David Kent Hidalgo (born October 6, 1954, in Los Angeles.) is an American singer-songwriter, best known for his work with the band

Los Lobos Los Lobos (, Spanish for "the Wolves") are an American rock band from East Los Angeles, California. 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, ...

. Hidalgo frequently plays musical instruments such as

accordion Accordions (from 19th-century German ''Akkordeon'', from ''Akkord''—"musical chord, concord of sounds") are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone type (producing sound as air flows past a re ...

, violin, 6-string banjo,

cello The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a bowed (sometimes plucked and occasionally hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually tuned in perfect fifths: from low to high, C2, G2, ...

requinto jarocho The requinto jarocho or guitarra de son is plucked string instrument, played usually with a special pick. It is a four- or five-stringed instrument that has originated from Veracruz, Mexico. The ''requinto'' is used in conjunto jarocho ensembles ...

, percussion, drums and

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

as a

session musician Session musicians, studio musicians, or backing musicians are musicians hired to perform in recording sessions or live performances. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a recording artist on a ...

on other artists' releases.

Early life and education

Career

In 1973, Hidalgo was one of the founding members of Los Lobos, for which he wrote most songs together with Louie Pérez. Additionally, he also participated as a guest musician on albums of other artists, including David Alvin,

Buckwheat Zydeco Stanley Dural Jr. (November 14, 1947 – September 24, 2016), better known by his stage name Buckwheat Zydeco, was an American accordionist and zydeco musician. He was one of the few zydeco artists to achieve mainstream success. His music gro ...

, Paul Burlison, T-Bone Burnett, Peter Case, Toni Childs, Marc Cohn,

Ry Cooder Ryland Peter "Ry" Cooder (born March 15, 1947) is an American musician, songwriter, film score composer, record producer, and writer. He is a multi-instrumentalist but is best known for his slide guitar work, his interest in traditional music, an ...

, Elvis Costello, Crowded House, The Fabulous Thunderbirds,

John Lee Hooker John Lee Hooker (August 22, 1912 or 1917 – June 21, 2001) was an American blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist. The son of a sharecropper, he rose to prominence performing an electric guitar-style adaptation of Delta blues. Hooker often i ...

, Rickie Lee Jones,

Leo Kottke Leo Kottke (born September 11, 1945) is an acoustic guitarist. He is known for a fingerpicking style that draws on blues, jazz, and folk music, and for syncopated, polyphonic melodies. He overcame a series of personal obstacles, including part ...

, Roy Orbison, Dolly Parton, Pierce Pettis, Bonnie Raitt, Paul Simon,

Taj Mahal The Taj Mahal (; ) is an Islamic ivory-white marble mausoleum on the right bank of the river Yamuna in the Indian city of Agra. It was commissioned in 1631 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan () to house the tomb of his favourite wife, Mu ...

, Suzanne Vega, Bob Dylan and Tom Waits. He is a member of the

supergroup Supergroup or super group may refer to: * Supergroup (music), a music group formed by artists who are already notable or respected in their fields * Supergroup (physics), a generalization of groups, used in the study of supersymmetry * Supergroup ...

Los Super Seven Los Super Seven is an American supergroup which debuted in 1998. According to Allmusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine, "Los Super Seven isn't a band, per se – it's a collective, organized by manager Dan Goodman, who comes up with a concept for each ...

and of the

Latin Playboys Latin Playboys was a musical group formed by David Hidalgo, Louie Pérez, Mitchell Froom and Tchad Blake, active in the 1990s. History The band began with a series of demo recordings made by Hidalgo on a home cassette tape four-track machine. T ...

, a side project made up of some of the members of Los Lobos. With Mike Halby of

Canned Heat Canned Heat is an American band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1965. The group is noted for its efforts to promote interest in blues music and its original artists and rock music. It was founded by two blues enthusiasts Alan Wilson and Bob ...

, he formed another band, Houndog, as a side project. He also appeared on national television in the U.S., backing

Tom Waits Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on the underbelly of society and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He worked primarily in jazz during ...

. For the movie ''Promised Land'', he contributed in 1987 the song "Will the Wolf Survive". For Dennis Hopper's film drama '' Colors'' (1988), he wrote the song "One Time, One Night". He wrote the songs "Manifold De Amour", "Forever Night Shade Mary" and "Chinese Surprize" for the 1995 action film '' Desperado'' as well as the melancholic song "La pistola y el corazón" for the movie ''

The Mexican ''The Mexican'' is a 2001 American dark comedy adventure crime film directed by Gore Verbinski and stars Julia Roberts and Brad Pitt in lead roles. Its plot is a mixture of different genres. Plot In Los Angeles, a traffic light changes to red a ...

'' (2001). Hidalgo's songs have been covered by the Jerry Garcia Band,

Waylon Jennings Waylon Jennings (June 15, 1937 – February 13, 2002) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. He pioneered the Outlaw Movement in country music. Jennings started playing guitar at the age of eight and performed at age f ...

Bonnie Raitt Bonnie Lynn Raitt (; born November 8, 1949) is an American blues singer and guitarist. In 1971, Raitt released her self-titled debut album. Following this, she released a series of critically acclaimed roots-influenced albums that incorporated ...

and others. He has performed in Eric Clapton's

Crossroads Guitar Festival The Crossroads Guitar Festival is a series of music festivals and benefit concerts founded by Eric Clapton. The festivals benefit the Crossroads Centre founded by Eric Clapton, a drug treatment center in Antigua. The concerts showcase a variet ...

since its inception in 2004, including a performance with Los Lobos in April 2013 at Madison Square Garden. Clapton joined the band on stage for their song "Burn It Down", from their 2010 album, ''

Tin Can Trust ''Tin Can Trust'' is a 2010 album by the band Los Lobos, and is the band's first collection of new original material since 2006. It features rock 'n' roll, blues, two Spanish language tracks, and a Grateful Dead cover song. The album was nominat ...

''.

Personal life and family

His son, David Jr., is the drummer for the band

Social Distortion Social Distortion is an American punk rock band formed in 1978 in Fullerton, California. The band currently consists of Mike Ness (lead vocals, lead guitar), Jonny Wickersham (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Brent Harding (bass, backing voc ...

. His other son Vincent has played bass for the band Mariachi El Bronx.

Discography

Selected collaborations

* Eric Clapton (Crossroads festival DVD, CD) *

(multiple projects) *

T-Bone Burnett Joseph Henry "T Bone" Burnett III (born January 14, 1948) is an American record producer, guitarist and songwriter. He rose to fame as a guitarist in Bob Dylan's band during the 1970s. He has received multiple Grammy awards for his work in film ...

(guitar, accordion, vocals, 8-String Bass on ''

'' (1986) *

Peter Case Peter Case (born April 5, 1954) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. His career is wide-ranging, from rock n' roll and blues, to folk rock and solo acoustic performance. Biography Early career Case was born in Buffalo, New York a ...

(''The Man with the Blue Post Modern Fragmented Neo-Traditionalist Guitar'') *

Elvis Costello Declan Patrick MacManus OBE (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer-songwriter and record producer. He has won multiple awards in his career, including a Grammy Award in 2020, and has twice been nomi ...

(harmony vocal on ''

King of America ''King of America'' is the tenth studio album by British rock singer and songwriter Elvis Costello, credited to "The Costello Show featuring the Attractions and Confederates" in the UK and Europe and to "The Costello Show featuring Elvis Coste ...

'', guitar and harmony vocal on '' Momofuku'') *

Toni Childs Toni Childs (born October 29, 1957) is an American-Australian singer-songwriter. She is best known for her songs "Don't Walk Away" (a ''Billboard'' Hot 100 hit in the United States in 1988), " I've Got to Go Now", a Top 5 hit in Australia in 1 ...

('' House of Hope'') *

Crowded House Crowded House are a rock band, formed in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, in 1985. Its founding members were New Zealander Neil Finn (vocalist, guitarist, primary songwriter) and Australians Paul Hester (drums) and Nick Seymour (bass). Later b ...

(accordion "As Sure as I Am" on ''

Woodface ''Woodface'' is the third studio album by New Zealand-Australian band Crowded House. The album was produced by Mitchell Froom and Neil Finn and was released by Capitol in July 1991. It features five singles "Chocolate Cake", " Fall at Your Feet ...

'' (1991)) * John Hammond (guitar, mandolin, vocals on '' Ready for love (2003)) *

(multiple projects) *

Roy Orbison Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician known for his impassioned singing style, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. His music was described by critics as ...

('' King of Hearts'') *

Willy DeVille Willy DeVille (born William Paul Borsey Jr.; August 25, 1950 – August 6, 2009) was an American singer and songwriter. During his thirty-five-year career, first with his band Mink DeVille (1974–1986) and later on his own, DeVille created orig ...

(''

Backstreets of Desire ''Backstreets of Desire'' is an album by Willy DeVille. It was recorded in various Los Angeles recording studios in 1992. To make the album, DeVille was joined by many prominent musicians, including Dr. John, David Hidalgo of Los Lobos, Zachary R ...

'', '' Crow Jane Alley'') *

Rickie Lee Jones Rickie Lee Jones (born November 8, 1954) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and author. Over the course of a career that spans five decades, she has recorded in various musical styles including rock, R&B, pop, soul, and jazz. A tw ...

('' Traffic from Paradise'', ''

The Evening of My Best Day ''The Evening of My Best Day'' is an album by American singer-songwriter Rickie Lee Jones, released in 2003. Track listing ''All tracks composed and arranged by Rickie Lee Jones; except "Sailor Song" co-written by David Kalish'' # "Ugly Man" – ...

'') * Ozomatli (multiple projects) *

Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album d ...

('' Treasures'') *

Pierce Pettis Pierce Pettis (born April 14, 1954) is an American singer-songwriter from Fort Payne, Alabama. Biography A former staff writer for PolyGram Publishing in Nashville, Pettis' musical career was started in 1979 when Joan Baez covered one of hi ...

(''Chase the Buffalo'') *

('' Chávez Ravine'') *

Paul Simon Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actor whose career has spanned six decades. He is one of the most acclaimed songwriters in popular music, both as a solo artist and as half of folk roc ...

("All Around the World or The Myth of Fingerprints" on ''

Graceland Graceland is a mansion on a estate in Memphis, Tennessee, United States, which was once owned by rock and roll icon Elvis Presley. His daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, inherited Graceland after his death in 1977. Graceland is located at 3764 El ...

'' (1986)) *

Marc Ribot Marc Ribot (; born May 21, 1954) is an American guitarist and composer. His work has touched on many styles, including no wave, free jazz, rock, and Cuban music. Ribot is also known for collaborating with other musicians, most notably Tom Wai ...

(''Border Music'') * Tonio K. (''Olé'') *

(''

Fundamental Fundamental may refer to: * Foundation of reality * Fundamental frequency, as in music or phonetics, often referred to as simply a "fundamental" * Fundamentalism, the belief in, and usually the strict adherence to, the simple or "fundamental" idea ...

'') * Tremoloco (Dulcinea) *

Suzanne Vega Suzanne Nadine Vega ( Peck; born July 11, 1959) is an American singer-songwriter best known for her folk-inspired music. Vega's music career spans almost 40 years. She came to prominence in the mid-1980s, releasing four singles that entered the ...

('' 99.9F°'') *

(accordion on "Cold, Cold Ground" and "Train Song" on '' Frank's Wild Years'' (1987); accordion and violin on "Whistle Down the Wind" on ''

Bone Machine ''Bone Machine'' is the eleventh studio album by American singer and musician Tom Waits, released by Island Records on September 8, 1992. It won a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album and features guest appearances by David Hidalgo, Les ...

'' (1992); guitar, accordion, violin, bass, backing vocals on several tracks on '' Bad As Me'' (2011)) * The 1994 tribute to songwriter Mark Heard, ''

Strong Hand of Love ''Strong Hand of Love: A Tribute to Mark Heard'' is a compilation of songs by various artists in tribute to songwriter, Mark Heard. Recorded and released in 1994, after Heard's death in 1992. Proceeds benefit the Heard Family Fund. In 1994, wit ...

'' *

('' Try and Stop Me'') *

Gov't Mule Gov't Mule (pronounced "Government Mule") is an American Southern rock jam band, formed in 1994 as a side project of the Allman Brothers Band by guitarist Warren Haynes and bassist Allen Woody. Fans often refer to Gov't Mule simply as ''Mule' ...

(Politician) (guitar and vocals on '' The Deepest End, Live in Concert'') *

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

(accordion on '' Together Through Life'' and '' Christmas in the Heart''; guitar, accordion, violin on ''

Tempest Tempest is a synonym for a storm. '' The Tempest'' is a play by William Shakespeare. Tempest or The Tempest may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Films * ''The Tempest'' (1908 film), a British silent film * ''The Tempest'' (1911 film), ...

'') * G. Love & Special Sauce (viola on "Missing My Baby") * Los Cenzontles (co-producer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist on '' Songs of Wood & Steel'') *

& Los Cenzontles (co-producer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist on "American Horizon") * Mato Nanji,

Luther Dickinson Luther Andrews Dickinson (born January 18, 1973) is the lead guitarist and vocalist for the North Mississippi Allstars and the son of record producer Jim Dickinson. He is also known for being the lead guitarist for The Black Crowes. He hosts '' ...

(''3 Skulls and the Truth'', Blues Bureau International)

DVDs

Music videos

References

External links

Los Lobos
*

David Hidalgo David Kent Hidalgo (born October 6, 1954, in Los Angeles.) is an American singer-songwriter, best known for his work with the band Los Lobos. Hidalgo frequently plays musical instruments such as accordion, violin, 6-string banjo, cello, requ ...

at Allmusic.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Hidalgo, David 1954 births Living people American male singers Songwriters from Arizona American session musicians American musicians of Mexican descent Hispanic and Latino American musicians Singers from Los Angeles Los Lobos members Spanish-language singers of the United States Songwriters from California Singers from Arizona Latin Playboys members 21st-century accordionists 21st-century American male musicians American male songwriters