Grupo Montéz de Durango

Grupo Montéz de Durango or Montéz de Durango is a regional Mexican band that specializes in the duranguense genre. They are based in Aurora, Illinois, and are well known in the United States, Mexico and Central America.
José Luis Terrazas founded Grupo Montéz de Durango in 1996. Terrazas, who was born in Durango, Mexico, grew up in Chicago and was a percussionist in the marching band at his high school. He hooked up with a traditional Mexican banda and learned that these groups were very popular in Chicago. The next step was the formation of his own group.
The seven-member group soon became a popular draw at local dance halls. Terrazas was influenced by Tierra Caliente group La Dinastía de Tuzantla. Membership in the group includes leader José Luis Terrazas, Daniel Terrazas (drummer and son), José Luis Terrazas Jr. (hype man) and other musicians. Besides covers of older traditional Mexican songs, the group played a faster-paced style of music: a polka-ranchera mix. This musical style became associated with the dance style called "El Pasito Duranguense" (The Durango Step) and Grupo Montéz de Durango was the band most closely identified with it. Terrazas founded his own Terrazas Records label and the band began recording and releasing albums.
In time, one of the major labels signed the group, but the label wanted the group to change its sound and they soon parted ways. The group signed with a Mexican independent label and released El Sube y Baja in 2002. The band's next release followed in 2003, and De Durango a Chicago debuted at No. 2 on the Top Latin Albums chart. A live album, En Vivo Desde Chicago (with a DVD), was released early in 2004. A year later, Y Sigue La Mata Dando was released and in 2006.
The group fractured that same year with several members, including vocalist Alfredo Ramírez Corral, breaking away to form their own group, Los Creadorez del Pasito Duranguense de Alfredo Ramírez. Montez de Durango re-grouped, replenished their ranks, and released a new studio album, Borrón y Cuenta Nueva, which won a Billboard Award for Album Of the Year in the summer of 2007, showing doubters they were stronger than ever. They also released two albums in 2008, Vida Mafiosa in March and Nosotros Somos in October.
In 2010, they came back with a new studio album, Con Estilo... Chicago Style, debuting at No. 1 on the charts and with a new tour, Mi Necesidad Tour 2010. The band followed this release with the hit Descuide on the 2012 MMXII album. On this album, Móntez de Durango also filmed a music video with a special guest appearance from José José on the second single He Renunciado a Ti.
In spring 2014, Montéz de Durango launched a self-released compilation album Montéz de Durango: Presenta. The label Cruz de Piedra is owned by José Luis Terrazas and featured label artists Norteñisimo Zierra Azul & Rey Román for the compilation. This album launched six music videos for the album gaining over three million views in all.
On February 18, 2016, Móntez de Durango launched the album De Vuelta a La Sierra. In interviews, the band mentioned how proud they were with this release because it is an album that goes back to the roots of the group's music. "De Vuelta a La Sierra" is a "Cruz de Piedra" production.
In 2017, they released a new album with the Remex Music label with the name Sin Cambiar el Estilo from which the singles Como Quieren que la Olvide, Cuatro Rosas, and Como Cuento de Hadas were released.
In 2018, the album Arriba La Sierra was released with 10 songs, including a ballad titled Tú Sin Mí and also includes a cover of one of the most recognized hits of singer-songwriter Marco Antonio Solís entitled Mi Mayor Sacrificio.