In 1953 Pancho Pulido, leader of the Mariachi Pulido, was ready to hand over the reins. Musician and former second-in-command Pepe Villa took over, renaming the group Mariachi Mexico de Pepe Villa. Within a few years Villa had taken the group to unimagined heights: he introduced the two-trumpet mariachi sound, which became all the rage. Mariachi Mexico enjoyed a string of hits through the 1950s, '60s and '70s. After Villa's death in 1986, his sons took over the group, maintaining its focus and traditions.
