Los Lobos

For nearly three decades Los Lobos have been exploring the artistic and commercial possibilities of American biculturalism, moving back and forth between their Chicano roots and their love of American rock. Although the band first gained fame as part of the early-'80s roots-rock revival, they don't so much strip music down as mix it up, playing norteño, blues, country, Tex-Mex, ballads, folk, and rock.

Los Lobos have been guests on albums by Ry Cooder, Elvis Costello, Fabulous Thunderbirds, Roomful of Blues, and Paul Simon. Their music has been used in the films La Bamba, Eating Raoul, The Mambo Kings, Alamo Bay, and Chan Is Missing.

Cesar Rosas, Conrad Lozano, David Hidalgo, and Louie Perez have known one another since they were adolescents in East L.A. They formed Los Lobos (Spanish for “the Wolves”) to play weddings and bars in their neighborhood. Although they had previously played in rock and Top 40 bands, together they decided to experiment with acoustic folk instruments and explore their Mexican heritage, playing norteño and conjunto music on instruments including the guitarron and bajo sexto. Los Lobos got their first full-time gig in 1978, playing at a Mexican restaurant in Orange County. That year they also released their debut album, Just Another Band From East L.A..

Eventually, Los Lobos’ experimentation led them back to electric instruments. They played one of their last acoustic shows opening for Public Image Ltd. at the Olympic Auditorium in L.A. in 1980, where they were booed by the audience. Nonetheless inspired by punk’s energy, Hidalgo and Perez began writing songs and playing Hollywood clubs. The Blasters became fans and urged Slash to sign Los Lobos.

...And a Time to Dance was produced by T Bone Burnett and Blasters saxman Steve Berlin. Its divergent collection of dance songs included the 70-year-old Mexican Revolution song “Anselma,” which won a Grammy in 1983 for Best Mexican-American Performance. Berlin joined Los Lobos for Will the Wolf Survive? a much praised album whose title track later became a country hit for Waylon Jennings. On By the Light of the Moon, coproduced by Burnett, Los Lobos wrote political songs about life in the barrio.

In 1987 Los Lobos recorded several Ritchie Valens songs for the La Bamba soundtrack (#1, 1987). Though the success of the title track (#1, 1987) and “Come On, Let’s Go” (#21, 1987) suddenly lifted Los Lobos out of their bar-band, critics’ fave status, they took a noncommercial detour with La Pistola y el Corazón, featuring the traditional Mexican music they had played throughout the ’70s.

On The Neighborhood they returned to more rocking material, working with John Hiatt, the Band’s Levon Helm, and drummer Jim Keltner. The album’s title paid homage to the deep connections the band still feels to East L.A. In 1991 Hidalgo and Perez wrote songs with the Band for that group’s reunion album. The material inspired Kiko, an evocative, avant-Latin-pop album produced by Mitchell Froom. In 1993 Slash released a 20-year-anniversary retrospective of Los Lobos songs; Just Another Band From East L.A.: A Collection includes material from the band’s debut LP, rare B sides, and live tracks, as well as theband’s hits.

Latin Playboys (1994), a self-titled album by an ad hoc group consisting of Hidalgo, Perez, Froom, and Tchad Blake, was a cross between the music of Los Lobos and Captain Beefheart. The muscular funk rock of Los Lobos’ next album, Colossal Head (#81 pop, 1996), split the difference between Kiko and Latin Playboys.

In 1998 Rosas and Hidalgo released Los Super Seven as part of a loose-knit Latin supergroup of the same name that included Freddy Fender, Joe Ely, and accordionist ace Flaco Jiménez, among others. A followup was released in 2001, which included vocalists Raul Malo of the Mavericks and Caetano Veloso. In 1999 Rosas released Soul Disguise, a gritty, R&B-inflected solo record. For his part, Hidalgo teamed up with ex–Canned Heat guitarist Mike Halby as Houndog for a self-titled blues album. After this rash of side projects, Los Lobos returned to the studio to make This Time, the final installment in a trilogy of heady, groove-rich albums (including Kiko and Colossal Head) exploring Mexican folklore and mysticism. In 2001 Los Lobos was the recipient of the Billboard Century Award.

from The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll (Simon & Schuster, 2001)