Originally, Trio Los Panchos are a trío romántico formed in New York City in 1944 by Alfredo Gil, Chucho Navarro, and Hernando Avilés. The trio became one of the leading exponents of the bolero and the romantic ballad in Latin America. Its original founding members have long since died and its current members are Chucho Navarro Jr., Eduardo Beristian and Misael Reyes. The group has sold hundreds of millions of records since its creation in the mid 1940s. Some of their best known songs being their interpretations of classic folk songs such as "Besame Mucho", "Sabor a Mí", "Sin Ti", "Solamente Una Vez", "Contigo", "Quizas, Quizas, Quizas", "Contigo Aprendi", "Aquellos Ojos Verdes", "Cuando vuelva a tu lado", "Se te olvida", "El Reloj", "Noche de Ronda", "Rayito de Luna". Los Panchos are regarded as one of the top musical trios of all time and one of the most influential Latin American artists of all time. They have sold out concerts around the globe for over 70 years and have appeared in more than 50 films. A characteristic instrument of Los Panchos and other Mexican tríos románticos since the 1950s is the requinto guitar, which is smaller and tuned higher than a standard guitar. Requinto solos are found in many bolero recordings by Los Panchos. History Los Panchos first met in 1944 in New York City. The three original members were Chucho Navarro, and Alfredo Gil, both from Mexico, and Hernando Avilés from Puerto Rico. All three played guitar and contributed vocally. Los Panchos reached fame with their romantic songs, especially in Latin America where they are still regarded as one of the top trios of all time. They sold millions of records in Latin America and other countries. In the 1940s they collaborated with Alfredo Antonini's Viva America Orchestra with the orchestral accordionist John Serry Sr. in a recording of "La palma" (a cueca) and "Rosa negra" (a conga) for Pilotone Records (#45 5067, #45 5069). They also appeared in around 50 movies, mostly during the Golden Age of Mexican cinema. By 1946, the trio's exceptional virtuosity and authenticity had attracted the attention of Edmund Chester at CBS Radio's Cadena de Las Americas (Network of the Americas). Los Panchos was immediately invited to perform as "musical ambassadors" on the network's Viva America program to support cultural diplomacy in twenty countries throughout Latin America and South America. Los Panchos began touring internationally