Los Tigres del Norte talk Vicente Fernandez, LGBT fans and Beto O'Rourke

El Paso Congressman Beto ORourke joins Los Tigres del Norte onstage during a concert and rally at the Bert Ogden Arena in Edinburg on Thursday, Oct. 18, 2018. Musical groups Asleep at the Wheel, Little Joe y La Familia and local mariachis also played. less El Paso Congressman Beto ORourke joins Los Tigres del Norte onstage during a concert and rally at the Bert Ogden Arena in Edinburg on Thursday, Oct. 18, 2018. Musical groups Asleep at the Wheel, Little Joe y ... more Photo: Billy Calzada Photo: Billy Calzada Image 1 of / 41 Caption Close Los Tigres del Norte talk Vicente Fernandez, LGBT fans and Beto O'Rourke 1 / 41 Back to Gallery

The music of Los Tigres del Norte spans generations. Sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, grandparents and beyond all have stories about the regional Mexican group's songs. They see their lives in the lyrics. They feel their hearts in the music.

It's made the band of brothers a pivotal force, not only in norteño music, but Latin music in general. For more than five decades, they have been voices for the unheard, exploring drug trafficking, immigration and politics.

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Jorge Hernandez, the band's vocalist and accordionist, says he had "no idea" the band would forge such a lasting legacy.

"We came from Mexico when I was a little kid, me and my brothers. We never had any idea this was going to happen," he says. Los Tigres are all U.S. citizens but spent several years as undocumented immigrants.

"When we sing the first song we recorded that the people made famous ('Contrabando y Traición'), now 50 years later, it still feels brand new."

The group, who has sold more than 30 million records and won seven Grammys, performs Sunday for what could be another record-breaking Go Tejano Day at RodeoHouston. Hernandez spoke about new music, keeping things topical and supporting Beto O'Rourke.

What was one of the earliest indicators of success for the group?

Go Tejano Day at RodeoHouston with Los Tigres Del Norte When: 3:45 p.m. Sunday Where: NRG Stadium Tickets: $18-$350; rodeohouston.com

We recorded "Contrabando y Traición." After that, we recorded another song called "La Banda del Carro Rojo." Every year, we'd bring new songs into market. At that moment, I said, "These are going to be very, very busy days in my life."

Your first song in three years is out today, a tribute to regional Mexican legend Vicente Fernandez called "Un Consentido de Dios."

He's been my friend for a long time. A friend of ours composed the song. I said, "Oh, my God, this is good. One of these days, we'll go to Vicente's house and show it to him and see what he thinks about it." We, me and the group, went to visit him. We talked a little bit about it, not too much. But he was excited. The lyrics are very true. He's the greatest artist in the Mexican industry of mariachi-type music. He puts them in high regard. His voice is authentic, and his person is authentic. We have a lot of history together. I hope that people feel it.

What's something people may not know about him?

Sometimes, when you know the artist but not the person, you have a lot of thoughts about how he behaves. But he's a fantastic person. Sometimes, I don't believe the way he is. He's very spontaneous. He likes to tell chistes — jokes. He's always happy and talking. He's been in the business so many years, but he doesn't have a big head.

Are you working on a new album?

Yeah, it's coming. We just finished. We're putting the photos together. We're making videos. We're going to have the whole package ready the first or second week in June. It's going to be very interesting. I think people will be surprised. They're going to identify with the songs when they hear them.

Los Tigres has never shied away from issues. You received a GLAAD Media Award for the song "Era Diferente" ("She Was Different"), about a girl in love with her best friend. Why was it important for you to transmit that message?

We have a lot of friends that related to that song. They inspired us to do that. We connect with them. They come see us. But we never did anything for them. We have to look at what is necessary in music, what topics we haven't sung about. I think in our career we've sung about almost everything. I said, "Let's try it, and see if they like it." Thank God it was a good fit. We were proud to do it. The award was very important for us, that they recognized us. It's a beautiful, beautiful song. I hope one of these days I can do something else strong for (the LGBT community). We have to participate.

Do you ever worry about the reactions to any of the band's lyrics?

We have to think about it. We have to think about our career, we have to see if it's a fit, if it's the right thing, how the market is moving. Sometimes you go against the people. It's like fashion. Sometimes you might be out of style. One of the songs that made me very, very scared in Mexico was "El Circo." We mentioned the president of Mexico and his brother (Carlos and Raul Salinas). I was terrified. I thought maybe something was going to happen to us. But it was a big hit, and everything was OK. Thank God we're still here.

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You supported Beto O'Rourke at a concert and rally in Edinburg. What do you think of his presidential potential?

We had a lot of fun that night. We talked about projects and things that we want to do. We have a lot of respect for him and what he's doing. He has a lot of charisma. He knows what he's talking about. He speaks with truth. He has a big heart and a big way to communicate with the people.

You're playing RodeoHouston for the first time since 2002. What are your memories of that show for 67,000 at the Astrodome?

I remember they took us in a truck and then put us on the stage. But we didn't want to be on the stage. We wanted to be on the floor singing to the people. They threw little flags from up top. It was a lot of memories for us.