Antonio Giron – “Corrido a Honduras” (1955) * Written by Antonio Giron * LP: Songs and Dances of Honduras * Label: Folkways
Tucked away on this 1955 Folkways release, which otherwise has a coarse field-recording sound, is a quite polished “ballad for Honduras.” The song’s main thrust is loyalty to the beautiful Central American country, but it also name-checks both the national hero Morazán (a freedom fighter and eventual president of the Federation of Central American States who fell to an assassin in 1842) and the Virgin of Suyapa, patroness of Honduras. Why do the liner notes, written by Doris Stone, go out of their way to keep the suave-sounding performer of “Corrido a Honduras” a mystery? This is a mystery in itself. Is it to preserve an aura of authenticity for Peter K. Smith’s field recordings? Performing credits go to “Instrument: Guitar,” and a footnote cranes its head in to point out that the contracted usage of “que ellos” is typical of songs “not sung by a professional singer.” Writing credit, though, is given to a man named Antonio Giron, so I’ll assume that the performance, worthy of much better recognition and respect, is also by him.