From the Voces Oral History Center:
The band of Intocable, which translates to “Untouchable,” formed in the early ’90s. Their music is a modern take on the classic norteño, combining pop-rock into the rhythm of Tejano music.
Founding members Ricardo “Ricky” Muñoz and René Martinez started the band in their twenties. They were inspired by the legendary Ramón Ayala.
In 1993, they signed with EMI U.S. Latin and released their first album, Fuego Eterno, or “Eternal Flame.”
Muñoz told radio personality Pepe Garza that their limited Spanish hurt them when they first started doing press interviews in Mexico. Muñoz said he had a hard time formulating serious answers in proper Spanish and the interviewers laughed at them.
There was also lots of turnover among the band members — but each new member brought a new sound.
Member Daniel Sanchez told radio and TV personality James Echavarria about his influence in the group.
“The first song we did was “Amor Maldito” and it was like, well, why don’t we do, like a backwards scale,” Sanchez said. “It was like, why don’t we try doing arrangements like this instead of doing the traditional way of making arrangements.”
In just their third album, Llévame Contigo, or “Take Me With You,” they hit it big in Regional Mexican Radio in 1996.
But in 1999, tragedy struck. Traveling to Mexico City for a show, the band was in a serious car crash. Two members and the road manager were killed. Other band members were hospitalized.
It took months to recover physically and emotionally.
Co-founder Rene Martinez told Mexican composer and producer Javier Paniagua that after the crash, the parents of the dead members urged them to go on. They said the music would feel like their sons were still with them.
Later that year, Intocable released a new album, Contigo, featuring recordings of the members who passed.
The group has released an album almost every year. They’ve won Grammys, Latin Grammys, and Billboard Latin Music Awards.
Intocable continues to be a staple in Tejano music, representing Latinos all over the country. Since 1993, they performed over 500 concerts and in 2026 the band is set to tour across the U.S. and Mexico, including five Texas cities in November.
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