Congressman Castro Kicks off Hispanic Heritage Month with Public Call for Latino and Texas Nominations to the National Recording Registry
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20) kicked off Hispanic Heritage Month by announcing that he is collecting public nominations of songs and albums by Latino artists to be added to the prestigious National Recording Registry. The National Recording Registry is the nation’s preeminent archive of recorded sound and is intended to maintain and preserve recordings with cultural, historic, or aesthetic significance. With Latino artists making up less than 5 percent of the registry as of 2025, Congressman Castro is committed to expanding Latinos’ representation in the registry.
“For many Latino families and communities, music plays an important role in our everyday lives and our most important moments,” said Congressman Castro. “From weddings to street parties, genres like Latin pop and rancheras offer sounds that soothe the soul, ignite passion, and connect us to generations that came before us. Over the past four years, I am heartened to see more Latino artists inducted into the prestigious National Recording Registry. But we must continue preserving Latino music’s place in our nation’s tapestry and recognize the artists that have produced work that transcends time, place, and language.”
Castro also called for song and album nominations by Texas artists to highlight the state’s rich musical heritage and legacy: “Texas is the birthplace of many iconic musicians and has fostered many genres of music enjoyed throughout the country. Texas artists represent many cultures, styles, and languages and should be recognized in our national archive for generations to come.”
To qualify for nomination, songs and albums must be at least ten years old. Submissions must be received by Sunday, September 21 at 11:59 PM CT to be eligible for Congressman Castro’s official nomination list. To nominate songs and albums by Latino artists, click here. To nominate songs and albums by Texas artists, click here.
Background:
Since the National Recording Registry was established by the U.S. Congress in 2000, 675 titles have been inducted. In 2022, Congressman Castro began submitting nominating lists to the National Recording Preservation Board to increase the visibility of Latino artists. Earlier this year, the Library of Congress inducted three of Castro’s nominations: “Mambo No. 5” by Pérez Prado (1950), “Texas Flood” by Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble (1983) (Album), and “Feliz Navidad” by José Feliciano (1970). Previously, the board inducted seven additional selections–Juan Gabriel’s “Amor Eterno” (1990), Héctor Lavoe’s “El Cantante” (1978), Irene Cara’s “Flashdance…What A Feeling” (1983), Daddy Yankee’s “Gasolina” (2004), Vicente Fernandez’s “El Rey” (1973), Freddy Fender’s “Before the Next Teardrop Falls” (1974), and Lin Manuel Miranda’s album “Hamilton” (2015).