Ted Ramirez

Ted Ramírez (Teodoro Ted Ramirez) is Tucson's official troubadour as proclaimed by Tucson's Mayor and Council on December 17, 2001. The event was well attended, most notably by Arizona folk music legends Travis Edmonson and Dolan Ellis. Ted is the recipient of the prestigious Arizona Culture Keeper Award presented in 2004 and currently is the Artist-in-Residence at the Tubac Presidio Historic Park located close to the US/Mexico Border in Southern Arizona.

Born and raised in Tucson, Arizona, Ted is a native son of the Southwest. He is a direct descendant the Indigenous peoples and of the first Spanish families who settled in what is now the State of Arizona in 1752.

Ted is a folk musician, singer, storyteller and songwriter performing authentic folk songs from Mexico and the American Southwest. He is a solo performer, the founder of the Santa Cruz River Band (one of the region's most celebrated musical groups). He created the popular statewide radio program "Sounds of Arizona", the program aired for ten years on KSAZ 580AM. Currently, Ted is actively recording and performing world wide.

Ted popularized the term "Southwestern Folk Music" folk music by using the term to describe his musical presentations as authentic folk music from the Southwest. The key elements of Southwest Folk Music style are indigenous Mexican styles, i.e. son, huapango and corrido, and American cowboy era ballads, poetry and Indigenous chants and songs. This music style is performed by solo performers and musical groups using traditional Mexican folk instruments, i.e., the guitar, drum, mandolin, jarana, accordion, vihuela, guitarron, requinto, flute, harmonica, the Mexican harp and violins.

Many of Ted's original compositions reflect Southwestern culture, they include: My Beloved Tucson, Look To Baboquivari, El Presidio, Red-tailed Hawk, Living on a Plain, Viva Tucson, Billy Stiles, Refugee Children, La Doña Del Pueblo, Across the Border, and Northern Star, aka (Taking Care of your Heart).