Larry Hernandez

Biography

Larry Hernández (born March 10, 1977) is a Mexican-American singer songwriter and television personality known for his work in the regional Mexican music genre, specifically in the styles of banda, Pacific norteño and norteño-banda. Hernandez's biggest influence and idol is the late Chalino Sanchez, but he also feels admiration for many artists and his musical influences have a big range. He is a distant cousin of fellow regional Mexican artist El Potro de Sinaloa.
Hernández lived in Los Angeles until he was four when his family moved to Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico. He spent most of his adolescence there before starting his musical career. He currently lives in unincorporated Covina Hills, California.

Early life

At the age of four, Hernandez's parents took him to a small town called Pueblos Unidos-Estación Opispo, in Culiacán, where he grew up for most of his adolescence. At a young age, Hernandez had musical aspirations. At the age of eight, he would compose his own corridos and play them to all of his family members in order to learn from their critiques. Hernandez's musical influence came from his family, but he taught himself how to write and compose songs. To help with his music career, Hernandez attended a music school in Culiacán, where he played for a group of musicians who represented Sinaloa called Los Amables del Norte. He would soon join the band as their drummer. Performing with Los Amables del Norte gave Hernandez experience playing in front of a crowd, but it was his solo career that sparked his fame.

Early

In 1998, Hernandez conducted his first recordings which were composed of 65 songs in a tribute to Cornelio Reyna. Later, in 1999, Hernandez recorded his first solo album, "Contella Norteña." Afterwards, Hernandez recorded eight more albums; "Mil Noches" in 2001, "El Amigo de Todos" in 2003, "Linda Chuiquilla" in 2004, "Labrinto" and "Arrepiente" in 2005, "Se Busca Cantar Buenos Corridos" in 2006, and "Hace un Mes" and "Dejate Querer Tantito" in 2008. It wasn’t until 2009 when Hernandez's fame became elevated with his release of "16 Narco Corridos," which only took Hernandez one day to record, hitting the top billboard charts, and reaching the rank of number four on the Billboard Top Latin Albums. After the release of this album, Hernandez's musical career began to rise.

Contemporary (2009 to present)

With the release of the "16 Narco Corridos," Hernandez became a mainstream Latino artist. The record sold over 300,000 albums, boosting Hernandez's career. The album was written almost entirely by Hernandez and recorded in a single day. The album features vivid depictions of drug trafficking culture and it reached the top number four spot on Billboard Top Latin Albums chart. His album "En Vivo: Desde Culiacán" followed later in 2009 and climbed to the number two spot on Billboard Top Latin Albums confirming his status as a Latino star. Some people have criticized his lyrics, to which he replied, "My 'corridos' aren't made to start controversy with anyone, they are made to entertain people, so they drink and have a good time. In reality, the economy and the whole world are going through tough times; the only thing I can give people is my talent and a good time so they forget everything and enjoy themselves." Although in his career as a soloist he recorded seven albums without major recognition, his musical catalyst occurred by means of social networking and through viral YouTube response which his fans supported. The public that already knew of him began to talk about him on internet blogs and music based websites, and upload his music videos. With the increase in his following, he was converted into a true Latino music idol. His fame then caught the attention of large music industry record labels and he signed a contract with the transnational record label Universal Music Latin Entertainment which has helped him continue his successful career and led to the transition to other avenues of mass media.

Larrymania

On October 7, 2012, Larrymania aired for the first time on Mun2. Larrymania is an original reality TV. Larrymania gives Hernandez's fans an opportunity to see how he is able to maneuver his life through the tough obstacles that a music superstar has to undergo. The show has already shown popularity among Hernandez's fans as it has reached over 58,000 "likes" on Facebook. Produced by Cinemat.

Arrest

On September 25, 2015, Hernandez was arrested in Ontario, California, on charges of kidnapping and assault. The charges are related to an incident that occurred in Newberry, South Carolina on August 16, 2015, after a performance. Allegedly, Hernandez was not happy with his payment for the performance, and he and another man assaulted a friend of the performance organizer. They then forced him to Hernandez's hotel room and continued the assault in an attempt to gain more money from the organizer. The victim was eventually able to escape. Extradition has occurred as of October 15, 2015 to South Carolina. On October 23, 2015, Hernandez was taken in front of a judge in South Carolina. Bail was set at $200,000 and he was ordered to surrender his passport. Bail was paid and he was released until his next court date. On October 24, 2016, Hernandez came to an agreement with the victim and pled guilty to disorderly conduct. He was sentenced to six months of probation, and will have to make monetary restitution to the victim, the exact amount of which was yet to be determined.