Admired for his singing as well as his acting, Luis Aguilar, a.k.a. el Gallo Giro, went down in history as one of the great stars of the Golden Age of Mexican Cinema. Aguilar wasn't as prolific a recording artist as some of his fans would have liked; most of his singing was done in movies or nightclubs instead of in recording studios. Nonetheless, he was blessed with a deep, full, rich baritone and brought a great deal of heart and passion to his mariachi and ranchera performances. The singer/actor was, according to most sources, born in 1917 in Hermosillo in the Mexican state of Sonora; some sources insist that he was born in 1918, but 1917 has been listed more often than 1918 as the year of his birth. Aguilar was 21 when he decided to move to Mazatlán on Mexico's Pacific Coast; he enjoyed being near the ocean and might have had a career as a pescador (fisherman) if he hadn't gone into the arts instead.