La Mafia is an American five-time

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

-winning musical group. It has its roots in the Northside neighborhood of

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

, and has charted a course as a

Latin music Latin music (Portuguese language, Portuguese and es, música latina) is a term used by the music industry as a catch-all category for various styles of music from Ibero-America (including Music of Spain, Spain and Portuguese music, Portugal) ...

band.

History

La Mafia was founded in 1980 in Houston, Texas. Vocalist

Oscar De La Rosa Oscar De La Rosa (born Oscar De La Rosa Gonzales March 29,1960) is the Tejano lead singer of the five-time Grammy Award-winning musical group La Mafia. He is also the brother of Leonardo Gonzales who is the former guitarist of La Mafia and founde ...

& producer

Armando Lichtenberger Jr. Armando Liechtenberger Jr. (born June 3, 19??) is a member of Tejano music, Tejano musical band La Mafia, where he is the keyboardist, accordionist, and producer. Mando Lichtenberger started his career at the age of fourteen with Los Fronterizos ...

created an original style that survived various changes in the music industry. The band consists of Oscar De La Rosa on vocals, Armando Lichtenberger Jr. on Keyboard & Accordion, Rudy Martinez on bass, David De La Garza on keyboards and background vocals, Alan Lopez on drums, Victor Pacheco on Guitar and Robbie Longoria on bajo-sexto & percussion . In 2007 the band won 2 Grammys & 3 Latin Grammys and was nominated in 2009 for a Latin Grammy for the album ''

Eternamente Romanticos Eternamente Romanticos is the twenty-seventh studio album by La Mafia La Mafia is a five-time Grammy Award-winning musical group. It has its roots in the Northside neighborhood of Houston, Texas, and has charted a course as a Latin music band ...

''. In 2020, the group won a Latin Grammy award for its 2019 album “Live in Mexico.” La Mafia, seeking to expand their musical horizons, began touring extensively in

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

and

Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...

beginning in the late 1980s. The practice of Mexican-American artists performing in Mexico on a large scale was unheard of before La Mafia.

Band members

- Vocalist *

- Accordion, keyboards & Producer * David De La Garza III - Keyboards & Vocals * Rudy Martinez - Bass guitar * Alan Lopez - Drums * Viktor Pacheko - Guitar * Robbie Longoria - Bajo Sexto -percussions & Congas

Former members

* Leonardo Gonzales (brother of Oscar De La Rosa Gonzales) - guitar * Robert Martinez - guitar & bass guitar * Marion Aquilina - guitar * Israel (Speedy) Villanueva - bass guitar * Adolf Alonso - bass guitar * Tim Ruiz - bass guitar * Tony Rodriguez - drums * Mario Gonzalez - drums * Adam Mosqueda(+) - drums * Jason Rodriguez - bass guitar * Michael Aguilar - drums * Jesse Moreno - Sax * Jesse Peralez - Sax * Rick Patino - Sax-Trumpet * David Flores - Sax * Joe Gonzales - drums * Joe Ovalle - bass guitar * Johnny Gonzalez - drums * Eduardo Torres - drums

Discography

Since 1994, La Mafia has recorded each of its hits at its own Urbana Recording Studios, including the million-selling

Estas Tocando Fuego ''Estas Tocando Fuego'' is the sixteenth studio album by La Mafia. It was released on October 19, 1991. The album entered the Billboard Latin Regional Mexican chart at number sixteen. By March 21, 1992, it reached the number one position and stay ...

and Ahora y Siempre. The band has recorded 35 albums and CDs, not including dozens of compilation and greatest hits releases.

Studio albums

* 1980:

La Mafia de Oscar y Leonardo Gonzales La Mafia is a five-time Grammy Award-winning musical group. It has its roots in the Northside neighborhood of Houston, Texas, and has charted a course as a Tejano music, Latin music band. History La Mafia was founded in 1980 in Houston, TX. ...

* 1981: Only In Texas * 1982: The Magnificent 7 * 1982: Honey (Cariño) * 1983: Electrifying * 1983:

Mafia Mania La Mafia is a five-time Grammy Award-winning musical group. It has its roots in the Northside neighborhood of Houston, Texas, and has charted a course as a Latin music band. History La Mafia was founded in 1980 in Houston, TX. Vocalist Osca ...

* 1984: Hot Stuff * 1985:

Neon Static ''Neon Static'' is the eighth studio album by La Mafia La Mafia is a five-time Grammy Award-winning musical group. It has its roots in the Northside neighborhood of Houston, Texas, and has charted a course as a Latin music band. History L ...

* 1985:

Herencia Norteña ''Herencia Norteña'' is the ninth studio album by La Mafia La Mafia is a five-time Grammy Award-winning musical group. It has its roots in the Northside neighborhood of Houston, Texas, and has charted a course as a Latin music band. Histor ...

* 1986:

La Mafia 1986 ''La Mafia 1986'' is the tenth studio album by La Mafia La Mafia is a five-time Grammy Award-winning musical group. It has its roots in the Northside neighborhood of Houston, Texas, and has charted a course as a Latin music band. History ...

* 1987:

A Todo Color ''A Todo Color (In Living Color)'' is the eleventh studio album by La Mafia La Mafia is a five-time Grammy Award-winning musical group. It has its roots in the Northside neighborhood of Houston, Texas, and has charted a course as a Latin music ...

* 1988: Amame * 1989: Xplosiv * 1990:

Enter the Future ''Enter the Future'' is the fourteenth studio album by La Mafia La Mafia is a five-time Grammy Award-winning musical group. It has its roots in the Northside neighborhood of Houston, Texas, and has charted a course as a Latin music band. H ...

* 1990:

Con Tanto Amor Con Tanto Amor is the fifteenth studio album by La Mafia La Mafia is a five-time Grammy Award-winning musical group. It has its roots in the Northside neighborhood of Houston, Texas, and has charted a course as a Latin music band. History ...

* 1991:

* 1992: Ahora y Siempre * 1994:

Vida Vida means “life” in Spanish and Portuguese. It may refer to: Geography * Vida (Gradačac), village in Bosnia and Herzegovina * Lake Vida, Victoria Valley, Antarctica * U.S. settled places: ** Vida, Montana ** Vida, Oregon ** Vida, Missour ...

* 1996:

Un Millón de Rosas ''Un Millón de Rosas'' is the nineteenth studio album released by American band La Mafia. It was released on January 30, 1996 by Sony Music Entertainment. The album peaked at number one in the ''Billboard'' Regional Mexican Albums chart and als ...

(Grammy Winner) * 1997: En Tus Manos (Grammy Winner) * 1998: Euforia * 1999: Momentos * 2000: Contigo * 2001: Inconfundible * 2004:

Nube Pasajera ''Nube Pasajera'' is the twenty-fifth studio album by La Mafia La Mafia is a five-time Grammy Award-winning musical group. It has its roots in the Northside neighborhood of Houston, Texas, and has charted a course as a Latin music band. His ...

* 2004:

Para El Pueblo ''Para El Pueblo'' is the twenty-sixth studio album by La Mafia released on November 16, 2004. Track listing References

{{Authority control 2004 albums La Mafia albums Spanish-language albums ...

(Latin Grammy Winner) * 2008:

* 2014: Amor y Sexo * 2018: Vozes * 2019: Non-Stop

Compilations, duets, and live albums

* 1981: La Mafia * 1984: 15 Hits * 1987:

La Mafia Live LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figure ...

* 1991: Party Time * 1991:

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...

* 1992:

Dancin' With La Mafia ''Dancin'' is a musical revue created, directed, and choreographed by Bob Fosse and originally produced on Broadway theatre, Broadway in 1978. The plotless, dance-driven revue is a tribute to the art of dance, and the music is a collection of mo ...

* 1993: Nuestras Mejores Canciones - 17 * 1995:

Puro Tejano Puro may refer to: People * Alec Puro (born 1975), American musician and composer *Olavi Puro (1918–1999), Finnish World War II flying ace *Teuvo Puro (1884–1956), Finnish actor and filmmaker Other *Puroresu, professional wrestling in Japan * ...

* 1995: Éxitos en Vivo * 1998:

Hits De Coleccion Vol. 1 Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * '' H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block * ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998 * ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014 - a British compilation album s ...

* 2001:

Para Enamorados Para, or PARA, may refer to: Businesses and organizations * Paramount Global, traded as PARA on the Nasdaq stock exchange * Para Group, the former name of CT Corp * Para Rubber, now Skellerup, a New Zealand manufacturer * Para USA, formerly Par ...

* 2002:

Tejano All Stars Tejanos (, ; singular: ''Tejano/a''; Spanish for "Texan", originally borrowed from the Caddo ''tayshas'') are the residents of the state of Texas who are culturally descended from the Mexican population of Tejas and Coahuila that lived in the ...

* 2003: Los Hits * 2003: 30 Éxitos Insuperables * 2006: Nuevamente (Latin Grammy Winner) * 2006: La Historia de La Mafia: Los Exitos * 2008: Leyendas * 2011: La Mafia: Live In The 80s * 2019:

Live In Mexico Live may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Live!'' (2007 film), 2007 American film * ''Live'' (2014 film), a 2014 Japanese film *'' ''Live'' (Apocalyptica DVD) Music *Live (band), American alternative rock band * List of albums ...

2020 Latin Grammy winner best tejano album.

Awards and recognitions

La Mafia received Grammy Awards for its CDs ''

'' (1997) and '' En Tus Manos'' (1998) and Latin Grammy Awards for its CDs ''

Para El Pueblo ''Para El Pueblo'' is the twenty-sixth studio album by La Mafia released on November 16, 2004. Track listing References

{{Authority control 2004 albums La Mafia albums Spanish-language albums ...

''(2005),''Nuevamente''(2006), and “Live in Mexico” (2020). It also has received eight Premio Lo Nuestro Awards and 12

Tejano Music Awards The Tejano Music Awards (TMA) is an accolade created by former arts teacher and musician Rudy Trevino in 1980. The accolade recognizes outstanding performers of Tejano music, a German polka-based Latin music genre recorded in Spanish or English-la ...

, including a Lifetime Achievement Award from the latter, numerous Billboard awards and was listed in the top 10 Billboard Latin Artists for the entire decade of the 1990s, ranking La Mafia as the most successful Latin artist Houston has ever produced. La Mafia received the first Billboard Hot Latin Song of the Year (formally Hot Latin Track of the Year) in 1994 for their timeless hit "Me Estoy Enamorando."

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mafia, La Grammy Award winners Latin Grammy Award winners Latin music groups Latin pop music groups Musical groups from Houston Musical groups from Monterrey Spanish-language singers of the United States Tejano music groups