Juguemos A Cantar - 1er Festival Juguemos A Cantar - Impact

Impact

The impact of the 1er Festival Juguemos a Cantar was so great that in many ways, it was a moment that defined a generation of children. Most of the people that were children in 1982 remember this Festival very well with great happiness, as do the parents of those children. They remember where they were when the winners were announced. They remember many of the songs. The famous yellow album with two children holding balloons could be seen throughout Mexico in all the store fronts. Schools across Mexico held their own versions of a Juguemos A Cantar contest where the children would imitate their favorite participants of the Festival.

Due mostly to the success of this Festival, that year (1982), particularly in Mexico, the whole of the entertainment industry would become all about children and youth. Songs, radio, TV, and other entertainment media were all aimed at the children’s market. This "phenomenon" was so great that even the mainstream adult artists of that time had difficulty finding a spot in any and all forms of media.

The tremendous success of this first Festival was immense, but no one, including everyone involved, expected it to be as popular as it was. One obvious reason for its success was that it was heavily backed by Televisa, and by Discos Musart, but there were other factors as well:

• The amount of talent in this 1st festival was incredible. The competition between the top 10 was very close and very intense.

• 1st place winners, Lorenzo Antonio Y Su Grupo, were huge crowd favorites because of the instruments they played (violins and harmonicas), their unique choreography, and their country / bluegrass sounding song, “Vamos A Jugar” (Let’s Play), which was about a dance move, “la mano izquierda va adelante y la derecha para atras” (the left hand goes in front and the right goes in back). Lorenzo Antonio was also the author of the song, making him the only “cantautor” (singer / songwriter) in the top 10.

• 2nd place was a tie between Byanca Y Malessa and Katy. Byanca Y Malessa were two sisters that had astounding voices, as well as a beautiful song, “Igual Que El Universo” (The Same As The Universe). Katy was a very cute little girl that had a wonderful song about the vowels called, “La Risa De Las Vocales,” and her charisma on stage made her very popular. Both were huge crowd favorites.

• Juanito Farias, also a huge crowd favorite, performed the song, “Caballo De Palo” (Wooden Horse). He had a phenomenal voice, and during his performance at the final, something happened to his music track, and it completely cut out, leaving Juantio to finish his song a cappella. Juanito showed an enormous amount of poise and continued singing, proving that he was actually singing and not lip-synching like the rest of the participants. The crowd sang with him and cheered him on with much enthusiasm.

• 3rd place winners, Grupo Abaco, had a very catchy song, “El Combate" (written by Ma. Eugenia De Esesarte), which they performed with much enthusiasm and great choreography.

• 4th place was a tie between Las Vicuñitas (who performed a song by Sergio Andrade, “Fiesta En Mi Pueblo), and Grupo Aventura (who performed a song by José A. Garay, “Vamos A Mi Fiesta"). The former all played instruments, and the latter were a group of girls that sang and danced.

• 5th place was a tie between Yvette Y Monique (2 sisters that performed the song, “Rock And Roll,” by Francisco Curiel), and Sara Eugenia (a female soloist that sang “Si Yo Fuera Presidente,” by Pedro Krishmar & Ignacio Copani).

• Lolita Cortes, the 6th place winner, had already starred in the theater play, "Anita La Huerfanita", and she had a tremendous stage presence. She participated with the song, “Don Quijote Y Sancho Panza,” written by Martha Heredia.

• Juanito Farias very surprisingly ended up in 7th (last) place. Being that he was such a big crowd favorite, this sparked a controversy that still continues to this day.