The first nationally famous ranchera singer, Jorge Negrete appeared in three dozen films and recorded almost 200 songs during the 1930s, 40s, and early 50s, before dying at the height of his career. Born into a military family (his father earned the rank of lieutenant colonel in the Mexican Army during the revolution), Negrete initially followed in his fathers footsteps, enrolling in Heroico Colegio Militar (his countrys West Point) in 1925 and joining the army three years later.