Throughout history, many influential musicians were born in the Land of Enchantment, a.k.a. New Mexico. Their talents range from playing the guitar to saxophone to flute, and many more.
You may be surprised to learn that some of your favorite music artists hail from the state of white sands, roadrunners, and Roswell UFOs. Continue reading to get to know 10 of the greatest and most famous musicians from New mexico!
1. John Denver
On December 31, 1943, Roswell, New Mexico, saw the birth of singer-songwriter Henry John Deustchendorf Jr. Who is this guy? You know him as John Denver, creator of two state songs and acoustic guitarist who played in the folk rock and country genres.
Born as the oldest son of a military family, he often had to move around and make new friends; he found solace in music wherever he could until he grew old enough to drive to California to begin producing music.
Denver joined several bands before kickstarting his solo career, and by the time of his untimely death in 1997, he had produced a number of signature songs—including “Rocky Mountain High,” “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” and “Annie’s Song,” among many others—and several charting albums.
2. Randy Castillo
Drummer Randy Castillo was born on December 18, 1950, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Early in life, he was inspired by the Beatles and formed his first band, the Wumblies, soon after.
After being introduced to Ozzy Osbourne, who by chance was looking for a drummer at a party, he was hired and stayed with Ozzy for ten years, recording five albums. In 1999, Castillo became the drummer for the heavy metal and hard rock band Mötley Crüe.
Each of the albums Castillo created with the bands have sold millions of copies worldwide. Sadly, he passed away in 2002 after losing a bout with cancer.
3. Ryan Bingham
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