Tejano ROOTS Hall of Fame Renames Accordion Award in Honor of Chano Cadena

The Tejano ROOTS Hall of Fame & Museum has announced that its prestigious Accordion Player of the Year Award will now be named in honor of the late conjunto pioneer Chano Cadena, who passed away last month at the age of 87.

Tejano ROOTS Hall of Fame Board of Directors member Noe Lerma shared the news, stating, “On behalf of the Tejano ROOTS Hall of Fame Museum organization, we offer our deepest condolences and prayers to the Cadena family in the wake of Chano Cadena’s passing, a monumental figure in conjunto music. May he rest in peace. As a testament to his lasting impact, we will be renaming our accordion player award to the Chano Cadena Accordion Player Award at the forthcoming 2026 Induction Ceremony.”

The accordion excellence award was previously dedicated to Conjunto icon Amadeo Flores for more then a decade.

Cadena, a native of Alice, Texas, discovered his love for music at just 10 years old when he picked up his first accordion — a toy squeezebox that sparked a lifelong passion. His career began with commercial jingles produced by Armando Marroquin before moving into session work and eventually recording his own records.

By the 1960s and ’70s, Chano Cadena y Su Conjunto had become a touring mainstay, performing across Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, and Florida. He shared stages with conjunto greats like Tony de la Rosa and Paulino Bernal, while also helping launch the careers of future legends such as Juan Sifuentes, Manuel Solis, and Ruben Naranjo.

Over his six-decade career, Cadena earned numerous honors, including induction into the Tejano R.O.O.T.S. Hall of Fame (2001), the Tejano Conjunto Music Hall of Fame & Museum (2007), and the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center Tejano Conjunto Hall of Fame (2013). He was celebrated for his technical mastery, longevity, and his unwavering dedication to preserving and promoting conjunto music.

Founded in 2000, the Tejano ROOTS Hall of Fame has inducted over 500 individuals and groups dedicated to Tejano music and culture. With the renaming of its accordion award, the organization cements Chano Cadena’s legacy as one of the most influential figures in conjunto history.

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