
Year of Release: 1934
Lydia Mendoza, a Mexican-American guitarist and Tejano vocalist, graced the stage during the Inaugural Folk Dance and Concert at the Inauguration of President Jimmy Carter in 1977. Her signature song “Mal Hombre” (Bad Man) became her signature piece.
Listen to it here.
Year of Induction: 2009
Year of Release: 1965
“Eddie Palmieri (b. 1936) was a product of the many Puerto Ricans in New York, and along the East Coast, who have so closely identified with both Cuban and US jazz that have played such an important role in the crystallization of the hybrid salsa movement internationally, but especially in the Latin quarters of the United States,” wrote Steven Loza for the Library of Congress.
Listen to the album here.
Year of Induction: 2005
Year of Release: 1927 and 1930 (two versions)
“It is the first American recording of an authentic Latin dance style,” noted the National Recording Preservation Board. “This recording launched a decade of ‘rumbamania’, introducing U.S. listeners to Cuban percussion instruments and Cuban rhythms.” The song has been recorded more than 160 times.
Listen to the track here.
Year of Induction: 2004
Year of Release: 1947
During the years preceding 1940, Cuban rhythms and melodies made their way to the United States, coinciding with the spread of American jazz throughout the Caribbean. “Manteca” marked one of the initial stages in the fusion journey from Afro-Cuban rhythms to Latin jazz.
Listen to the song here.
Year of Induction: 2003
Year of Release: 1975
While the Fania Records supergroup had already attained renown, its August 23, 1973 show at the Yankee Stadium marked a historic moment for Latin music. It was a monumental concert that elevated the group to legendary status.
Listen to the album here.
Year of Induction: 2002
Year of Release: 1958
Dance Mania by bandleader and Fania All-Star fame Tito Puente played a big role in popularizing Latin music in the U.S., serving as a catalyst for the widespread embrace of Afro-Cuban rhythms and dance culture within American society.
Listen to the album here.