Manuel Esperón

Manuel Esperón González (August 3, 1911 – February 13, 2011) was a Mexican songwriter and composer. Along with the famous Mexican author Ernesto Cortazar, Esperón cowrote many songs for Mexican films, including "¡Ay, Jalisco, no te rajes!" for the 1941 film of the same name, "Cocula" for El Peñón de las Ánimas (The Rock of Souls) (1943), and "Amor con amor se paga" for Hay un niño en su futuro (1952). Other Esperón compositions have become Latin standards such as "Yo soy mexicano", "Noche plateada" and "No volveré", which was used in the first episode of the 2001 soap opera El juego de la vida. Among other performers, Pedro Infante, Los Panchos, and Jorge Negrete have made his songs well-known. His fame in the US derives from when his song The Three Caballeros (¡Ay, Jalisco no te Rajes!) was used in the Disney film The Three Caballeros (1945).

Esperón was born in Mexico City. He retired in 1987, although his songs continued to be used in filmmaking and television productions.

In 1989, Esperón was awarded the National Prize for Arts for Art and Traditional Culture (de Artes y Tradiciones Populares). In 2001, he was given a tribute at the Palace of Fine Arts in the historical center of Mexico City. Until his death in 2011, he was the honorary President for life of the Society of Authors and Composers of Mexico.