The traditional Tex-Mex style of norteño was fused by Little Joe (born Jose Maria DeLeon Hernandez) with influences of country music, blues, and rock to create the up tempo hybrid known as "Tejano." Together with his band, Little Joe Y La Familia, his music has reached far beyond the Texas and Mexico borders and has been one of the most popular Tex-Mex bands in the music industry. Little Joe has been entertaining more than 50 years and has been described as the "KING OF THE BROWN SOUND".

Jose Maria DeLeon Hernandez "Little Joe" was born to Salvador "La Cotorra" Hernandez and Amelia DeLeon Hernandez in a three wall dirt floor car garage in Temple, Texas on a cold stormy night on October 17,1940. The seventh of 13 children, Little Joe began playing music in 1953 with his cousin David Coronado's band, David Coronado & the Latinaires. Two years later, he performed his first paid gig with the band at a high-school sock hop in Cameron, Texas. In 1958, Little Joe made his recording debut with the song "Safari," released by Torrero Records in Corpus Christi, Texas. The following year, Little Joe's brother Jesse joined the band on bass and vocals. When Coronado left shortly afterwards, Little Joe assumed leadership of the group. Throughout the early '60s, Little Joe led the band through a series of recordings on small independent labels. He underwent a personal transformation after Jesse died in an automobile accident in 1964. Determined to achieve commercial success, he altered his musical approach to include more rock and blues influences.