Emilio Navaira Takes the Country Translation Test

SAN ANTONIO —  The skin-tight Wranglers, cowboy boots, starched button-down, the flashy silver belt-buckle big enough to pan-fry a steak on--it’s the country singer’s uniform. And this particular one wears it well.

But what’s this? Olive skin? A rather rakish mustache? Spanish as sharp as a trilled rrrrrr ?

We’re definitely not in Nashville anymore.

And now, Emilio Navaira--or simply Emilio, as he’s being billed--has been ordained as the next crossover hope.

Navaira’s name already brings howls of recognition from thousands of Tejano music fans in the Southwest. Over the past decade, the 33-year-old San Antonio native has built a core audience, mostly in the Southwest, through five albums, numerous regional awards, even a couple of Grammy nominations. But he has done it in Spanish, a language and heritage that Nashville has largely ignored--Johnny Rodriguez, Freddy Fender and Austin’s Rick Trevino among the few exceptions.

So, a lot is riding on “Life Is Good,” his debut country album, which was released this week on the Capitol Nashville label (see adjoining review).

The first single, a weepy ballad called “It’s Not the End of the World,” came out last month and was last seen edging its way into the 30s on the country charts.

“The single has become a highlight of my live shows in the Tejano venues,” Navaira said as he downed a hunk of beef in a steakhouse here. “It’s kind of strange because I’m used to the Latin stuff getting the big response. It’s kind of like I’m starting over.

“But then when you think about it, it’s not all that strange,” he added. “Tejano and country are basically the same two-step beat, except one’s in English and one’s in Spanish. I’d say at least 80% of our Latin followers are country lovers too. They even dress the same.”

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Says Walt Wilson, executive vice president and general manager of Capitol Nashville, “There’s a real big buzz on him in Nashville right now, because of how he is and his potential. George Strait is talking about him. Tracy Byrd is in his corner. There’s just a real big buzz and curiosity factor.”

Navaira, who grew up on San Antonio’s tough South Side, started singing early, getting his first solo part in the fifth-grade choir. He continued in choir through high school, singing at University Interscholastic League competitions. “He’s very competitive to this day,” says his wife, Cindy. A scholarship to Southwest Texas State University just up the road in San Marcos followed.

“I went for three years, but, unfortunately, I discovered I didn’t want to teach,” Navaira said. “That’s what I was going to be, a music teacher. But I wanted to entertain people.”

In 1983, Navaira became lead singer for Tejano bandleader David Lee Garza and spent five years fronting Garza’s band before going on his own with Grupo Rio in 1989. His self-titled debut for the EMI Latin label was nominated for a Grammy that year, as was his 1991 hit, “Unsung Highways.”

“Way back when, it was just Texas, man,” Navaira said. “The Texas Triangle--San Antonio, Dallas, Houston. Selena, Roberto Pulido--there were about five really strong bands out there, and we’d pass each other on the highway. They were going to Houston. We were going to Dallas. Now it’s gotten so big we don’t see each other. But back then we used to honk at each other.” In 1991, Navaira signed with Nashville’s Refugee International Management, whose president Stuart Dill brokered a unique Latin/country deal with Jose Behar, president of EMI Latin. It will see Navaira recording two albums a year, a country album in English for Capitol Nashville and a Tejano album for EMI Latin.

Navaira recorded two of the country album’s ballads in Spanish, which EMI Latin will push in the Latin radio market. “The idea is to have the song rockin’ up both charts simultaneously,” Dill said.

“It just made a lot of sense to go back in and record them in Spanish,” Navaira said. “Being the Latin artist that I am, I wanted to keep communicating with that audience, to make them feel a part of it. It’s hard enough as it is to keep everybody happy, so this is one way of at least trying, you know?”