Manuel Esperón González (born 3 August 1911 – 13 February 2011) was a Mexican songwriter and composer. He wrote many songs for Mexican films, including Cocula and "Ay Jalisco No Te Rajes" for De tal palo tal astilla (1960), and Amor con Amor Se Paga for Hay un niño en su futuro (1952). Other Esperón compositions have become Latin standards such as Yo Soy Mexicano, Noche Plateada and No Volveré which was used in the first episode of the 2001 soap opera "El juego de la vida". Among other performers, Chavela Vargas, Pedro Infante, Los Panchos, and Jorge Negrete have made his songs well-known. His fame in the USA derives from when his song "The Three Caballeros" was used in the Disney film The Three Caballeros (1944).

Esperón was born in Mexico City. Esperón retired in 1987, although his songs continued to be used in films and television. Until his Death in 2011 he was the honorary President for life of the Society of Authors and Composers of Mexico.

In 1989 Esperón was awarded the Premier National Prize of Mexico for Art and Traditional Culture (de Artes y Tradiciones Populares). In 2001, he was given a tribute at the Palace of Fine Arts in the historical center of Mexico City. In 2004 during the Latin Grammy Awards ceremony he was rewarded with the Trustees Award for his work. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.