Alvaro Carrillo

Who was Alvaro Carrillo?

Álvaro Carrillo Alarcón was a Mexican popular music composer and songwriter, born in San Juan Cacahuatepec, Oaxaca, on 2 December 1921, who died in a car accident on 3 April 1969. He wrote over 300 songs, mostly boleros, including the great hits Amor mío, Sabor a mí, Como se lleva un lunar, El andariego, Luz de luna, Sabrá Dios, Seguiré mi viaje and La mentira.

In 1940, he joined the National Agricultural School in Chapingo and composed his first songs as a student. In 1945, he graduated in Agricultural Engineering. He worked in the Corn Commission, but left engineering to become a composer.

He became a friend of Antonio Pérez Mesa of the Trío Los Duendes and gave him the song Amor which rapidly became popular. Yoshiro Hiroishi, a famous Japanese singer, recorded his bolero Sabor a mí, which became a worldwide hit.

Mexican romantic pop, ballad and bolero singer Luis Miguel recorded his bolero La Mentira in his massive hit platinum album Romance, released in 1990 by WEA. He later included Carrillo's song Sabor a mí in another of his grand hit platinum albums, Romances, released in 1997 also by WEA.