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Artist
Emilio Navaira III (August 23, 1962 – May 16, 2016) was a Mexican American Tejano and country music singer-songwriter, musician, recorder, and performer. Known to most by the mononym Emilio, he charted more than ten singles on the Billboard Hot Latin Tracks charts, in addition to six singles on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts. Emilio was also one of the few Tejano artists to have significant success in both the United States and Mexico, and was called the "Garth Brooks of Tejano". His biggest country hit was the No. 27 "It's Not the End of the World" in late 1995, and his highest-charting single on any chart is "Por Siempre Unidos," which peaked at No. 7 on Latin Pop Airplay in 1996. Along with Selena, Emilio was one of the most prominent artists that helped popularize Tejano music. Emilio Navaira III was born on August 23, 1962, in San Antonio, Texas, to Mexican American parents, Emilio Navaira, Jr. and Mary Navaira. Growing up on the south side of San Antonio, Navaira found each influence in not only tejano legends such as Little Joe y la Familia, but also Lone Star country music heroes such as Willie Nelson, Bob Wills, and George Strait. As a student, Navaira graduated from McCollum High School in 1980, received a music scholarship to Texas State University, and majored in music with plans to become a teacher before ultimately deciding to pursue a career as an artist. In 1983 at age 21, Emilio began his performing career by singing lead vocals for Davi