Ariel Camacho was born to Benito Camacho and Reynalda Barza on July 8, 1992 in Guamuchil, Sinaloa. He started singing at the age of 12 in Angostura, Sinaloa. When he was in middle school, he met César Iván Sánchez, who played guitar and did back up vocals. Camacho later sought to expand his group and found a tuba player, Omar Burgos. His first concert was held in Tijuana, in which he played for more than 40,000 people. He quickly became known for his expressive way of playing the requinto. He became known as "La Tuyia" due to a childhood nickname given to him by his grandfather because his guitar was much bigger than him. He decided to form a band in the start of 2013. His band "Ariel Camacho y Los Plebes del Rancho" consisted of "El Tigre", Cesar Sánchez and Omar Burgos, "El Cenizo". Camacho was the lead singer and played lead guitar in the band. His band quickly became known due to their unusual combination of standard guitar, requinto, and tuba. Among their most successful songs were "Hablemos", "Te Metiste", "El Karma" and "Rey de Corazones". He was later nicknamed "El Rey de Corazónes" after releasing "Rey de Corazones" a song that quickly made his group known through social media. Camacho was praised for maintaining a classical element in his regional music by paying attention to the songwriters who had come before him such as Miguel y Miguel. He was also a frequent collaborator with other corrido singers, including Grupo Fernandez, Marca Registrada, Los Traviesos De La Sierra and Regulo Caro.
Death
On February 25, 2015, Camacho and three other people were in a car accidenton the road from Angostura, Sinaloa. Camacho was returning from a performance at a music festival, Carnaval de Mocorito. Camacho and two others died and one person was injured. They were riding in a 1994 Honda Accord when Camacho lost control. The accident reportedly occurred at two in the morning on highway Angostura- La Reforma. Camacho died on impact. It is unclear whether he was driving intoxicated although it was reported he was driving at excessive speed. He had posted a video on his Facebook pagea day before his death, inviting his fans and "all the beautiful ladies out there" to attend his next concert in March 2015. He died at the age of 22.
Legacy
Following his death, his group's song "El Karma" reached number one on the BillboardHot Latin Songs chart in March and the album hit the TOP FIVE of the Latin albums chart. Shortly after his death, his band "Los Plebes del Rancho" changed their name as a tribute to Camacho into "Los Plebes Del Rancho de Ariel Camacho." They continue to make albums in honor of Camacho, like "Recuerden Mi Estilo", alongside Camacho's father, Benito Camacho. Many have paid tribute to Camacho through the use of songs such as Virlan Garcia with "Hasta el Cielo", Los Traviezoz de la Zierra with "Mis Ultimos Momentos" and "Un Mentado Ariel." An album in tribute to Camacho was also released in 2017 called "Ariel Camacho Para Siempre" that features artists such as Gerardo Ortiz, Regulo Caro, and Revolver Cannabis. Each year on the 25th of February in memory of Camacho, his band, family members, fans, and other artists come together at his grave to commemorate him. Ariel is now known by many as "El Rey del Requinto", "El Mentado", "Rey de Corazones" and "La Tuyia."
