Mike Laure

His fusion of tight tropical rhythms with American rock & roll earned Mike Laure the title "El Rey del Trópico." Born in Jalisco in 1939, Laure grew up listening to an assortment of cross-the-border rockers; he even borrowed the name for his group, Las Cometas, from his favorite, Bill Haley's band. Laure tempered his rock & roll inclinations with Cumbia rhythms learned from Colombia's Sonora Dinamita. The fusion sparked a whole new style of music, termed chunchaca, and Laure scored many Mexican hits during the mid-'60s, including "Banda Borracha," "Rajita de Canela," and "Tibu...