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Gabriel Ruiz
Gabriel Ruiz Galindo was born in 1909 in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. He was one of 18 children born to Rosalío Ruiz and Aurelia Galindo and as a child he loved to listen to mariachi bands. His parents wanted him to study medicine at college and he obeyed their wishes for two years, but then he told them that music was his life. His father disapproved, but his mother supported his decision. Ruiz took piano lessons and gave his first recital on August 10, 1929.
He was given a scholarship to Mexico’s National Conservatory of Music and graduated as a concert pianist in 1934. For his Master’s degree, he performed at the Abreu Theatre accompanied by the National Symphony, under the direction of Carlos Chavez. He spent the next few years as a piano teacher, but kept paper and pencil close by at all times, as he was constantly writing songs.
Like most composers of the time, he introduced his songs on the radio. He had a morning show on Mexico City’s XEW, where he premiered compositions like “Inutil,” “Reto,” and “Un Dia Soñé.” His salary was 82 centavos per program, though he was given a raise to $1.50 per show. When his radio series was cancelled, he decided to tour to earn a living. He started in Mazatlán, eventually returning to Mexico City. There, he premiered the song “Plenilunio” and other new works. His fame grew and he was invited to tour the U.S. and Cuba. In 1942, well-known singer Emilio Tuero sang Ruiz’ “Desesperadamente” and made it a huge hit. Soon, every famous vocalist in Mexico wanted to record a Ruiz song. Among the artists who recorded his songs are Gloria Luis,
Joe Luis Caballero, Amalia Mendoza, Alfonso Ortiz Tirado, Pedro Infante, Pedro Vargas, Avelina Landin, the Aguila Sisters, Salvador Garcia, and Hugo Avendaño.
Ruiz started writing music for films as early as 1938, when he was one of seven composers with songs included in the soundtrack for “La Golondrina.” Over the next few years he wrote music for other films, including “Hombre o Demonio” (1940), “Maravilla del Toreo” (1943), “Tentación” (1943), and “Divorciadas”(1943). In 1944, his biggest-selling song, “Amor,” was heard in the film “Broadway Rhythm,” starring George Murphy. Lena Horne sang “Amor” in the movie. There were four hit versions of the song in 1944. Spanish bandleader Enric Madriguera was the first person to bring the song to the Billboard charts in April. Romantic singer Andy Russell had a single on Capitol that entered the chart in June and peaked at No. 5. Bing Crosby’s Decca single debuted in July and became the biggest hit version, spending three weeks at No. 2. A week after Crosby’s single entered the chart, Xavier Cugat’s Columbia single debuted, eventually reaching No. 10. In the early 1960s the song charted twice on the Hot 100, first by Ben E. King and then by Roger Williams.
After Hollywood recognized Ruiz, he studied in France at the Paris Conservatory. In Brussels, famed tenor Tito Schipa performed “Desesperadamente.” In 1949, peermusic awarded Ruiz for having the most-performed song of the year with “La Parranda,” which had been recorded in English, French, Italian, and other languages. In 1951, Ruiz received a gold record for “Usted.”
The state of Jalisco gave Ruiz the medal of Jose Clemente Orozco in 1978. A street of the port city of Mazatlán was named after Ruiz, and in 1980 he received the Jalisco Prize. In 1989 Ruiz was awarded the National Prize of Traditions and Popular Arts, shared with Manuel Esperon and Consuelo Velazquez.
Ruiz, known as “the melody writer of America,” was 90 when he died of cardiac arrest in Mexico City.
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