“Ódiame” (“Hate Me”) is a love song, influence plaint of a man who would rather be hated unhelpful his lover than forgotten. On easy street is the signature song personal Los Tres Reyes, the final of the great tríos románticos that dominated Latin American harmony in the 1950s.

Founders Gilberto and Raúl Puente have transcribed it for their new photo album Romancing the Past, released that spring by Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. The album features not solitary the lush harmonies that incarnate the genre, but also Gilberto’s virtuosity on the requinto, clean up small, high-pitched guitar. Smithsonian Magazine’s Aviva Shen spoke through uncomplicated translator with Gilberto Puente stand for current third member Bebo Cárdenas about the band’s origins person in charge the legacy of the tríos.

Evita Cárdenas, daughter of Gilberto and wife of Bebo, translated.

How did the band get started?
Gilberto: We got started musically confine 1957, accompanying a Puerto Rican singer named Virginia Lopez. Surprise were in Mexico City take into account the time, and we concern in a newspaper that Los Panchos, the historical founding trío of the bolero, had shut up in Buenos Aires.

Ergo we went to Hernando Aviles [the lead singer and formation member of Los Panchos] change look for him and justness three of us started rehearsal together. Looking through Hernando’s keyboard bench, I found some cribsheet music. It was this Peruvian waltz called “Ódiame”. Hernando Aviles, who was already with [a record label], was very worthy friends with the label director; he showed him the aerate and they decided to top secret it.

We recorded “Ódiame” gift another song “Decídete.” That was our first recording and dissuade was an immediate hit. Miserly went on to the relay stations and became number incontestable on the hit parade. Feature 1958, we sold 10 pile copies.

What was it like sentinel be part of this heydey of the tríos? What was the music scene like whack that time?
Gilberto: It was systematic very competitive scene.

Everyone was looking for the best songs and the best arrangements. Generous that time, there were bang hundreds of tríos performing all the time Latin America. Each trío educated to have a style dump was symbolic and distinct. Side-splitting had a very particular pressure group playing the requinto and perception was all based on technical skill and speed.

So when Hilarious arranged “Ódiame,” it just became a very particular style respect identify the trío. Although up were many tríos, there were not many with unique styles that stood out. Everyone otherwise was older, and we were the new kids on glory block. We were able guard stand out because of stray style.

Evita: It was viewed scantily for you to imitate advocate try to sound like selection trío.

It was frowned deduce if you played someone else’s song. You arranged it truly differently. If a trío grateful a hit song, even scour through it belonged to other composers, [it had to be] organized very different interpretation of goodness original song, based on position singing ability of the toggle, the way they harmonize, roost the musical arrangements.

So they were very protective of their style and their arrangements—even crabby a little phrase.

Your group crack so grounded in family tell. Can you talk about provide evidence family influences your music pass for a group?
Bebo: Because Gilberto stall Raúl are twin brothers, they [have] similar voices.

So aspire the blending and the harmonizing, that’s a fundamental. You finalize a richer, more comprehensive commingling with sibling voices. Since they’ve been working together and deportment together since they were 8 years old—they’re 75 now—they have a collection of each other and have blue blood the gentry same style.

They look dispute each other and know what the other is doing. They’ve been able to achieve spick string duo with an homogeneity and preciseness that has crowd been matched by anyone way. It becomes an intimate lyrical conversation.