Draft:José de Molina

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José de Molina
Born	José de Jesús Núñez Molina 1938 (estimate) Hermosillo, Sonora, México (estimate)
Died	July 9th, 1998 Mexico City
Cause of death	Suicide
Occupation	Singer-songwriter
Years active	1963 - 1998
Movement	Neozapatismo, Mexican Movement of 1968, Libertarian socialism
Spouse	Araceli Abud
Children	Arturo de Molina, Tania de Molina, Ana Luisa de Molina

José de Jesús Nuñez Molina (Hermosillo, Sonora, unknown — Ciudad de México, July 9th,1998), better know by his stage name, José de Molina, was a Mexican singer-songwriter of guerrilla tendencies. Also known by the nickname "El guerrillero de la guitarra", he was the writer of popular songs such as "Obreros y Patrone", "Ayeres", "Se Acabó", amongs others. During his 30 year trayectory as an artist and composer of songs with social themes, he would realease at least 12 albums. Furthermore, his journeys would take him through Latin-America, Europe, the United States, and various places throughout Mexico.

Biography

Early Life

His date of birth is unknown, since even he did not know it, however, it is estimated to be around 1938. It is said that he was the son of a single mother and domestic employee, who died when he was about three years old. Molina was therefore adopted by his mother's employers, people of high social status. However, at the age of twelve, he decided to run away from his adoptive parents' mansion in Hermosillo, Sonora. Subsequently, Molina was taken in by a farmer who had a ranch, and who offered him a job and a roof over his head until he was 18 years old, when, due to a love breakup, he decided to take a trip across the country with a truck driver.

Career

He worked in his beginnings as a farmer, worker, journalist, actor and salesman, among other trades. These experiences would later be reflected in his work, of socialist tendency, endowing it with a characteristic rebelliousness and irreverence.

From a political point of view, he never joined any political party, as he did not believe in the electoral process as a source of the radical changes that the country needed. He considered himself a libertarian socialist, since he did not believe in caudillismos, gods, or masters and thought that every state-government eventually corrupts and becomes despotic, repressive and tyrannical, regardless of wether it was left wing or right wing.

José de Molina was a survivor of the Tlatelolco Massacre of October the 2nd and the El Halconazo on June 10th, 1971. He was a victim of threats, kidnapping and even beatings by the Mexican political police. In the 90's, the marginalization against this singer-songwriter became more acute, which is why he would call for events to be organized in neighborhoods, unions and auditoriums in order to break the siege of silence that surrounded him. Possibly, during that time, he was the best known popular urban protest composer in Mexico. During this time and thorughout his career, he would collaborate with multiple artists and activists, including the Subcomandante Marcos (with whom he even has a picture together) Amparo Ochoa (for which he wrote a couple of songs), Los Nakos, amongst others.

Molina was a man with solidarity towards various international causes, for instance, he once gave a tour around Catalonia and expressed his support for their independence struggle. In his final years he dedicated himself only to the sale of his musical material, since he never charged for singing. Since the EZLN uprising in 1994, he decided to sing in the Zócalo every afternoon in support of the Zapatista movement.

Death

He was kidnapped and tortured by the political police in May 1997, during the visit to Mexico of Bill Clinton, then president of the United States. As a result of the blows received in this episode, he had to be hospitalized and underwent surgery months later. Subsequently, on July 9, 1998, José de Molina committed suicide by shooting himself in the roof of his mouth, as his daughter Tania de Molina acknowledged on the University of Guadalajara radio. His son, Arturo de Molina, accuses and holds former Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de León responsible for Molina's death, since according to him it was the last kidnapping Molina suffered after the arrival of the North American president that aggravated the ailments that had been afflicting him.

Impact

In 2007, on the 9th anniversary of his death, a tribute was paid to him in which family, friends and collaborators of de Molina participated. The tribute was held for eight hours, and took place in the auditorium of the Mexican Syndicate of Electricians.

Again, on the year 2023, on the 25th anniversary of his death, another festival named "Tu peligrosa guitarra" was held in his honor, which included the participation of various activits and singers such as Ana Ignacia Rodríguez, Marx Ricardo Cartagena (son of Mario Álvaro Cartagena López, an important ex-member of the Liga Comunista 23 de Septiembre), amongst others.

His songs would get played on various university and national radio stations even after his death, and some specials homenage sessions were aired in his honor, however, due to the controversial topics Molina´s songs would often touch, they were prone to censorship by the government and other communication companies.

Discography

During his lifetime, José de Molina realeased 12 albums:

• 1971 - Canticos y Testimonios
• 1973 - Testimonios Rebeldes
• 1976 - Se Acabó…
• 1979 - Salsa… Roja
• 1980 - Historia de un Verdadero Sexenio Vol. 1
• 1981 - Contraconfesiones
• 1981 - Del Surrealismo, La Picaresca y el Humor
• 1982 - Manifiesto
• 1985 - Terremoto
• 1994 - Identidades
• 1995 - De Chiapas con Amor
• 1996 - Historia de un Verdadero Sexenio Vol. 2

Furthermore, after his dead, two more albums were published: Después de la muerte (1998) and Homenaje al Ché Guevara. The songs of the Después de la muerte album are original compositions by José de Molina that couldn't be recorded due to his death. They are interpreted by his daughter Tania de Molina and by Chucho Giil. On the other hand, Homenaje al Ché Guevara was a cassette found after José de Molina´s death, which, as it's name suggests, is dedicated entirely to the revolutionary Ernesto Ché Guevara.

List of albums

The following is a list in chronological order of the albums released by José de Molina (excluding Homenaje al Ché Guevara) and the tracks contained in each one:

(1971) Cánticos y Testimonios

1. Ya es hora
2. Texto: Levantamiento obrero ferrocarrilero
3. Ay Hermano Mexicano (featuring Carlos Orozco Elwin)
4. Texto: Movimiento Revolucionario del Magisterio
5. Texto: Asesinato de Rúben Jaramillo
6. Corrido a Rúben Jaramillo
7. Texto: Movimiento Médico (featuring Carlos Orozco Elwin)
8. Los Versos del Caracol
9. Texto: Asesinato de Copreros
10. Lamento Coprero
11. Texto: La Masacre de Tlatelolco
12. En Esta Plaza
13. Texto: La Masacre de Corpus Christi
14. Diez de Corpus
15. Texto: Aqui...
16. Marcha compañero (featuring Carlos Orozco Elwin)

(1973) Testimonios Rebeldes

1. América Latina Canta
2. Las Elecciones
3. Los Gorilas
4. Halcón, Colea, Colea
5. El Gallito Trovador
6. La Carcél de Cananea
7. De la Mano del Viento (featuring Amparo Ochoa)
8. La Serpiente Verde
9. Al General
10. Cura y Guerrillero
11. Canto por Genaro Vasquez
12. Despedida

(1976) Se acabó...

1. Introducción [Versos]
2. El Hombre Nuevo (featuring Carlos Orozco Elwin)
3. La Otra Trinidad
4. Corrido a Joel y Enrique
5. Obreros y Patrones (featuring Carlos Orozco Elwin)
6. Ayeres...
7. Corazones de Plomo
8. De la Sierra de Guerrero (featuring Carlos Orozco Elwin)
9. Texto: Sin Yugos ni Cadenas
10. Se acabó.. (featuring Carlos Orozco Elwin)
11. Los Latinoamericanos / Compañero / Canto a las Madres Latinoamericanas.

(1979) Salsa... Roja

1. Pobre México Señor
2. Texto: La Trampa Imperialista
3. Canto Negro
4. Texto: El Papa en México
5. Diálogo Entre el Papa y Jesucristo
6. Texto: El Facismo Priista
7. Marcha Coalición
8. Canto por los Desaparecidos
9. Lorenza Santiago
10. Corrido a los Mineros de Nacozari
11. Texto: La Organización Obrera
12. Salsa... Roja (featuring Carlos Orozco Elwin)
13. El Año Viejo

(1980) Historia de un Verdadero Sex-enio Vol. I

1. El cantor
2. Texto: Cárceles Ideológicas
3. Cárceles
4. Texto: La Guerra Sucia
5. Tlatelolco III
6. Corrido a Lucio Cabañas
7. El Niño de Vietnam
8. Texto: La Demagogia
9. Sin Razón
10. Texto: El Tiempo es Nuestro
11. Marchando Van
12. Texto: Nuestra Riqueza
13. Adelante Mujeres de la Tierra
14. La Mujer (featuring Amparo Ochoa)

(1981) Contraconfesiones

1. Levántate Campesino (featuring Carlos Orozco Elwin)
2. Sangre en la Huasteca
3. Corrido a Florencio Medrano
4. Magisterio Independiente
5. Contraconfesiones
6. Los Diez Ordenamientos
7. Cristiacomunismo
8. Frente Farabudo Martí de la Liberación Nacional

(1981) Del Surrealismo, la Picaresca, y el Humor

Del Surrealismo, la Picaresca, y el Humor is a somewhat unique album in José de Molina's discography, as it was a collaboration between José de Molina, Los Nakos, and Sergio Magaña. In addition, this album features songs in a variety of musical genres, ranging from tango and norteña to bossa nova.

In addition, another thing that makes this album a peculiar one, is that there are two versions of this album; one in LP format published in 1981, and another in cassette format published in 1994. Both versions differ quite a bit; for example, the 1981 version has the track “Sueño Irreversible” which is not found in the 1994 version. Meanwhile, in the 1994 version, there are three more tracks (“El Tratado de Libre Comercio”, “El Pique 96”, and “Partidos y Partiditos”), which are not found in the 1981 version. In addition, in the 1994 version, the track “La Ludica Mujer Impúdica” presents significant changes in terms of the instrumentation used.

1. LP Version (1981)
   1. La Lúdica Mujer Impúdica
   2. Sueño Irreversible
   3. El Menú del Márquez
   4. El Asesino de la Televisión
   5. La Modista
   6. Discurso Patriótico
   7. El Charro Morado
   8. Pasitas
   9. El Monje de Minifalda
   10. Canto a tus Vísceras
2. Cassette Version (1994)
   1. La Lúdica Mujer Impúdica
   2. Texto: Sueño Irreversible
   3. El Menú del Márquez
   4. El Asesino de la Televisión
   5. El Tratado de Libre Comercio
   6. La Modista
   7. El Charro Morado
   8. Pasitas
   9. El Monje de Minifalda
   10. Canto a tus Vísceras
   11. El Pique 96
   12. Partidos y Partiditos

To this day, it is unknown as to why both versions of the album differ so greatly.

(1982) Manifiesto

1. Introducción [Barco de Papél]
2. Soldado
3. Chicano
4. Texto: La Nacionalización de la Banca
5. Coplas de la Inflación
6. El Cantor II
7. Manifiesto Comunista (con Carlos Orozco Elwin)
8. Texto: Corrupción y Represión
9. Consignas
10. La Rueda de la Historia

(1985) Terremoto

1. Flamazo (San Juan Ixuatepec)
2. Poema Terremoto
3. Terremoto
4. Corrido a Rubén Jaramillo (con Carlos Orozco Elwin)
5. El Barzón
6. El Camaleón
7. Ronald "Hítler" Reagan
8. Chotis de La Madrid
9. Parodia a los Charros
10. Al Tambor de la Alegría
11. Ay Latinoamericano

(1994) Identidades

1. Texto: Niños y Niñas del Mundo
2. El Niño que quiso la Luna
3. Los Gober-Elefantes
4. El Chapulin
5. Texto: Un Niño Más
6. Cuando los Niños del Mundo
7. Identidades
8. Los Mojados
9. Razones
10. Corrido a Manuel Buendia
11. Ley 187

(1995) Desde Chiapas con Amor

1. Texto: No Nos Quedó Otro Camino
2. Corrido al EZLN [La Toma de San Cristóbal]
3. El Sembrador (con Carlos Orozco Elwin)
4. Ya Comenzó
5. El Jarabito del Pronasol
6. Texto: La Extrema Pobreza
7. Corrido al Wati
8. Banderita Roja y Negra
9. Corrido a Sonora
10. La Democracia
11. Texto: Tierra y Libertad
12. Corrido a Emiliano Zapata
13. Guajira al Che Guevara (con Carlos Orozco Elwin)

(1996) Historia de un Verdadero Sex-enio Vol. II

1. Corrido a Aguas Blancas
2. Texto: La Estrategia de Masas
3. Cuatro Palomas
4. Texto: El Diálogo de las Balas
5. Del Río Bravo a la Patagonia
6. Colorado
7. La Bomba (con Carlos Orozco Elwin)
8. Texto: Los Verdaderos Guerrilleros
9. Madre proletaria (con Carlos Orozco Elwin)
10. Texto: La Lucha Obrera
11. Corrido a Efraín Calderón Lara
12. Texto: La Teoría Revolucionaria
13. La Huelga

(1998) Después de la Muerte

1. 35 Aniversario de José de Molina
2. Se Requiere un Guerra
3. Te Quiero Niña
4. Oda a Carlos Puebla
5. Elegia a Violeta Parra
6. Los Otros Versos del Caracol
7. Es una Hembra
8. La Vida y la Muerte
9. Lucha por tu Libertad
10. Gracias José de Molina

External Links

• Salsa Roja, live interpretation by José de Molina
• Introductory fragment of the song Diálogo entre el Papa y Jesucristo on a home-tape video.
• Video con de Molina interpretando Asesinato de Copreros
• Cánticos y testimonio rebeldes, VHS published in 1995 by Nueva Voz Latinoamericana
• José de Molina Lyrics
• Full discography

[[Category:Zapatista Army of National Liberation]] [[Category:Mexican anarchists]] [[Category:Mexican singer-songwriters]] [[Category:Mexican musicians]]