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Darren Cordova has been a busy guy lately.

One of the most recognizable voices in traditional New Mexico music has spent much of the decade speaking up as a voice of the people and of small business.

He owns four radio stations in Taos. He fought Wal-Mart when it tried to move into town. He owns Taos Stereo Pro Musician's Supply and a mobile home park. He helped found the Taos County Hispano Chamber of Commerce.

His political activism landed him on the Taos Town Council last year — at 39, its youngest member ever — and he's now mayor pro tem.

But Cordova has kept music in his life, too, and on July 28 the headliner at the final show of Albuquerque Summerfest, the city-sponsored series at Civic Plaza.

"I'm working to keep the band going," Cordova said of Calor, his backing mates. "Plus, with the four radio stations and being on the council . . . my plate's pretty full."

Cordova last appeared in Albuquerque in April at an all-star tribute to Al Hurricane. Cordova said he and the godfather of New Mexico music teamed up last weekend in Taos for a duet of their 1994 hit "Mi Amigo" (aka "Dos o Tres Tequilas") at the club Shadows.

Cordova says he has tried to keep his connection to music while juggling the demands of being a businessman and politician.

"I try to make it a point to play the State Fair every year," he said. "I'm committed to never forgetting where you come from."

He hasn't forgotten his early years, breaking into the business in the late 1980s. He said he bought his first guitar in 1987 and released his first cassette in 1989.

"Up here (in Taos), I saw Al Hurricane and local musicians, and I was always impressed and moved by the magic they would have in making people dance," Cordova said. "It started growing on me."

While his voice is smooth and powerful, he wasn't always confident in his chops as a performer.

"I remember literally crying myself to sleep, because I couldn't play guitar and sing at the same time," he recalled. "Those were some of the most challenging times."

He plugged away along the usual route: playing weddings, graduations and private parties before breaking into bigger venues.

"Now the pressure's on," he said of his star status. "You've got to make sure you sell out the venue and make sure the lighting and the band members are at 110 percent, at least."

Cordova broke big in 1993 when he formed Calor and penned the song "Cantinero," about a lovelorn guy pouring his heart out to a bartender. Along with "Mi Amigo," it is a frequently requested song on KANW-FM (89.1).

"Cantinero" goes back to a rough patch in Cordova's own life, and he said he was inspired by watching a man share his sob story with an indifferent bartender.

It gets the biggest reaction from fans, he said.

"People come up to me after the show and say to me, `That's the same feeling I had. . . . That's the only thing that kept me sane, knowing I wasn't alone.' "

He says he'll sing "Cantinero" on July 28 to keep that connection.

"When you write from the heart," he said, "people will feel it."

Cordova started out playing with his father, Joe (a TV repairman), and brothers Daniel and Darrell. Now, the veteran businessman is building his music empire into a family industry, which plays into his philosophy of promoting generation-to-generation local businesses.

Son Darren Lee, a pre-law student at the University of New Mexico, plays keyboard and drives the mariachi sound in his father's band, along with another son, Ryan, who plays trumpet.

Daughter Dynette Marie sings with her father on his latest CD and plays violin.

He said the festival circuit reminds him of the old days of weddings and parties.

"That's when it was really fun," he said.