The 30 nominees include some of the biggest names in music, including Selena, Vicente Fernandez, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Celia Cruz and Shakira.
SAN ANTONIO — As part of an effort to highlight the nation’s culturally diverse audio heritage, Rep. Joaquin Castro has announced his annual nominations list of 30 songs, sounds and albums by Latino voices for preservation in the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry.
The National Recording Registry was established by Congress in 2000 to preserve sounds and recordings that have cultural, historical, or aesthetic significance. To be eligible for the registry, a recording must be at least 10 years old.
Castro’s office said the registry currently contains 650 recordings, fewer than 5% of which are by Latinos.
Congressman Castro solicited feedback from the public to ensure the list of candidates reflected a wide range of music, genres and generations, and received hundreds of submissions from across the country and around the world.
Among the list of submitted recordings are some of the best-known songs in the Latin American community, ranging from Tejano (Selena’s 1994 album “Amor Prohibido” and Bobby Pulido’s 1995 debut album “Desberado”) to merengue (Elvis Crespo’s “Suavemente”), norteña (Los Tucanes de Tijuana’s “La Chona”), ranchera (Vicente Fernández’s “Volver, Volver”), and more.
Castro’s list of nominations includes, for the first time, a radio recording honoring the first full-time Spanish-language radio broadcast in the United States, broadcast on KCOR/KWEX in San Antonio.
“I remain committed to our shared goal of ensuring that the National Recording Preservation Board’s selections reflect the diversity of American culture,” Castro wrote in his nomination letter.
Since Castro began submitting his list of nominees in 2022, four of his nominated artists have been selected by the National Recording Preservation Board. The selected artists are Juan Gabriel’s “Amor Eterno,” Héctor Lavoe’s “El Cantante,” Irene Carra’s “Flashdance…What A Feeling,” and Daddy Yankee’s “Gasolina,” which made history as the first reggaeton song to be preserved in the National Recording Registry.
The 2025 inductees will be announced early next year.
See below for a complete list of Rep. Castro’s nominations.
1. The first full-time Spanish-language radio station in the United States, based in San Antonio, Texas (formerly known as KCOR-TV, later known as KWEX-TC) (1946) (broadcast)
2. Hamilton Mixtape – Lin-Manuel Miranda (2009) (song)
3. Amor Prohibido – Selena (1994) (album)
4. Before the Next Tear Falls – Freddy Fender (1974) (song)
5. Diamonds and Rust – Joan Baez (1975) (album)
6. Suavemente – Elvis Crespo (1999) (song)
7. Caminos Chuecos – Sonny and the Sangroses (1963) (song)
8. Volver, Volver – Vicente Fernández (1972) (song)
9. Cien Años – Pedro Infante (1953) (song)
10. Deathberado – Bobby Pulido (1995) (album)
11. Don Luis El Texano – Latin Breed (1991) (song)
12. Las Nubes – Little Joe and La Familia (1972) (song)
13. Feliz Navidad – José Feliciano (1970) (song)
14. La Chona – Los Tucanes de Tijuana (1995) (song)
15. Cosas del Amor – Vicky Carr (1998) (song)
16. Maria Maria – Santana ft. The Product G&B (1999) (song)
17. Tu Pum Pum – El General (1989) (song)
18. Chilanga Banda – Café Tacva (1996) (song)
19. Mambo No. 5 – Pérez Prado (1952) (song)
20. Hips Don’t Lie – Shakira (2005) (song)
21. Rinconcito en el Cielo – Ramon Ayala (2001) (song)
22. Genie in a Bottle – Christina Aguilera (1999) (song)
23. Regalo del Alma – Celia Cruz (2003) (Album)
24. Introducing Johnny Rodriguez – Johnny Rodriguez (1971) (album)
25. Blue Bayou – Linda Ronstadt (1977) (song)
26. Romance – Luis Miguel (1991) (album)
27. Simplemente Amigos – Ana Gabriel (1988) (song)
28. Conga – Gloria Estefan, Miami Sound Machine (1992) (song)
29. The Last – Aventura (2009) (album)
30. Cypress Hill – Cypress Hill (1991) (album)
“It is essential that we continue to properly incorporate and celebrate the contributions of Latino artists and broadcasters to ensure we leave a desirable and rich audio legacy for future generations,” Castro said.
