Mingo Saldivar y los Cuatro Espadas are puro Conjunto. A National Heritage Award winner and Grammy nominee, Mingo Saldivar has been performing for fifty years and shows little sign of slowing down. Known as the "Dancing Cowboy" for his unique dance moves and low-slung accordion, Mingo Saldivar has since long earned his status as an accordion legend. A Texas native born in 1936, Saldivar learned every instrument of a South Texas conjunto while a young boy. He was playing the drums and guitar by age 11, soon switched to the tololoche, and finally mastered the button accordion. As a youth, Saldivar performed with several different groups, including Los Guadalupanos, playing for dances from Texas to Alaska. While traveling the country and serving in the Army, Saldivar expanded his musical repertoire to include Country, R & B, and Rock and Roll. In 1975 he formed his own group, Mingo Saldivar Y Los Cuatro Espadas (The Four Swords), and immediately attracted attention as a bilingual performer who seamlessly incorporated his various musical influences into his own personal Conjunto style. From the dance halls of Del Rio to Carnegie Hall, Mingo Saldivar y Los Cuatro Espadas thrill listeners with vibrant performances and amazing artistry. Now other accordionists look to Saldivar for inspiration, but nobody can sing, dance, and play like Mingo.
