Los Panchos in Mexico City

Los Panchos is a Latin American bolero trio formed in New York in 1944 by Mexican musicians Alfredo Gil and Chucho Navarro and Puerto Rican singer Hernando Avilés. Close three-part harmonies and Gil’s requinto guitar became central to recordings such as “Sin ti,” “Contigo” and “Rayito de luna.” The trio also recorded the album Amor with Eydie Gormé. During the 1940s, the trio began touring the United States and Latin America in its established format of three singers and guitars. Successive changes of lead singer allowed the group to perform for decades after the original lineup changed, while the requinto and vocal arrangement remained at the center of its concerts. Later appearances brought Los Panchos to Spain and Japan.