Los Lobos
Los Lobos | |
---|---|
Los Lobos performing at the White House in 2009 | |
Background information | |
Origin | East Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
Genres | Chicano rock, roots rock, Latin rock, Tex-Mex, country rock, Americana, heartland rock, cowpunk |
Years active | 1973–present |
Labels | Slash/Warner Bros. Records, Rough Trade, London, Mammoth, 429 Records, RCA |
Associated acts | Latin Playboys, Los Super Seven |
Website | www.loslobos.org |
Members | David Hidalgo Louie Pérez Cesar Rosas Conrad Lozano Steve Berlin Enrique González |
Past members | Frank González Richard Escalante Victor Bisetti Cougar Estrada |
Los Lobos (pronounced [los ˈloβos], Spanish for "the Wolves") is an American rock band from East Los Angeles, California, United States. Their music is influenced by rock and roll, Tex-Mex, country, zydeco, folk, R&B, blues, brown-eyed soul, and traditional music such as cumbia, boleros and norteños. The band gained international stardom in 1987, when their cover version of Ritchie Valens' "La Bamba" topped the charts in the U.S., the UK and several other countries. In 2015, they were nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.[1]
Contents
1 History
1.1 1973–79: Formation and early releases
1.2 1980–88: How Will the Wolf Survive? and commercial success
1.3 1988–94: The Neighborhood and Kiko
1.4 1995–98: Papa's Dream and Colossal Head
1.5 1999–2006: Mammoth Records, subsequent releases
1.6 2007–present: Tin Can Trust
2 Members
2.1 Former members
2.2 Touring musicians
3 Discography
3.1 Albums
3.2 Compilations
3.3 Soundtrack, compilation, and guest appearances
3.4 DVD
3.5 Singles
3.6 Featured singles
4 See also
5 References
6 External links
History
1973–79: Formation and early releases
Vocalist and guitarist David Hidalgo and drummer Louie Pérez met at Garfield High School in East Los Angeles, California, and bonded over their mutual affinity for obscure musical acts such as Fairport Convention, Randy Newman and Ry Cooder.[2][3] Pérez recalls, "We’re looking at each other, 'You like this stuff? I thought I was the only weird one.' So I went over to his house one day for about a year, which we spent listening to records, playing guitars, and starting to write songs."[2] The two borrowed reel-to-reel recorders from a friend and created multitrack recordings of music spanning from parody songs to free-form jazz.[2] They later enlisted fellow students Frank Gonzalez, Cesar Rosas and Conrad Lozano to complete the group's lineup, in 1973.[3] Their first album, Los Lobos del Este de Los Angeles, was recorded at two studios in Hollywood in 1977 over a period of about four months. At that time, they all had regular jobs, and it was hard to get together for the sessions. To accommodate that situation, their producer Louis Torres would call the engineer, Mark Fleisher, who owned and operated a high-speed tape duplicating studio in Hollywood, to find a studio when he knew all the band members could get off work that night. Most of the songs were recorded at a studio on Melrose Avenue, located next to the Paramount studios at the time, and a low-priced studio on Sunset Boulevard.
The band members were unsatisfied with playing only American Top 40 songs and began experimenting with the traditional Mexican music they listened to as children.[3] This style of music received a positive reaction from audiences, leading the band to switch genres, performing at hundreds of weddings and dances between 1974 and 1980.[3] However, Los Lobos took notice of the popular groups on the Hollywood music scene and added influences of rock to its sound.[3]
Originally, they called themselves Los Lobos del Este (de Los Angeles) ("The Wolves of the East [of Los Angeles)]"), which was a play on the name of the norteño band Los Tigres del Norte; also, there was another conjunto band at the time named "Los Lobos Del Norte", who had released several albums already, and in fact Los Lobos del Este were from east L.A. The name was quickly shortened to Los Lobos.[4]
1980–88: How Will the Wolf Survive? and commercial success
The band's first noteworthy public appearance occurred in 1980 at the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles, when they were hired by David Ferguson and CD Presents to open for Public Image Ltd. In 1983, the band released an extended play entitled ...And a Time to Dance, which was well received by critics but sold only about 50,000 copies.[5] However, the sales of the EP earned the group enough money to purchase a Dodge van, enabling the band to tour throughout the United States for the first time.[5] Los Lobos returned to the studio in the summer of 1984 to record its first major-label album, How Will the Wolf Survive?, in 1984.[6] The album's title and the title song were inspired by a National Geographic article entitled "Where Can the Wolf Survive", which the band members related to their own struggle to gain success in the United States while maintaining their Mexican roots.[5]
The film Colors includes "One Time, One Night" in the opening credits, although the song was not included on the soundtrack album. In 1986, members of Los Lobos appeared alongside Tomata du Plenty in the punk rock musical Population: 1. In 1987, they released a second album, By the Light of the Moon. In the same year, they recorded some Ritchie Valens covers for the soundtrack of the film La Bamba, including the title track, which became a number one single for the band. In 1988 they followed with another album, La pistola y el corazón, featuring original and traditional Mexican songs.
1988–94: The Neighborhood and Kiko
In the late 1980s and early 1990s the band toured extensively throughout the world, opening for such acts as Bob Dylan, U2 and the Grateful Dead.
Los Lobos returned with The Neighborhood in 1990, and the more experimental Kiko (produced by Mitchell Froom) in 1992. In 1991, the band contributed a lively cover of "Bertha", a song which they often performed live, to the Grateful Dead tribute–rain forest benefit album Deadicated. In 1994 they also contributed a track, "Down Where the Drunkards Roll", to the Richard Thompson tribute album Beat the Retreat.
On the band's twentieth anniversary they released a two-CD collection of singles, outtakes, live recordings and hits, entitled Just Another Band from East L.A.
1995–98: Papa's Dream and Colossal Head
In 1995, Los Lobos released the prestigious and bestselling record Papa's Dream on Music for Little People Records along with veteran guitarist and singer Lalo Guerrero. The band also scored the film Desperado. The album track "Mariachi Suite" won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance and stands as their last Grammy Award to date (the other two Grammy Awards were in the category of Best Mexican-American Performance in 1983 and 1989 for the song "Anselma" and the album La Pistola y el Corazón).
In 1996, they released Colossal Head. In spite of the fact that the album was critically acclaimed, Warner Brothers decided to drop the band from their roster. Los Lobos spent the next few years on side projects. The band contributed along with Money Mark to the AIDS benefit album Silencio=Muerte: Red Hot + Latin, produced by the Red Hot Organization, on which they performed "Pepe and Irene."
1999–2006: Mammoth Records, subsequent releases
Los Lobos signed to Mammoth Records and released This Time in 1999. Mammoth also reissued 1977's Del Este de Los Angeles. In 2000, Rhino/Warner Archives released the boxed set Cancionero: Mas y Mas.
In 2001, Los Lobos was awarded the El Premio Billboard Award.[7]
The band released their Mammoth Records debut, Good Morning Aztlan in 2002. They released The Ride in 2004. The Ride featured Tom Waits, Mavis Staples, Bobby Womack, Elvis Costello and others covering Los Lobos music along with the band.
Los Lobos released its first full-length live-show DVD Live at the Fillmore in 2004. The DVD captures the band's act over a two-day period in July at the famed San Francisco venue.
In September 2006, Los Lobos released The Town and the City (Mammoth Records) to much critical acclaim.[8][9] The album's lyrics deal with Louis Perez's childhood in East Los Angeles, while the music provides complex and original soundscapes reminiscent of their previous release Kiko. Cartoonist Jaime Hernandez did the artwork for the album.[10] The album is told in the first person, with each song serving as an episodic step.[11]
2007–present: Tin Can Trust
In 2007, the group performed a cover of Bob Dylan's "Billy 1" (from Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid) for the soundtrack to Todd Haynes's film I'm Not There. Also in 2007, they participated in Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino (Vanguard), contributing their version of Domino's "The Fat Man".
In 2009, the group under contractual obligation to Disney Music released an album of Disney covers, Los Lobos Goes Disney (Disney Sound/Walt Disney Records)[12] and more enthusiastically participated in a tribute album to the late Doug Sahm, Keep Your Soul: A Tribute to Doug Sahm (Vanguard).
In 2010, Cesar Rosas and David Hidalgo were featured artists in the Experience Hendrix Tour. On August 3, 2010, the group released their first album of new material in 4 years, entitled Tin Can Trust, through Shout! Factory, which features two Spanish-language tracks.[13]
In 2011, the group was awarded the Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.[14][15]
In 2013, the group toured Europe supporting Neil Young and Crazy Horse.
On April 11, 2014, the band played two shows at the Kessler Theater in Dallas. Cesar Rosas did not appear. When a fan shouted, "Where is he?", David Hidalgo responded, "Where's Cesar? That's what I said!" The band soldiered on in jam mode, enlisting guests Max Baca and his nephew Josh Baca of the Grammy-winning San Antonio conjunto band Los Texmaniacs. The band's Management did not return phone calls from the Dallas Morning News for an explanation. On April 13, 2014, Cesar Rosas appeared with the band at the newly remodeled Aztec Theatre in San Antonio, again with Max Baca and Josh Baca as guests, and with Robert Cray as support.
On October 9, 2015, Los Lobos was nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for the first time.[1]
In 2017, Los Lobos appeared in the multi award-winning documentary film The American Epic Sessions directed by Bernard MacMahon, where they recorded, “El Cascabel”,[16] live direct-to-disc on the first electrical sound recording system from the 1920s.[17] During their session, the belt holding the 100Ib weight that powered the 1924 cutting lathe broke and Jack White had to rush to an upholstery shop to repair it.[18][19]
Members
David Hidalgo – vocals, guitar, accordion, fiddle, requinto jarocho (1973–present)
Louie Pérez – vocals, guitar, drums, jarana huasteca (1973–present)
Cesar Rosas – vocals, guitar, bajo sexto (1973–present)
Conrad Lozano – vocals, bass, guitarron (1974–present)
Steve Berlin – keyboards, woodwinds (1984–present)
Former members
- Francisco "Frank" González – vocals, mandolin, arpa jarocha (1973–1976)
- Richard Escalante – vocals, bass (1973–1974)
Touring musicians
- Victor Bisetti – drums, percussion (1990–2003)
- Cougar Estrada – drums, percussion (2003–2011)
- Enrique "Bugs" González – drums, percussion (2012–present)
Discography
Albums
Si Se Puede!, 1976
Los Lobos del Este de Los Angeles (Just another band from East L.A.), 1978
...And a Time to Dance EP, 1983
How Will the Wolf Survive?, 1984
By the Light of the Moon, 1987
La Pistola y el Corazón, 1988
The Neighborhood, 1990
Kiko, 1992
Papa's Dream, 1995
Colossal Head, 1996
This Time, 1999
Good Morning Aztlán, 2002
The Ride, 2004
Ride This – The Covers EP, 2004
Live at the Fillmore, 2005
Acoustic en Vivo, 2005
The Town and the City, 2006
Los Lobos Goes Disney, 2009
Tin Can Trust, 2010
Kiko Live, 2012 (Recorded February 24, 2006 at House of Blues, San Diego)
Disconnected in New York City, 2013
Gates of Gold, 2015
Compilations
Just Another Band from East L.A. – A Collection, 1993
El Cancionero Mas y Mas, 2000 (boxed set)
Wolf Tracks – Best of Los Lobos, 2006
Soundtrack, compilation, and guest appearances
Eating Raoul [Original Soundtrack], 1982 – US 2 tracks: "Diablo Con Vestido" and "How Much Can I Do" Varese Sarabande STV 81164
L.A. Rockabilly, 1982 Rhino Records - "We're Gonna Rock"
Graceland, Paul Simon, 1986 – "All Around the World or the Myth of Fingerprints"
La Bamba [Original Soundtrack], 1987 – US 2x platinum: "La Bamba", "Come On, Let's Go" and six others
Colors [Original Soundtrack], 1988 – "One Time, One Night".
Stay Awake: Various Interpretations of Music from Vintage Disney Films, 1988 – "I Wanna Be Like You (The Monkey Song)"
Bull Durham, 1988 – "I Got Loaded"
Hey Good Lookin' (video), Buckwheat Zydeco, 1990 – with David Hidalgo and Dwight Yoakam
Grammy's Greatest Moments Volume III, 1994 – live performance of "La Bamba" from the 1988 Grammy Awards
Desperado: The Soundtrack, 1995 (primary score composer and performer)
The Last Supper, 1995 "Wicked Rain"
Silencio=Muerte: Red Hot + Latin, 1998
The Sopranos: Music from the HBO Original Series, 1999 – "Viking"
Live at the World Café - Volume 9, 1999 – "This Time"- Spy Kids
Look at All the Love We Found (Sublime Tribute Album), 2005 º "Pawn Shop"
Nacho Libre, 2006 – "Saint Behind the Glass"
I'm Not There, 2007 – "Billy 1"
Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino, 2007 -–"The Fat Man"
Keep Your Soul: A Tribute to Doug Sahm, 2009 – "It Didn't Even Bring Me Down"
Man of Somebody's Dreams: A Tribute to Chris Gaffney, 2010 – "A Man of Somebody's Dreams"
El Infierno, 2010 – "Prenda de mi alma"
Rango, 2011 – "Rango Theme Song"
Use Me, David Bromberg, 2011 – "The Long Goodbye"
Music from The American Epic Sessions: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, 2017 – "El Cascabel"
DVD
Live at the Fillmore, 2004
Kiko Live, 2012 (Recorded February 24, 2006 at House of Blues, San Diego)
Singles
Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Certifications (sales threshold) | Album | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
BEL [20] | CAN [21] | ESP [22] | FRA [23] | IRE [24] | NED [25] | NZ [26] | SUI [27] | UK [28] | US [29] | |||||
1981 | "Under the Boardwalk" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album songs | ||
"Farmer John" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
1983 | "Ay Te Dejo en San Antonio" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ...and a Time to Dance | ||
1984 | "Let's Say Goodnight" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
"Don't Worry Baby" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 57 | — | How Will the Wolf Survive? | |||
"Will the Wolf Survive" | — | — | — | — | — | 38 | — | — | — | 78 | ||||
1987 | "Shakin' Shakin' Shakes" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | By the Light of the Moon | ||
"Set Me Free (Rosa Lee)" | — | — | — | — | — | — | 45 | — | 99 | — | ||||
"Come On, Let's Go" | 13 | 25 | 9 | — | 9 | 24 | 14 | 22 | 18 | 21 | La Bamba (soundtrack) | |||
"La Bamba" | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| |||
1988 | "Donna" | 27 | — | — | 29 | — | — | 32 | 26 | 83 | — | |||
"One Time, One Night" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | By the Light of the Moon | |||
1990 | "Down on the Riverbed" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | The Neighborhood | ||
1991 | "Bertha" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Deadicated: A Tribute to the Grateful Dead | ||
1992 | "Bella Marie de Mi Alma" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Just Another Band from East LA: A Collection | ||
"Reva's House" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Kiko | |||
"Kiko and the Lavender Moon" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
2000 | "Cumbia Raza" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | This Time | ||
"—" denotes releases that did not chart |
Featured singles
Year | Single | Artist | Album |
---|---|---|---|
2010 | "Wasted Days and Wasted Nights" | Rick Trevino | Non-album song |
See also
Los Lobos portal
Desperado Soundtrack- Los Super Seven
- Latin Playboys
- Handy Manny
References
^ ab France, Lisa Respers (October 8, 2015). "Janet Jackson, N.W.A, Los Lobos among Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominees". CNN. Retrieved October 11, 2015..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
^ abc Kot, Greg (November 15, 2011). "Los Lobos interview; Louis Perez on songwriting". The Chicago Tribune. Tribune Company. Retrieved April 1, 2012.
^ abcde Hilburn, Robert (October 11, 1990). "Los Lobos Returns to Old Haunts on New LP". The Los Angeles Times. Tribune Company. Retrieved April 1, 2012.
^ El Cancionero: Mas y Mas liner notes of CD box set.
^ abc "100 Best Albums of the Eighties - Los Lobos: How Will the Wolf Survive?". Rolling Stone. Jann Wenner. Retrieved April 1, 2012.
^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Los Lobos - Biography". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved April 1, 2012.
^ Cobo, Leila (April 28, 2001). "El Premio Billboard Award: Los Lobos". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media. 113 (17): LM-10. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved April 11, 2014.
^ Gilstrap, Andrew (September 28, 2006). "Los Lobos: The Town and the City". PopMatters. Retrieved September 11, 2010.
^ "The Town And The City - Los Lobos". metacritic. Retrieved September 11, 2010.
^ Gale, Dan (2005). Los Lobos LP/DVD Discography. Retrieved February 24, 2006.
^ "Band". Los Lobos. Retrieved July 31, 2010.
^ Chris Morris Los Lobos: Dream in Blue 2015 -029274823X - Page 142 "They countered that by saying, 'If you want to do another children's record, you can do Disney songs. ... Alas, the band's collective heart was clearly not in the making of the awkwardly titled Los Lobos Goes Disney,"
^ "Retrieval June-18-2011". Shoutfactorystore.com. Retrieved July 17, 2011.
^ "Latin Grammy Academy Honoring Willy Chirino, Los Lobos and Others". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. July 1, 2014. Retrieved December 29, 2015.
^ "2014 Latin Recording Academy Special Awards". Latin Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. July 1, 2014. Retrieved May 31, 2016.
^ "Music from The American Epic Sessions". American Epic | The Official Movie Website. Retrieved 2018-02-27.
^ "The Long-Lost, Rebuilt Recording Equipment That First Captured the Sound of America". WIRED. Retrieved 2018-02-27.
^ Lewis, Randy. "Reinventing the machine that let America hear itself on the PBS-BBC doc 'American Epic'". latimes.com. Retrieved 2018-02-27.
^ "'American Epic': Inside Jack White and Friends' New Roots-Music Doc". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2018-02-27.
^ Flanders peaks
^ "Results - RPM - Library and Archives Canada - Top Singles". RPM. Retrieved July 30, 2011.
^ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
^ French peaks Les Charts
^ Search for Irish peaks. Irish Charts
^ Dutch peaks
^ New Zealand peaks
^ Swiss peaks. Hit Parade
^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
^ "Los Lobos Album & Song Chart History - Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved July 30, 2011.
^ "Gold & Platinum Search - Music Canada - Los Lobos". Music Canada. Retrieved July 30, 2011.
External links
- Los Lobos homepage
- JamBase.com article
- 2007 Mas Magazine article & podcast
- Collection of Music Magazine articles on Los Lobos
- Rolling Stone's Los Lobos artist guide