Los Lobos | |
|---|---|
 Los Lobos performing at the White House in 2009 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | East Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1973–present |
| Labels | |
| Members | |
| Past members |
|
| Website | www |
Los Lobos (pronounced[losˈloβos], Spanish for "the Wolves") is aMexican American rock group,[1][2][3][4]rock band fromEast Los Angeles, California. Their music is influenced byrock and roll,Tex-Mex,country,zydeco,folk,R&B,blues,brown-eyed soul, and traditional music such ascumbia,boleros andnorteños. The band rose to international stardom in 1987, when their version of "La Bamba" peaked at the top of theBillboard Hot 100, and also topped the charts in the United Kingdom, and several other countries. Songs by Los Lobos have been recorded byElvis Costello,Waylon Jennings,Frankie Yankovic,[5] andRobert Plant.[6] In 2015, they were nominated for induction into theRock and Roll Hall of Fame.[7] In 2018, they were inducted into theAustin City Limits Hall of Fame. They are also known for performing the theme song forHandy Manny. As of 2024, they have been nominated for twelveGrammy Awards and have won four.[8]
Vocalist and guitaristDavid Hidalgo and drummerLouie Pérez met atGarfield High School inEast Los Angeles, California, and bonded over their mutual affinity for musical acts such asFairport Convention,Randy Newman andRy Cooder.[9][10] 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."[9] The two borrowedreel-to-reel recorders from a friend and created multitrack recordings of music spanning fromparody songs tofree-form jazz.[9] They later enlisted fellow studentsFrank González,Cesar Rosas andConrad Lozano to complete the group's lineup, in 1973.[10] 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 Luis 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.[10] 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.[10] "If you were married between 1973 and 1980 in East L.A., we probably played your wedding," said Louie Perez. "They would pay us like $400 for the four of us, a case of beer, and all the mole we could eat..." said David Hidalgo.[citation needed] However, Los Lobos took notice of the popular groups on the Hollywood music scene and added influences of rock to its sound.[10]
Originally, they called themselves Los Lobos del Este (de Los Angeles), which translates to The Wolves of the East (of Los Angeles), a play on the name of thenorteño bandLos Tigres del Norte. There was another conjunto band at the time named "Los Lobos Del Norte", which had released several albums already. The name was quickly shortened to Los Lobos.[11]
The band's first noteworthy public appearance occurred in 1980 at theOlympic Auditorium inLos Angeles, when they were hired byDavid Ferguson and CD Presents to open forPublic Image Ltd. On September 28, 1983, the band released anextended play entitled...And a Time to Dance, which was well received by critics but sold only about 50,000 copies. Slash Records/Warner Bros Records was not confident enough in Los Lobos to release a standard 10-song LP. So they released a 7-song debut LP. Seven months after the release, the group won a Grammy Award for Best Mexican American Song in 1984[12] However, the sales of the EP earned the group enough money to purchase aDodge van, enabling the band to tour throughout the United States for the first time.[12] Los Lobos returned to the studio in the summer of 1984 to record its first major-label album,How Will the Wolf Survive?[13] The album's title and the title song were inspired by aNational 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.[12]
Los Lobos were exposed to Rock and Roll audiences when they opened forThe Clash, a punk group, and they later opened for a Los Angeles bandthe Blasters, with influences in rhythm and blues and rockabilly.[5] Steve Berlin, who was born in Philadelphia, played saxophone for the Blasters then left the group to join Los Lobos. When he joined the band, Berlin spoke about his similar record collection to the other members of Los Lobos, where they shared loves forGeorge Jones andHank Williams.[5]
The filmColors 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 alongsideTomata du Plenty in the punk rock musicalPopulation: 1. In 1987, they released a second album,By the Light of the Moon. In the same year, they recorded someRitchie Valens covers for the soundtrack of the filmLa Bamba, including thetitle track, which became a number one single for the band plus "Come On Let's Go" and "Donna" which also charted.In 1988, they followed with another album,La pistola y el corazón, featuring original and traditional Mexican songs. The album never peaked above #189 in the pop charts, but it did garner Los Lobos their second Grammy Award for Best Mexican American Album in 1990. Also in 1988 they contributed their cover of "I Wan'na Be Like You (The Monkey Song)", to the Disney tribute albumStay Awake: Various Interpretations of Music from Vintage Disney Films.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s the band toured extensively throughout the world, opening for such acts asBob Dylan,U2 and theGrateful Dead.
Los Lobos returned withThe Neighborhood in 1990, and the more experimentalKiko (produced byMitchell Froom) in 1992.Kiko sold more units (over 400,000 sold) than the previous two albums and was voted 'Album of the year' by theLos Angeles Times andChicago Sun-Times.[citation needed] The band contributed a lively cover of "Bertha", a song which they often performed live, to the Grateful Dead tribute–rain forest benefit albumDeadicated. In 1994 they also contributed a track, "Down Where the Drunkards Roll", to theRichard Thompson tribute albumBeat the Retreat.
On the band's twentieth anniversary in 1993, they released a two-CD collection of singles, outtakes, live recordings and hits, entitledJust Another Band from East L.A.
In 1995, Los Lobos released the prestigious and bestselling recordPapa's Dream onMusic for Little People Records along with veteran guitarist and singerLalo Guerrero. The album garnered aGrammy nomination forBest Children's Album. The band also scored the filmDesperado. The album track "Mariachi Suite" won aGrammy Award forBest Pop Instrumental Performance and was their 3rd Grammy Award.
In 1996, they releasedColossal Head. In spite of the fact that the album was critically acclaimed,Warner Brothers decided to drop the band from their label. Los Lobos spent the next few years on side projects. The band contributed along withMoney Mark to theAIDS benefit albumSilencio=Muerte: Red Hot + Latin, produced by theRed Hot Organization, on which they performed "Pepe and Irene."
Los Lobos signed toMammoth Records (a music division of The Walt Disney Company) in 1997 and releasedThis Time in 1999. Mammoth also reissued 1977'sDel Este de Los Angeles. In November 2000,Rhino/Warner Archives released the boxed setCancionero: Mas y Mas.
In 2001, Los Lobos was awarded theEl PremioBillboard Award.[14]
The band released theirMammoth Records debut,Good Morning Aztlan in 2002. They releasedThe Ride in 2004 as an unofficial 30th Anniversary album.The Ride featuredTom Waits,Mavis Staples,Bobby Womack,Elvis Costello and others covering Los Lobos music with the band. They did a follow-up album in 2005,Ride This – The Covers EP featuring Los Lobos covers of songs byDave Alvin, Waits, Costello and others.
Los Lobos released its first full-length live-show DVDLive 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 releasedThe Town and the City (Mammoth Records) to much critical acclaim.[15][16] The album's lyrics deal with Louis Perez's childhood inEast Los Angeles, while the music provides complex and original soundscapes reminiscent of their previous releaseKiko. CartoonistJaime Hernandez did the artwork for the album.[17] The album is told in the first person, with each song serving as an episodic step.[18]
In 2007, Los Lobos performed acover ofBob Dylan's "Billy 1" (fromPat Garrett & Billy the Kid) for the soundtrack toTodd Haynes's filmI'm Not There. Also in 2007, they participated inGoin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino (Vanguard), contributing their version of Domino's "The Fat Man."
In 2009, the group under contract toDisney Music released an album of Disney covers,Los Lobos Goes Disney (Disney Sound/Walt Disney Records)[19] and participated in a tribute album to the lateDoug Sahm,Keep Your Soul: A Tribute to Doug Sahm (Vanguard). The same year, on October 13, they also played on the South Lawn of the White House during the "In Performance at the White House: Fiesta Latina" concert, celebrating Hispanic musical heritage.[20][21]
In 2010,Cesar Rosas andDavid Hidalgo were featured artists in theExperience Hendrix Tour.
On August 3, 2010, the group released their first album in four years,Tin Can Trust. In 2011, the group was nominated for two Grammy Awards forTin Can Trust in the categories ofBest Rock Instrumental Performance andBest Americana Album.
In 2011, the group was awarded theLatin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.[22][23]
In 2013, the group toured Europe supportingNeil Young and Crazy Horse.
On September 25, 2015, their albumGates of Gold was released.
On October 9, 2015, Los Lobos was nominated for induction into theRock and Roll Hall of Fame for the first time.[7]
In 2017, Los Lobos appeared in the multi award-winning documentary filmThe American Epic Sessions directed byBernard MacMahon, where they recorded "El Cascabel",[24] livedirect-to-disc on the firstelectrical sound recording system from the 1920s.[25] During theirsession, the belt holding the 100Ib weight that powered the 1924cutting lathe broke andJack White had to rush to an upholstery shop to repair it.[26][27]
Los Lobos was inducted into theAustin City Limits Hall of Fame in 2018.[28]
On October 4, 2019, Los Lobos releasedLlegó Navidad, an album of Christmas music from Central America and South America with Mexican folk songs, as well as an original song by Hidalgo and Pérez.
On January 1, 2020, Los Lobos performed on aWells Fargo float in theTournament of Roses Parade inPasadena, California.
The band was a recipient of a 2021National Heritage Fellowship awarded by theNational Endowment for the Arts, which is the United States government's highest honor in the folk and traditional arts.[29]
On July 30, 2021, Los Lobos released their 18th album,Native Sons, on New West Records. It is a collection of 12 songs written or performed by California-based musicians (includingJackson Browne,The Beach Boys,The Blasters,Thee Midniters,Willie Bobo, andLalo Guerrero) with one song written by Hidalgo and Pérez, the title track "Native Sons".[30]
The group's co-founder and former band member Francisco González died on March 30, 2022, at the age of 68.[31]
On April 3, 2022, at the64th Annual Grammy Awards which was held at theMGM Grand Garden Arena inLas Vegas,[32] Los Lobos won their fourth Grammy Award forNative Sons, this time in theBest Americana Album category.[8]
On November 25, 2023, Los Lobos celebrated their 50th Anniversary at their alma mater, James Garfield High School in East Los Angeles with a sold-out performance at the high school's auditorium. Two shows earlier that week in Los Angeles also sold out immediately: The Whisky a Go Go in West Hollywood and The Paramount Theatre in Boyle Heights.
In February 2024, Los Lobos were inducted into theCalifornia Hall of Fame.[33]
In April 2024, the 157-second trailer for a Los Lobos documentary titledNative Sons was released on YouTube. Among the people interviewed about Los Lobos are musiciansTom Waits,Linda Rondstadt,Ozomatli,Bonnie Raitt and actorsCheech Marin,Edward James Olmos and Chicano activistDolores Huerta. The documentary will be released in 2025.
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Certifications (sales threshold) | Album | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUS [34] | BEL [35] | CAN [36] | ESP [37] | FRA [38] | IRE [39] | NED [40] | NZ [41] | SUI [42] | UK [43] | US [44] | |||||
| 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" | 22 | 13 | 25 | 9 | — | 9 | 24 | 14 | 22 | 18 | 21 | La Bamba(soundtrack) | |||
| "La Bamba" | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| 1988 | "Donna" | 98 | 27 | — | — | 29 | — | — | 32 | 26 | 83 | — | |||
| "One Time, One Night" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | By the Light of the Moon | |||
| 1990 | "Down on the Riverbed" | — | — | 67 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | The Neighborhood | ||
| 1991 | "Bertha" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Deadicated: A Tribute to the Grateful Dead | ||
| 1992 | "Bella María 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 | |||||||||||||||
| Year | Single | Artist | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | "Wasted Days and Wasted Nights" | Rick Trevino | Non-album song |
