Known as El Toro del Corrido (Corrido's Bull), honoring a famous Mexican boxer, singer Lupillo Rivera (born Guadalupe Rivera) composed his first traditional song at the age of 15, dedicated to the memory of Miguel Carlos Ortega, a good friend who passed away around that time. After graduating from a Long Beach, CA, high school, Lupillo Rivera started working for his father, singer Pedro Rivera, owner of an independent label called Cintas Acuario, and decided to pursue a solo career in 1993, calling himself Lupillo. In 1999, Lupillo Rivera hit Californian Latin charts with a song called "El Moreño," soon signing up to Sony Discos.