Millions of people around the globe are passionate about rock music. As the genre evolved in the second half of the 20th century, several subgenres took birth, ultimately shaping modern rock.
Some of the most well-known rock subgenres are grunge, psychedelic, blues, indie, and more. Amidst the mainstream ruckus, a music scene was developing in East Los Angeles and Southern California. Called “Chicano rock,” Mexican Americans primarily pioneered this subgenre of rock. Their music has themes of their culture and heritage, which makes Chicano rock one of a kind. One of the most famous bands of this genre is Los Lobos, which hails from East Los Angeles, California.
Recently, Variety reported that a feature-length documentary about the aforementioned band is currently under production. With the working title Los Lobos Native Sons, this project is speculated to release later this year. Los Lobos was formed almost half a century ago, and ever since, they have emerged as one of the strongest pillars of Chicano rock.
The band’s music is unique, merging several genres like soul, folk, Musica Mexicana, and more. The co-directors of this project are seasoned filmmaker, producer, and editor Doug Blush and filmmaker/photographer Piero F. Giunti. Furthermore, its producers are Robert Corsini and Flavio Morales. According to Variety, Doug Blush stated that Los Lobos played an essential role in re-defining American music. He said, “Los Lobos, as much as any modern band, has expanded and re-defined what’s possible in American music, and in their phenomenal half-century and counting, they’ve created a global fan base that proves that the wolf is very, very alive.”
Blush is best known for films such as Like a Rolling Stone, 20 Feet From Stardom, and The Elephant Whisperers (Academy Award winner).
When was Los Lobos formed?
Los Lobos’ history dates back to the early 1970s. Reports suggest that their vocalist/guitarist David Hidalgo and drummer Louie Pérez met at Garfield High School in East Los Angeles, California. Subsequently, the duo discovered their mutual respect and admiration for music and also learned that they listened to similar artists. Some of their favorite artists are Randy Newman, Ry Cooder, and Fairport Convention.
Pérez once recalled his initial interaction with Hidalgo, where he explained the formation of Los Lobos. He stated that he asked Hidalgo about his musical taste and was astonished to learn that their interests matched. Before that, the drummer believed he was the only one who enjoyed “weird” music. Gradually, they grew closer, and Pérez began visiting Hidalgo’s house regularly. The duo listened to songs, played musical instruments, and started writing and composing songs there.
Soon, they were joined by their friends, Cesar Rosas, Conrad Lozano, and Frank González, and thus, Los Lobos took its final form. In 1978, the band released their first full-length album, Los Lobos del Este de Los Angeles, recorded in 1977. Interestingly, all band members had regular jobs during this era, making it difficult for them to work together.
After their initial days, Los Lobos began experimenting with their musical style
At the very beginning of their musical journey, Los Lobos’s music sounded like a traditional American rock band. However, they were unsatisfied with the outcome and gradually began experimenting. They returned to their roots and got inspired by the music they grew up listening to.
After switching genres, their popularity grew by leaps and bounds, and they began performing at weddings. During the mid and late 1970s, they performed in hundreds of weddings, which helped them later in their career. According to Pérez, there is a huge chance that they played in every East L.A. citizen’s wedding. The band would receive $400 for every performance and a beer case. Furthermore, they were allowed to eat as much mole (a Mexican dish) as they wanted to at these weddings.
The band’s original name was Los Lobos del Este, Spanish for The Wolves of the East. However, they shortened it to just Los Lobos, and the rest is history.
Los Lobos’ rise in popularity and success
The 1980s proved to be an essential decade for Los Lobos. The LA punk and rock scene was thriving, and the band took full advantage of the situation. Soon, they were as popular as iconic projects such as Circle Jerks, Public Image Ltd., and the Blasters. Interestingly1984, the Blasters’ saxophonist, Steve Berlin, joined Los Lobos.
For their performance of the song, Anselma (from …And a Time to Dance EP), they earned the Grammy® for Best Mexican-American Performance in 1983. Subsequently, they released the acclaimed full-length album How Will the Wolf Survive? Co-produced by Berlin and T Bone Burnett, this album is considered a cult classic. Furthermore, music enthusiasts began mentioning them in the same sentence as Bruce Springsteen. According to the band’s official website, Rolling Stone magazine tied them and Springsteen as Artist of the Year.
1987 saw the release of Ritchie Valens’s biopic La Bamba. The film featured the band’s cover of the famous Valens song, La Bamba, which became immensely popular in the U.S. and U.K. Two years later, they won the 1989 Grammy® for Best Mexican-American Performance for the album La Pistola y El Corazón. A few years later, they released their iconic album, Kiko, which fans of the band consider as their magnum opus.
Los Lobos later career and legacy
Los Lobos released several albums, including Colossal Head, Good Morning Aztlán, The Town and the City, Tin Can Trust, Gates of Gold, and more. Interestingly, every project is lyrically and musically one of a kind. Furthermore, their 2021 album, Native Sons, won the Grammy Award for Best Americana Album of 2022.
According to Variety, Louie Pérez stated that the band’s legacy is important and has an immense cultural impact among Mexicans across the USA. He stated, “It’s very important. We started at a time when there was a huge cultural renaissance among young Mexican people throughout the country, throughout the Southwest to be exact. There was a parallel thing happening politically and there were walkouts that happened in the late ‘70s, protesting the educational system for Mexican American kids in the barrios of some of these cities like Denver, and of course L.A., where we’re from.”
Even though politics and heritage played a huge role in shaping Los Lobos’s legacy, Pérez says that the members were mostly fascinated by the music around them. He said, “But I have to be perfectly honest with you, we were attracted to it as artists. It was the music that fascinated us. We would have done it anyway but the motivator was because we were musicians and we were fascinated by the music, that was, you know, in the background.”
Over the years, Los Lobos has managed to sell millions of records. Recently, they were inducted into the California Hall of Fame.
