蜜柚直播

蜜柚直播-born trumpet player and Mariachi Cobre co-founder Steve Carrillo can now accompany your electric bill, love letters and holiday cards, in the mail as a stamp issued by the United States Postal Service.

Carrillo鈥檚 likeness served as inspiration for one of five mariachi-themed stamps released for purchase by the USPS earlier this month.

The stamps, unveiled at the 30th annual Mariachi Spectacular de Albuquerque on July 15, showcase mariachi musicians in traditional attire playing the guitar, guitarr贸n, vihuela, violin and trumpet, in colorful portraits created by .

An image of Carrillo was used as reference for the trumpet player stamp with Carrillo鈥檚 permission, according to USPS Stamps Services Director Bill Gicker.

Eighteen million of the mariachi-themed stamps have been produced and are for sale at USPS facilities across the country and at .

鈥淚 went to the post office today,鈥� Carrillo, 64, said in a phone interview Wednesday from his Florida home. 鈥淚 walked in and saw my stamp up on the wall. I still can鈥檛 believe it.鈥�

Carrillo and his brother, Randy Carrillo, helped create the quintessential 蜜柚直播 mariachi group , alongside fellow musicians Mack Ruiz, Frank Grijalva, Ruben Moreno, Fred Tarazon, Gilbert Velez and Jim Acu帽a, in 1971.

Cobre was a spinoff of Los Changuitos Feos, 蜜柚直播鈥檚 first youth mariachi ensemble, and has served as the , in Orlando, Florida, since 1982.

Steve Carrillo is the last original member still in Cobre, but six out of its 12 current members hail from 蜜柚直播, Carrillo said.

Carrillo said he was contacted nearly a year ago about a photo of him from author Patricia Greathouse鈥檚 book 鈥淢ariachi鈥� possibly being used as reference for a postage stamp.

He gave his OK and signed a release and didn鈥檛 hear about it again until about a month ago, when he received an invitation to attend the unveiling at the mariachi conference in Albuquerque.

Carrillo was already planning on attending the conference as an instructor.

鈥淭hey introduced me and announced me at the ceremony,鈥� Carrillo said. 鈥淚t was quite an honor.鈥�

Carrillo said he felt the artist, L贸pez, did well with his interpretation of the mariachi artists in the stamp series.

鈥�(He) did a good job as far as me holding my trumpet,鈥� Carrillo said. 鈥淥verall, it was very good and very positive to put mariachi out there to another demographic, a bigger demographic, to promote our music, our culture.鈥�

L贸pez, who splits his time between San Diego and Mexico City, said he knows well the significance of mariachi music and wanted that to be reflected in his work.

Beyond Carrillo, L贸pez looked to the Golden Age of Mexican cinema for inspiration, when actors like Pedro Infante and Jorge Negrete sang on the silver screen with mariachi musicians in tow.

鈥淚 love mariachi,鈥� L贸pez said. 鈥淚t brings back memories of my childhood growing up in Mexico City. They sing about very human emotions that we can all relate to.鈥�

Carrillo said that it makes him feel good to know that his likeness will help promote mariachi music on such a large scale.

The mariachi stamps, sold in sheets of 20 for $12, are forever stamps, meaning they will always be equal in value to the current first-class mail 1-ounce price.

Carrillo expects he will be getting a lot of letters donning his face from friends and family in the coming months.

鈥淚 am waiting to see who that first person is going to be,鈥� he said.