Congressman Joaquin Castro has released his list of 30 songs and albums by Latino voices nominated for the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress.
The National Recording Registry is designed to preserve sounds and recordings with cultural, historic, or aesthetic significance to life in the United States.
Castro submits a list of nominations every year. This year's list included an album from Tejano music queen Selena, along with works from Shakira, Elvis Crespo and Lin-Manuel Miranda.
He also nominated the broadcast from KCOR, the first full time Spanish language radio station, opened in 1946 and based in San Antonio.
The station was founded by Raoul Cortez, the father of Irma Alicia Cortez. She later married Emilio Nicolas, the businessman who built the largest Spanish-language television network in the United States.
TPR later honored their achievements by naming its headquarters building the Irma & Emilio Nicolas Media Center.
The Library of Congress will continue to collect public nominations for 2025 online through Oct. 1, 2024.
Castro's complete list of nominations
- First Full Time Spanish-Language Radio Station Broadcast in the United States, based in San Antonio, TX (formerly KCOR-TV and later known as KWEX-TC) (1946) (Broadcast)
- The Hamilton Mixtape – Lin-Manuel Miranda (2009) (Song)
- Amor Prohibido – Selena (1992) (Album)
- Before the Next Teardrop Falls – Freddy Fender (1974) (Song)
- Diamonds and Rust – Joan Baez (1975) (Album)
- Suavemente – Elvis Crespo (1999) (Song)
- Caminos Chuecos – Sunny and The Sunglows (1963) (Song)
- Volver, Volver – Vicente Fernández (1972) (Song)
- Cien Años – Pedro Infante (1953) (Song)
- Desvelado – Bobby Pulido (1995) (Album)
- Don Luis El Tejano – Latin Breed (1991) (Song)
- Las Nubes – Little Joe y La Familia (1972) (Song)
- Feliz Navidad – José Feliciano (1970) (Song)
- La Chona – Los Tucanes De Tijuana (1995) (Song)
- Cosas del Amor – Vikki Carr (1998) (Song)
- Maria Maria – Santana ft. The Product G&B (1999) (Song)
- Tu Pum Pum – El General (1989) (Song)
- Chilanga Banda – Café Tacvba (1996) (Song)
- Mambo No. 5 – Perez Prado (1952) (Song)
- Hips Don’t Lie – Shakira (2005) (Song)
- Rinconcito En El Cielo – Ramón Ayala (2001) (Song)
- Genie in a Bottle – Christina Aguilera (1999) (Song)
- Regalo del Alma – Celia Cruz (2003) (Album)
- Introducing Johnny Rodriguez – Johnny Rodriguez (1971) (Album)
- Blue Bayou– Linda Ronstadt (1977) (Song)
- Romance – Luis Miguel (1991) (Album)
- Simplemente Amigos – Ana Gabriel (1988) (Song)
- Conga – Gloria Estefan, Miami Sound Machine (1992) (Song)
- The Last – Aventura (2009) (Album)
- Cypress Hill – Cypress Hill (1991) (Album)
