Known to most by the mononym Emilio, he charted more than ten singles on the Billboard Hot Latin Tracks charts, in addition to six singles on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts. Emilio was also one of the few Tejano artists to have significant success in both the United States and Mexico, and was called the "Garth Brooks of Tejano". His biggest country hit was the No. 27 "It's Not the End of the World" in late 1995, and his highest-charting single on any chart is "Por Siempre Unidos," which peaked at No. 7 on Latin Pop Airplay in 1996. Along with Selena, Emilio was one of the most prominent artists that helped popularize Tejano music.
Emilio Navaira III was born on August 23, 1962, in San Antonio, Texas, to Mexican American parents, Emilio Navaira, Jr. and Mary Navaira. Growing up on the south side of San Antonio, Navaira found each influence in not only tejano legends such as Little Joe y la Familia, but also Lone Star country music heroes such as Willie Nelson, Bob Wills, and George Strait. As a student, Navaira graduated from McCollum High School in 1980, received a music scholarship to Texas State University, and majored in music with plans to become a teacher before ultimately deciding to pursue a career as an artist.
In 1983 at age 21, Emilio began his performing career by singing lead vocals for David Lee Garza y Los Musicales. In 1987, Cuantas Veces by David Lee Garza Y Los Musicales beat out Alpha by Mexican American singer Selena for Album of the Year at the Tejano Music Awards. In 1989, Navaira formed his own band, Emilio y Grupo Rio. That same year Emilio signed with Columbia Records (then known as CBS Records). This relationship resulted in Emilio recording more than fifteen studio albums to date, including several with his Rio Band.
By the mid 1990s, Emilio began crediting himself solely as Emilio, eventually switching his focus to country music. Between 1989 and 1996, Emilio had released seven Spanish albums with cumulative sales of about 2 million. This success lead to mainstream commercial exposure, with companies such as Coca-Cola and Wrangler Jeans using his songs in their advertisements in the 1990s. Emilio had also gained a sponsorship with Miller Lite beer, who had persuaded him to use their slogan at the time, "Life is good," as the title of his first country album.
Emilio signed with Capitol Records and released his first country music single called "It's Not the End of the World" which reached the Top 30 on the country charts in 1995. His album was a surprise success as well reaching No. 13 on the country charts and also a high placing on the Top 200. Several more singles including a Spanish version of "It's Not the End of the World" followed but none of these singles came close to the Top 40 except "Even If I Tried" which reached No. 41 in 1996. In 1997, he released a second country album, "It's On The House" but it was not as successful as his first country album. Two more minor country singles followed and gradually Emilio faded from country music and increasingly came back to Tejano music.
His 2002 album Acuérdate won the Grammy Award for Best Tejano Album and his 2007 album De Nuevo won the Latin Grammy Award for Best Tejano Album.
Navaira has five children. His three children from his first marriage to Cynthia Navaira also perform for Grupo Rio. Emilio Navaira IV plays drums, and Diego Navaira plays guitar and daughter Emely. He also has two from his second marriage to Maru Navaira, who he divorced in June 2011.
Navaira has two siblings: Raul "Raulito" Navaira, who performs back-up vocals for Grupo Rio; and Yvette Navaira. Navaira was a Republican.
He also was good friends with some of the best musicians in Texas, such as Selena Quintanilla Perez and drummer Edwardo Rivas to name a few.
Navaira was hospitalized in critical condition after his tour bus crashed early in the morning on March 23, 2008, in Bellaire (a small municipality partially surrounded by Houston, Texas). Navaira had performed the previous night at Hallabaloos, a Houston nightclub and he was at the wheel of the tour bus as it traveled north along west 610 Loop near the Southwest Freeway when it crashed into a set of freeway barrels shortly before 4 a.m. Emilio was taken by Life Flight to Memorial Hermann Hospital where a blood clot in his head was removed; Emilio's initial treatment included being kept in a medically induced coma and induced hypothermia to minimize brain swelling. Doctors cautioned that he might not survive.
A March 27, 2008 press release from Memorial Hermann Hospital reported that on the evening of March 26 Emilio "opened his eyes and moved his arms and legs." On April 4, 2008, the hospital announced that Emilio underwent a surgical procedure on March 31 to repair a pseudoaneurysm in his right lung and that he remained in critical condition. On April 16, 2008, he was upgraded to fair condition. On April 23, the hospital announced that Emilio was transferred to TIRR Memorial Hermann as part of his rehabilitative care.
On May 1, 2008, police released initial reports that indicated that Emilio was intoxicated at the time of the crash. On May 8, the full report was released which indicated that Emilio had a blood alcohol content of 0.19, more than twice the legal limit in Texas. Authorities also indicated that Emilio was not licensed to drive a bus.
On September 24, 2008, Emilio was involved in another car accident in San Antonio as a passenger while his wife was driving. According to a witness, the Navairas were stopped in a turn lane when a truck crossed at least two lanes of traffic and struck their vehicle. Both Emilio and his wife Maria were released from the hospital the following day. Emilio's agent, Joe Casias, stated that Emilio and his wife were headed home from a rehabilitation therapy appointment stemming from the March tour bus accident.
Emilio was found dead by his wife in his New Braunfels home on May 16, 2016. He was 53. Emilio performed his last known concert in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico, on May 11, 2016, as part of a concert celebrating Mother's Day in that city.
I Was There
Emilio Navaira Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Finally made it to the state
They'd already won the game in a sudden death play
By the time I made it to the gate
And on the day to be my brother's best man
And stand right by his side
My old coupe de ville wasn't feelin' too well
I was there when you walked by
And you looked my way
I was there saw the sparks fly
I swear I even heard the music play
I was there when the full moon
Fit the night like a glove
I was there when you fell in love
I always seem to be just a little too late
And one or two steps behind
Seems the main event always came and went
I'd just miss it in the nick of time
But for once in my life I was the man on the scene
An eye witness all the way
No one had to fill me in I didn't hear it second hand
I'm the only guy that get's to say
Chorus
Lucky me I was there when we fell in love
The song "I Was There" by Emilio Navaira talks about times when the singer always seemed to miss the most important events in life. He was always one or two steps behind, and it felt like the main event always came and went without him being there. However, things seemed to change when he witnessed his underdog high school football team making it to the state finals. He didn't miss it, and he was there to witness the winning game in sudden death play. This experience gave him hope that he could be present when it mattered most.
The singer then explains another instance where he had to be the best man at his brother's wedding but had trouble with his old coupe de ville. He thought he would be late, but he made it just in time to see the newlyweds walking out of the church, throwing the rice. He was lucky to witness the moment and see the sparks fly between two people, which seemed like they were made for each other. This moment made him believe in love and the power it has to connect people.
The chorus of the song emphasizes how lucky the singer is to have been present when two people fell in love. He saw the sparks, heard the music play and witnessed how perfectly the full moon fit the night, giving it an ideal ambiance.
Overall, the song "I Was There" by Emilio Navaira's message revolves around how crucial it is to be present in life's most crucial moments. Such moments usually appear once, and when missed, they might never happen again. Emilio urges listeners to be present, enjoy, and cherish every moment, especially when love is involved.
Line by Line Meaning
My underdog high school football team
The football team in which I played for was underestimated and considered of lower status than opposing teams.
Finally made it to the state
We made it through to the final part of the state level competition, which was a great achievement.
They'd already won the game in a sudden death play
The game had already been won in a sudden death play by the time I arrived at the venue.
By the time I made it to the gate
I was a bit late, and by the time I arrived and went through the gate, the game was already over.
And on the day to be my brother's best man
It was the day when my brother was getting married and I had the privilege of being his best man.
And stand right by his side
I was supposed to be next to my brother throughout the wedding ceremony.
My old coupe de ville wasn't feelin' too well
My old car, which I was planning to use to get to the wedding, was having some problems.
I pulled up as the were throwin' the rice (but)
However, I eventually arrived at the wedding venue just as people were throwing rice, although a bit later than usual.
I was there when you walked by
I was present when you walked past me.
And you looked my way
You made eye contact with me.
I was there saw the sparks fly
I saw the romantic sparks between two people fly, probably between the singer and the person he is addressing.
I swear I even heard the music play
The moment was so magical and heartwarming that it felt like music was playing in the background.
I was there when the full moon
I was present on a night when the full moon was clearly visible.
Fit the night like a glove
The bright moonlight matched the ambience and atmosphere of the night perfectly.
I was there when you fell in love
I witnessed the magical moment when the person he is addressing fell in love.
I always seem to be just a little too late
I usually end up arriving just a bit too late to witness the important moments.
And one or two steps behind
I am always at a disadvantage as I follow closely behind everyone else.
Seems the main event always came and went
It always appears that the most important events happen and are over before I can even catch up.
I'd just miss it in the nick of time
I tend to miss important moments by a very short amount of time or just at the last second.
But for once in my life I was the man on the scene
For once in my life, I was present and able to witness the important moment as it unfolded.
An eye witness all the way
I was an eyewitness and saw everything that was happening firsthand.
No one had to fill me in I didn't hear it second hand
I didn't have to rely on anyone else's account of events because I witnessed the moment myself.
I'm the only guy that get's to say
I am the only person who can say that I witnessed that specific moment.
Lucky me I was there when we fell in love
How lucky am I to have been present when the person he is addressing fell in love?
Contributed by Allison I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
nemesisgenius
Emilio was a Tejano superstar in the 1980's and 1990's and he should have been a country music superstar as well if country radio had the sense to play him.
ruben jaime
great song
raulantonio65
Great song
Rm M
Well done Emilio you just scored with a thousand girls
allan torres jr.
yes i was there when we fell inlove! where can i find the karaoke of this song THANKYOU
92Tex
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