When Tex-Mex accordionist Albert Zamora burst on the scene in the early 1990s at barely 20 years old he not only played the accordion like no other, he looked and danced like no other Tex-Mex accordionist before him. A Corpus Christi native, Zamora could master those florid runs and staccato-filled melodies that pioneering accordion legend Tony de la Rosa brought to the tradition, but would spice them up with off-beat accents and at breakneck speed all while busting choreographed dance moves that rivaled that of some LA hip hop groups. Albert Zamora's sound and stage appearance – long hair, bandanas, leather pants, hi-top sneakers – got young people who had all but abandoned Tex-Mex accordion and the typical ensemble sound (bajo sexto (bass/guitar hybrid), bass and drums) to flock to his concerts throughout Texas, the Southwest and Mexico.

Today he has been dubbed the "King of Accordion Abuse" and with more than 25 recordings to his name, Zamora's performances are still some of the most explosive around. Zamora, alongside another influential accordionist and sometime collaborator, Jaime de Anda, made Tex-Mex AND the accordion cool again. The success and enthusiastic audience for scores of young and up-and-coming groups like Retoño, Tex-Mex Kadillaks and Piñata Protest owe him a great debt.