The 2026 Chicano Music Hall of Fame celebrates three decades of honoring Chicano talent. For three decades many talented music artists have been honored for their work. Recently, Su Teatro announced the 2026 Chicano Music Hall of Fame inductees.
They are as follows:
Recording artist, songwriter and singer Felisa “Latin Soul” Hernandez has over 35 years performing in Denver.
Southern Colorado/Northern New Mexico mainstays blend border music, country, blues and bilingual storytelling into their own Nuevo Americana sound brothers Chris and Rodney Arellano.
New Mexico born Commerce City bread longtime Chicano band and Chicano music trailblazers Next in Line
A very special inductee this year are the Arellano brothers, Chris and Rodney Arellano born and raised in Costilla, New Mexico, just one mile south of the Colorado border off Highway 522.
Rodney and Chris were born in that special northern New Mexico community, attended Costilla Elementary and later Questa High School. Their parents, Jake and Henrietta were my generation, and their father died in a car accident at a young age but had already taught his two sons how to play guitar.
Their mother, Henrietta did well in raising her children, two sons, and the youngest a daughter, Rochelle. The three have a musical talent acquired early in life and Chris and Rodney have pursued a musical career, have earned many musical accolades and awards for their many recordings. They are recipients of many New Mexico Hispanic Awards over the years and continue to make their mark with their unique and distinctive sound that blends New Mexican sounds with country and folk.
The Arellano Brothers have an ongoing busy schedule which brings their unique music to New Mexico and Colorado almost every weekend. Their genre of music is a unique sound which appeals to a variety of fans.
Chris Arellano has also established a Summer School of Rock music program for the youth in the area. It is all to expose youth to music and musical instruments and to hone potential music talent.
The Arellano Brothers grew up in Costilla, New Mexico, my hometown, a place near and dear to my heart. A big congratulations to all inductees and a big shout out to the Arellano Brothers! The 2026 Chicano Music Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be held at Su Teatro on Thursday, July 30th. For more information, visit suteatro.org.
