He has received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Tejano Music Association. He began his professional career with David Lee Garza y los Musicales in 1980 and appeared on the albums Cuatro Caminos (1981), Todavia No Me Muero (1982), and Especialmente Para Ti (1983). The following year, he left and started his own band, Ramiro Herrera y Montana, with whom he recorded two albums, Que Lindo Es el Amor and Rosas Para una Rosa. Impressive regional airplay and a compelling live show resulted in Herrera signing to Sony. His solo debut, Most Wanted Man Ram, was not only his first in English, it went gold and is a classic in the tejano canon. His third solo album, 1989's The Outlaw, followed suit and his band was renamed the Outlaws. For the next 15 years, Herrera recorded almost annually and shared stages with a wide range of performers including Doug Sahm, Freddy Fender, and Selena -- she opened for him at a rodeo in one of her early shows; video of the performance was captured and included in the documentary Corpus: A Home Movie for Selena by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Lourdes Portillo. Herrera's musical range is impressive. His recordings and shows include everything from cumbias and rancheras to power ballads, salsa, and Latin and roots rock & roll. His 2001 album, Ingrata, was nominated for a Latin Grammy. Herrera is also involved in a vast number of charitable organizations and won a humanitarian award for his involvement; it was presented to him by Texas governor Ann Richards. His compilation Sólo Hits was issued by EMI in November of 2016. ~ Thom Jurek