Los Lobos (, Spanish for "the Wolves") are an American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band from

East Los Angeles, California East Los Angeles ( es, Este de Los Ángeles), or East L.A., is an unincorporated area in Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census it had a population of 118,786, a drop of 6.1% from 2010 United States Cen ...

. Their music is influenced by

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from Africa ...

Tex-Mex Tex-Mex cuisine (from the words ''Texan'' and ''Mexican'') is an American cuisine, American cuisine that derives from the culinary creations of the Tejanos, ''Tejano'' people of Texas. It has spread from border states such as Texas and others i ...

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

zydeco Zydeco ( or , french: Zarico) is a music genre that evolved in southwest Louisiana by French Creole speakers which blends blues, rhythm and blues, and music indigenous to the Louisiana Creoles and the Native American people of Louisiana. Al ...

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fol ...

, R&B,

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

brown-eyed soul Brown-eyed soul, also referred to as Chicano soul, is soul music performed in the United States mainly by Latinos in Southern California, East Los Angeles, and San Antonio (Texas) during the 1960s, continuing through to the early 1980s. AllMusic: ...

, and traditional music such as

cumbia Cumbia refers to a number of musical rhythms and folk dance traditions of Latin America, generally involving musical and cultural elements from American Indigenous peoples, enslaved Africans during colonial times, and Europeans. Examples include: ...

bolero Bolero is a genre of song which originated in eastern Cuba in the late 19th century as part of the trova tradition. Unrelated to the older Spanish dance of the same name, bolero is characterized by sophisticated lyrics dealing with love. It has ...

s and norteños. The band rose to international stardom in 1987, when their version of

Ritchie Valens Richard Steven Valenzuela (May 13, 1941 – February 3, 1959), known professionally as Ritchie Valens, was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. A rock and roll pioneer and a forefather of the Chicano rock movement, Valens was killed i ...

' " La Bamba" peaked at the top of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and also topped the charts in the United Kingdom, and several other countries. Songs by Los Lobos have been recorded by Elvis Costello,

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 ...

Frankie Yankovic Frank John Yankovic (July 28, 1915 – October 14, 1998) was an American accordion player and polka musician. Known as "America's Polka King", Yankovic was considered the premier artist to play in the Slovenian style during his long career. He ...

, and

Robert Plant Robert Anthony Plant (born 20 August 1948) is an English singer and songwriter, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of the English rock band Led Zeppelin for all of its existence from 1968 until 1980, when the band broke up following the ...

. In 2015, they were nominated for induction into the

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and othe ...

. In 2018, they were inducted into the ''

Austin City Limits ''Austin City Limits'' is an American live music television program recorded and produced by Austin PBS. The show helped Austin become widely known in the United States as the "Live Music Capital of the World", and is the only television show t ...

'' Hall of Fame. They are also known for performing the theme song for ''

Handy Manny ''Handy Manny'' is a CGI-animated children's television series that premiered with its first two episodes consecutively on Saturday, September 16, 2006, originally as part of Disney Channel's Playhouse Disney block. On Valentine's Day 2011, th ...

''.

History

1973–79: Formation and early releases

Vocalist and guitarist

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 ...

and drummer

Louie Pérez Louis Frausto Pérez, Jr. (born January 29, 1953) is an American songwriter, percussionist and guitarist for Los Lobos and Latin Playboys. Pérez started with Los Lobos playing primarily jarana (a small Mexican guitar) and singing. He is one ...

met at Garfield High School in

, and bonded over their mutual affinity for musical acts such as

Fairport Convention Fairport Convention are an English folk rock band, formed in 1967 by guitarists Richard Thompson and Simon Nicol, bassist Ashley Hutchings and drummer Shaun Frater (with Frater replaced by Martin Lamble after their first gig.) They started o ...

Randy Newman Randall Stuart Newman (born November 28, 1943) is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, composer, and pianist known for his Southern American English, Southern-accented singing style, early Americana (music), Americana-influenced songs (often ...

and

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 ...

. 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." The two borrowed reel-to-reel recorders from a friend and created multitrack recordings of music spanning from parody songs to free-form jazz. They later enlisted fellow students Frank González, Cesar Rosas and

Conrad Lozano Conrad R. Lozano (born March 21, 1951, in Los Angeles, California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a t ...

to complete the group's lineup, in 1973. 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. 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. "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 4 of us, a case of beer, and all the mole we could eat..." said David Hidalgo. However, Los Lobos took notice of the popular groups on the Hollywood music scene and added influences of rock to its sound. Originally, they called themselves Los Lobos del Este (de Los Angeles) ("The Wolves of the East f Los Angeles)), which was a play on the name of the norteño band

Los Tigres del Norte Los Tigres del Norte (English: ''The Tigers of the North'') are a norteño band from San Jose, California. Originally founded in Mocorito, Sinaloa, Mexico, with sales of 60 million albums, the band is one of the most recognized groups in the ...

; also, there was another conjunto band at the time named "Los Lobos Del Norte", who had released several albums already, and in fact Los Lobos del Este were from east L.A. The name was quickly shortened to Los Lobos.

1980–88: ''How Will the Wolf Survive?'' and commercial success

The band's first noteworthy public appearance occurred in 1980 at the

Olympic Auditorium The Grand Olympic Auditorium is a former sports venue in southern Downtown Los Angeles, California. The venue was built in 1924 at 1801 South Grand Avenue, now just south of the Santa Monica Freeway. The grand opening of the Olympic Auditorium ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, when they were hired by David Ferguson and CD Presents to open for

Public Image Ltd. Public Image Ltd (abbreviated and stylized as PiL) are an English post-punk band (and incorporated limited company) formed by singer John Lydon (previously known as the singer of Sex Pistols), guitarist Keith Levene, bassist Jah Wobble, and dr ...

On September 28,1983, the band released an

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

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 . 7 months after the release, the group won a Grammy Award for Best Mexican American Song in 1984 However, the sales of the EP earned the group enough money to purchase a

Dodge Dodge is an American brand of automobiles and a division of Stellantis, based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Dodge vehicles have historically included performance cars, and for much of its existence Dodge was Chrysler's mid-priced brand above P ...

van, enabling the band to tour throughout the United States for the first time. Los Lobos returned to the studio in the summer of 1984 to record its first major-label album, '' How Will the Wolf Survive?'' The album's title and the title song were inspired by a ''

National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly the ''National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as NAT GEO) is a popular American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. Known for its photojournalism, it is one of the most widely ...

'' 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. Los Lobos were exposed to Rock and Roll audiences when they opened for

The Clash The Clash were an English rock band formed in London in 1976 who were key players in the original wave of British punk rock. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they also contributed to the and new wave movements that emerged in the wa ...

, a punk/new wave group, and they later opened for a Los Angeles band

the Blasters The Blasters are an American rock band formed in 1979 in Downey, California, by brothers Phil Alvin (vocals and guitar) and Dave Alvin (guitar), with bass guitarist John Bazz and drummer Bill Bateman. Their self-described " American Music" i ...

, with influences in rhythm and blues and rockabilly. Steve Berlin, who was born in Philadelphia, was a saxophone player for the Blasters and then left the group to join Los Lobos. When he joined the group, Berlin spoke about his similar record collection to the other members of Los Lobos, where they shared loves for

George Jones George Glenn Jones (September 12, 1931 – April 26, 2013) was an American country musician, singer, and songwriter. He achieved international fame for his long list of hit records, including his best-known song "He Stopped Loving Her Today", ...

and

Hank Williams Hank Williams (born Hiram Williams; September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. Regarded as one of the most significant and influential American singers and songwriters of the 20th century, he reco ...

. The film ''

Colors Color (American English) or colour (British English) is the visual perceptual property deriving from the spectrum of light interacting with the photoreceptor cells of the eyes. Color categories and physical specifications of color are associa ...

'' 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 alongside Tomata du Plenty in the punk rock musical '' Population: 1''. In 1987, they released a second album, '' By the Light of the Moon''. In the same year, they recorded some

covers for the soundtrack of the film '' La Bamba'', including the

title track A title track is a song that has the same name as the album or film in which it appears. In the Korean music industry, the term is used to describe a promoted song on an album, akin to a single, regardless of the song's title. Title track may a ...

, 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 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 ''Figur ...

'', featuring original and traditional Mexican songs. The album never peaked above #189 in the pop charts, but it did garner Los Lobos their 2nd 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 album '' Stay Awake: Various Interpretations of Music from Vintage Disney Films''.

1988–94: ''The Neighborhood'' and ''Kiko''

In the late 1980s and early 1990s the band toured extensively throughout the world, opening for such acts as

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 ...

, U2 and the

Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock music, rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. The band is known for its eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, Folk music, folk, country music, country, jazz, bluegrass music, bluegrass, ...

. Los Lobos returned with '' The Neighborhood'' in 1990, and the more experimental '' Kiko'' (produced by

Mitchell Froom Mitchell Froom (born June 29, 1953) is an American musician and record producer. He was a member of the bands Gamma (band), Gamma and Latin Playboys, and is currently the keyboardist for Crowded House. He has produced albums for several artists, ...

) in 1992. In 1991, the band contributed a lively cover of "Bertha", a song which they often performed live, to the Grateful Dead tribute–rain forest benefit album '' Deadicated.'' In 1994 they also contributed a track, "Down Where the Drunkards Roll", to the Richard Thompson tribute album ''Beat the Retreat''. On the band's twentieth anniversary they released a two-CD collection of singles, outtakes, live recordings and hits, entitled ''Just Another Band from East L.A.''

1995–98: ''Papa's Dream'' and ''Colossal Head''

In 1995, Los Lobos released the prestigious and bestselling record '' Papa's Dream'' on Music for Little People Records along with veteran guitarist and singer

Lalo Guerrero Eduardo "Lalo" Guerrero (December 24, 1916 – March 17, 2005) was an American guitarist, singer and farm labor activist best known for his strong influence on later Latin musical artists. Early life Guerrero was born in Tucson, Arizona, one o ...

. The album garnered a Grammy nomination for Best Children's Album. The band also scored the film ''

Desperado Desperado may refer to: * Outlaw, particularly in the American Old West Books * ''Desperadoes'' (comics), a comic book series * ''Desperadoes'' (novel), a 1979 novel by Ron Hansen * Desperado Publishing, an American independent comic book publ ...

''. The album track "Mariachi Suite" won a

Grammy 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 pre ...

Award for

Best Pop Instrumental Performance The Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance was awarded between 1969 and 2011. *In 1969 it was awarded as Best Contemporary-Pop Performance, Instrumental *From 1970 to 1971 it was awarded as Best Contemporary Instrumental Performance ...

and was their 3rd Grammy Award. They have been nominated for Grammy Awards a total of 12 times. In 1996, they released ''Colossal Head''. In spite of the fact that the album was critically acclaimed,

Warner Brothers Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American Film studio, film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios, Burbank, Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, Califo ...

decided to drop the band from their label. Los Lobos spent the next few years on side projects. The band contributed along with

Money Mark Mark Ramos Nishita (born February 10, 1960), known professionally as Money Mark, is an American producer and musician, best known for his collaborations with the Beastie Boys from 1992 until 2011. Early life Born in Detroit to a Japanese-Hawai ...

to the

AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...

benefit album '' Silencio=Muerte: Red Hot + Latin'', produced by the

Red Hot Organization Red Hot Organization (RHO) is a not-for-profit, 501(c) 3, international organization dedicated to fighting AIDS through pop culture. Since its inception in 1989, over 400 artists, producers and directors have contributed to over 15 compilati ...

, on which they performed "Pepe and Irene."

1999–2006: Mammoth Records, subsequent releases

Los Lobos signed to

Mammoth Records Mammoth Records was an independent record label founded in 1989 by Jay Faires in the Carrboro area of Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The majority of the acts on Mammoth were executive-produced by Faires and the label's general manager, Steve Balcom ...

(a music division of The Walt Disney Company) in 1997 and released ''This Time'' in 1999. Mammoth also reissued 1977's ''Del Este de Los Angeles''. In 2000,

Rhino A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species o ...

Warner Warner can refer to: People * Warner (writer) * Warner (given name) * Warner (surname) Fictional characters * Yakko, Wakko, and Dot Warner, stars of the animated television series ''Animaniacs'' * Aaron Warner, a character in ''Shatter Me s ...

Archives released the boxed set ''Cancionero: Mas y Mas''. In 2001, Los Lobos was awarded the El Premio ''Billboard'' Award. The band released their

debut, ''Good Morning Aztlan'' in 2002. They released '' The Ride'' in 2004. ''The Ride'' featured

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 ...

Mavis Staples Mavis Staples (born July 10, 1939) is an American rhythm and blues and gospel singer, actress, and civil rights activist. She rose to fame as a member of her family's band The Staple Singers (she is the last surviving member of that band). Durin ...

Bobby Womack Robert Dwayne Womack (; March 4, 1944 – June 27, 2014) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. Starting in the early 1950s as the lead singer of his family musical group the Valentinos and as Sam Cooke's backing guit ...

Elvis Costello Declan Patrick MacManus Order of the British Empire, 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 ...

and others covering Los Lobos music along with the band. Los Lobos released its first full-length live-show DVD '' Live 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 released ''

The Town and the City ''The Town and the City'' is a novel by Jack Kerouac, published by Harcourt Brace in 1950. This was the first major work published by Kerouac, who later became famous for his second novel '' On the Road'' (1957). Like all of Jack Kerouac's major ...

'' (

) to much critical acclaim. The album's lyrics deal with Louis Perez's childhood in

East Los Angeles East Los Angeles ( es, Este de Los Ángeles), or East L.A., is an unincorporated area in Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2020 census it had a population of 118,786, a drop of 6.1% from 2010, when it was 126,496. For statistical purpo ...

, while the music provides complex and original soundscapes reminiscent of their previous release ''Kiko''. Cartoonist

Jaime Hernandez Jaime (sometimes spelled Xaime) Hernandez (born 1959) is the co-creator of the Alternative comics, alternative comic book ''Love and Rockets (comics), Love and Rockets'' with his brothers Gilbert Hernandez, Gilbert and Mario Hernandez (comics), M ...

did the artwork for the album. The album is told in the first person, with each song serving as an episodic step.

2007–present

2017-06-11-0581 Los Lobos, Cesar, Conrad & Enrique

In 2007, Los Lobos performed a

cover Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of co ...

's "Billy 1" (from ''

Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid ''Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid'' is a 1973 American Revisionist Western film directed by Sam Peckinpah, written by Rudy Wurlitzer, and starring James Coburn, Kris Kristofferson, Richard Jaeckel, Katy Jurado, Chill Wills, Barry Sullivan, Jas ...

'') for the soundtrack to

Todd Haynes Todd Haynes (; born January 2, 1961) is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. His films span four decades with themes examining the personalities of well-known musicians, dysfunctional and dystopian societies, and blurred gender ...

's film ''

I'm Not There ''I'm Not There'' is a 2007 musical drama film directed by Todd Haynes, and co-written by Haynes and Oren Moverman. It is an unconventional biographical film inspired by the life and music of American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. Six actors de ...

''. Also in 2007, they participated in '' Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino'' (

Vanguard The vanguard (also called the advance guard) is the leading part of an advancing military formation. It has a number of functions, including seeking out the enemy and securing ground in advance of the main force. History The vanguard derives fr ...

), contributing their version of Domino's " The Fat Man." In 2009, the group under contract to Disney Music released an album of Disney covers, '' Los Lobos Goes Disney'' (Disney Sound/Walt Disney Records) and participated in a tribute album to the late

Doug Sahm Douglas Wayne Sahm (November 6, 1941 – November 18, 1999) was an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist born in San Antonio, Texas. Sahm is regarded as one of the main figures of Tex-Mex music, and as an important per ...

, '' 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. In 2010, Cesar Rosas and

were featured artists in the

Experience Hendrix Tour Experience refers to conscious events in general, more specifically to perceptions, or to the practical knowledge and familiarity that is produced by these conscious processes. Understood as a conscious event in the widest sense, experience involv ...

. On August 3, 2010, the group released their first album of new material in 4 years, entitled '' Tin Can Trust'', through

Shout! Factory Shout! Factory is an American home video and music company founded in 2002 as Retropolis Entertainment. Its video releases include previously released feature films, classic and contemporary television series, animation, live music, and comedy ...

, which features two Spanish-language tracks. In 2011, the group was awarded the

Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award The Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award is an honor presented annually by the Latin Recording Academy, the same organization that distributes the Latin Grammy Awards, to commend performers "who have made contributions of outstanding artistic ...

. In 2013, the group toured Europe supporting

Neil Young and Crazy Horse Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian-American singer and songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, joining Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Richie Furay ...

. On October 9, 2015, Los Lobos was nominated for induction into the

for the first time. In 2017, Los Lobos appeared in the multi award-winning documentary film ''

The American Epic Sessions ''The American Epic Sessions'' is a documentary film in which an engineer restores the fabled long-lost first electrical sound recording system from 1925, and twenty contemporary artists pay tribute to the momentous machine by attempting to record ...

'' directed by Bernard MacMahon, where they recorded, “El Cascabel”, live direct-to-disc on the first electrical sound recording system from the 1920s. During their session, the belt holding the 100Ib weight that powered the 1924 cutting lathe broke and

Jack White John Anthony White (; born July 9, 1975), commonly known as Jack White, is an American musician, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the duo the White Stripes. White has enjoyed consistent critical and popular success and is widely c ...

had to rush to an upholstery shop to repair it. Los Lobos was inducted into the

Hall of Fame in 2018. On October 4, 2019, Los Lobos released ''Llegó 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 as the finale at the

Rose Parade The Rose Parade, also known as the Tournament of Roses Parade (or simply the Tournament of Roses), is an annual parade held mostly along Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena, California, United States, on New Year's Day (or on Monday, January 2 if N ...

Pasadena, California Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. I ...

. The band was a recipient of a 2021

National Heritage Fellowship The National Heritage Fellowship is a lifetime honor presented to master folk and traditional artists by the National Endowment for the Arts. Similar to Japan's Living National Treasure award, the Fellowship is the United States government's h ...

awarded by the

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...

, which is the United States government's highest honor in the folk and traditional arts. 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 (including Jackson Browne, The Beach Boys, The Blasters, Thee Midniters, Willie Bobo, and Lalo Guerrero) with one song written by Hidalgo and Pérez, the title track "Native Sons". Band co-founder Francisco González died on March 30, 2022, at the age of 68. On April 3, 2022, Los Lobos won their fourth Grammy Award, in the

Best Americana Album The Grammy Award for Best Americana Album is an honor presented to recording artists for quality albums in the Americana music genre at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. Honors ...

category, for ''Native Sons''. Steve Berlin went onstage to accept the award. "Had the Grammys been in L.A., the other guys would've been here to accept," Berlin later said jokingly.

Members

– vocals, guitar, accordion, fiddle,

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 ...

(1973–present) *

– drums, guitar,

jarana huasteca The jarana huasteca, jarana de son huasteco or jaranita is a string instrument. It is most often called simply jarana. It is a guitar-like chordophone with 5 strings, tuned in thirds (low to high): G, B, D, F# and A. It has a range similar ...

, vocals (1973–present) * Cesar Rosas – vocals, guitar,

bajo sexto Bajo sexto (Spanish: "sixth bass") is a Mexican string instrument from the guitar family with 12 strings in six double courses. A closely related instrument is the bajo quinto (Spanish: "fifth bass") which has 10 strings in five double courses. ...

(1973–present) *

– bass, guitarron, vocals (1973–present) *

Steve Berlin Steven M. Berlin (born September 14, 1955, Philadelphia) is an American saxophonist, keyboardist and record producer, best known as a member of the rock group Los Lobos and, before that, Top Jimmy & the Rhythm Pigs, the Blasters, and the Flesh ...

– keyboards,

woodwinds Woodwind instruments are a family of musical instruments within the greater category of wind instruments. Common examples include flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, and saxophone. There are two main types of woodwind instruments: flutes and reed ...

(1982–present)

Former members

* Francisco "Frank" González – vocals, mandolin,

arpa jarocha The arpa jarocha is a large wooden harp that is normally played while standing, although early examples from the 16th through the first three or four decades of the 19th centuries were smaller and were played while seated. It has a wooden frame, ...

(1973–1976; died 2022) * Richard Escalante – bass, vocals (1973–1974)

Touring musicians

* Victor Bisetti – drums, percussion (1990–2003) * Cougar Estrada – drums, percussion (2003–2011) * Enrique "Bugs" González – drums, percussion (2012–2020) *

Alfredo Ortiz Alfredo Ortiz is an American musician, primarily a drummer and percussionist. He toured with the Beastie Boys as their drummer and percussionist from 1996 until their final show in 2009. He also appeared in their live concert film, '' Awesom ...

– drums, percussion (2021–present)

Discography

Albums

*'' Los Lobos del Este de Los Angeles (Just another band from East L.A.)'', 1978 *'' How Will the Wolf Survive?'', 1984 *'' By the Light of the Moon'', 1987 *''

La Pistola y el Corazón 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 ''Figur ...

'', 1988 *'' The Neighborhood'', 1990 *'' Kiko'', 1992 *'' Papa's Dream'', 1995 *''

Colossal Head ''Colossal Head'' is the eighth studio album by the rock band Los Lobos. It was released in 1996 on Warner Bros. Records. Track listing Personnel ;Los Lobos * David Hidalgo – vocals, guitar, accordion, fiddle, requinto jarocho * Louie ...

'', 1996 *'' This Time'', 1999 *'' Good Morning Aztlán'', 2002 *'' The Ride'', 2004 *''

'', 2006 *'' Los Lobos Goes Disney'', 2009 *'' Tin Can Trust'', 2010 *'' Gates of Gold'', 2015 *''Llego Navidad'', 2019 *'' Native Sons'', 2021

Live albums

*'' Live at the Fillmore'', 2005 *'' Acoustic en Vivo'', 2005 *''Chuy's Tape Box, Vol. 1'', 2005 *''One Time, One Night: Live Recordings Vol. 1'', 2007 *''One Time, One Night: Live Recordings Vol. 2'', 2010 *'' Kiko Live'', 2012 (Recorded February 24, 2006 at

House of Blues House of Blues is an American chain of live music concert halls and restaurants. It was founded by Isaac Tigrett, the co-founder of Hard Rock Cafe, and Dan Aykroyd, co-star of the 1980 film ''The Blues Brothers''. The first location opened at ...

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

) *'' Disconnected in New York City'', 2013

Compilations

*'' Just Another Band from East L.A. – A Collection'', 1993 *'' El Cancionero Mas y Mas'', 2000 (boxed set) *'' Wolf Tracks – Best of Los Lobos'', 2006

Extended plays

*'' ...And a Time to Dance'', 1983 *'' Ride This – The Covers EP'', 2004

Soundtrack, compilation, and guest appearances

*'' Si Se Puede!'', Various Artists, 1977 (Pan American) – backing band on all tracks *'' Eating Raoul: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack'', 1982 (

Varèse Sarabande Varèse Sarabande is an American record label, owned by Concord Music Group and distributed by Universal Music Group, which specializes in film scores and original cast recordings. It aims to reissue rare or unavailable albums, as well as newer r ...

) – "Diablo Con Vestido" and "How Much Can I Do" *''L.A. Rockabilly'', 1982 (

Rhino Records A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species o ...

) – "We're Gonna Rock" *''

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 Elv ...

'',

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 ...

, 1986 (

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

) – "All Around the World or the Myth of Fingerprints" *'' A Fine Mess: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack'', 1986 (

Motown Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...

) – "

I'm Gonna Be a Wheel Someday "I'm Gonna Be a Wheel Someday" is a popular song written by Roy Hayes, Fats Domino and Dave Bartholomew. The song was first recorded by Bobby Mitchell & The Toppers in 1957 and released in the same year. Origin The song's lyrics were written by ...

" *'' La Bamba: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack'', 1987 (

Slash Slash may refer to: * Slash (punctuation), the "/" character Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Slash (Marvel Comics) * Slash (''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'') Music * Harry Slash & The Slashtones, an American rock band * Nash ...

/Warner Bros.) – " La Bamba", "Come On, Let's Go" and six others *''

'', 1988 ( Orion Pictures) – "One Time, One Night" (not on soundtrack album) *'' Stay Awake: Various Interpretations of Music from Vintage Disney Films'', 1988 (A&M Records) – "I Wanna Be Like You (The Monkey Song)" *'' Bull Durham: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack'', 1988 (

Capitol A capitol, named after the Capitoline Hill in Rome, is usually a legislative building where a legislature meets and makes laws for its respective political entity. Specific capitols include: * United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. * Numerous ...

) – "I Got Loaded" *''Hey Good Lookin'' (video),

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 ...

, 1990 – with David Hidalgo and

Dwight Yoakam Dwight David Yoakam (born October 23, 1956) is an American singer-songwriter, actor, and film director. He first achieved mainstream attention in 1986 with the release of his debut album '' Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.''. Yoakam had considerab ...

*'' Deadicated: A Tribute to the Grateful Dead'', 1991 ( Arista) – "

Bertha Bertha is a female Germanic name, from Old High German ''berhta'' meaning "bright one". It was usually a short form of Anglo Saxon names ''Beorhtgifu'' meaning "bright gift" or ''Beorhtwynn'' meaning "bright joy". The name occurs as a theonym, s ...

" *'' The Mambo Kings: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack'', 1992 ( Elektra) – " Beautiful Maria of My Soul" *''In The Spotlight: A Beatles Songbook'', 1993 (Lonesome Pine/

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...

TV special A television special (often TV special, or rarely television spectacular) is a standalone television show which may also temporarily interrupt episodic programming normally scheduled for a given time slot. Some specials provide a full range of ent ...

) – "

Tomorrow Never Knows "Tomorrow Never Knows" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, written primarily by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. It was released in August 1966 as the final track on their album ''Revolver'', although it was the firs ...

" *''

Untamed Heart ''Untamed Heart'' is a 1993 American romantic drama film directed by Tony Bill, written by Tom Sierchio, and starring Christian Slater and Marisa Tomei. It tells the story of an unlikely romance between a young woman unlucky in love and a shy youn ...

'', 1993 (

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by amazon (company), Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded o ...

) – " Try Me" (not on soundtrack album) *''Beat the Retreat – Songs by Richard Thompson'', 1994 (Capitol) – "Down Where the Drunkards Roll" *''I Only Wrote this Song for You: A Tribute to

Johnny Thunders John Anthony Genzale (July 15, 1952 – April 23, 1991), known professionally as Johnny Thunders, was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. He came to prominence in the early 1970s as a member of the New York Dolls. He later played with ...

'', 1994 ( Essential) – "Alone in a Crowd" *''Grammy's Greatest Moments Volume III'', 1994 – live performance of "La Bamba" from the

1988 Grammy Awards The 30th Annual Grammy Awards were held March 2, 1988, at Radio City Music Hall, New York City. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year. Album of the Year went to U2 for ''The Joshua Tree'', and Song of the Year went ...

*'' Desperado: The Soundtrack'', 1995 ( Epic Soundtrax) – primary score composer and performer *''

The Last Supper Image:The Last Supper - Leonardo Da Vinci - High Resolution 32x16.jpg, 400px, alt=''The Last Supper'' by Leonardo da Vinci - Clickable Image, Depictions of the Last Supper in Christian art have been undertaken by artistic masters for centuries, ...

'', 1995

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...

– "Wicked Rain" (not on soundtrack album) *''Till the Night is Gone: A Tribute to

Doc Pomus Jerome Solon Felder (June 27, 1925 – March 14, 1991), known professionally as Doc Pomus, was an American blues singer and songwriter. He is best known as the co-writer of many rock and roll hits. Pomus was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall ...

'', 1995 (Forward/Rhino) – "

Lonely Avenue "Lonely Avenue" is a popular song written by Doc Pomus that was a No. 6 rhythm and blues hit for Ray Charles in 1956. Background The song drew the attention of the music business to Doc Pomus, who had previously had little success as a songwrit ...

" *'' Not Fade Away (Remembering Buddy Holly)'', 1996 ( MCA) – "Midnight Shift" *'' The End of Violence: Songs from the Motion Picture Soundtrack'', 1997 (Outpost Recordings) – "Me Estas Matando" *'' Silencio=Muerte: Red Hot + Latin'', 1998 (H.O.L.A. Records) – "Pepe and Irene" *'' The Sopranos: Music from the HBO Original Series'', 1999 (

Playtone Playtone (stylized on-screen as PLAY•TONE; a.k.a. The Playtone Company) is an American film and television production company established in 1998 by actor Tom Hanks and producer Gary Goetzman. It was named after the fictional record company ...

, Columbia,

Sony Music Soundtrax Epic Soundtrax was an American record label. A division of Sony Music's Epic Records, it was established in 1992 as an imprint for soundtrack albums. It was founded by Epic's then executive vice-president, Richard Griffiths, and Glen Brunman, ...

) – "Viking" *'' Live at the World Café - Volume 9'', 1999 (World Cafe) – "This Time" *'' Spy Kids: Music from the Dimension Motion Picture'', 2001 (Chapter III Records) – "Spy Wedding" and "Oye Como Spy" *''

Disney's House Of Mouse ''Disney's House of Mouse'' (or simply ''House of Mouse'') is an American animated television series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation that originally aired for three seasons on ABC and Toon Disney from January 13, 2001, to its finale ...

, 2001 – End Credits Music On KineMaster *'' Look at All the Love We Found: A Tribute to Sublime'', 2005 ( Cornerstone RAS) – "Pawn Shop" *'' Nacho Libre: Music from the Motion Picture'', 2006 ( Lakeshore Records) – "Saint Behind the Glass" *''

'', 2006 (

Buena Vista Television Buena ( ) is a borough in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 4,603,Disney–ABC Domestic Television Disney–ABC Domestic Television (doing business as Disney–ABC Home Entertainment and Television Distribution, and formerly named Buena Vista Television) is the in-home sales and content distribution firm of Disney Platform Distribution, a su ...

television series) – "Handy Manny Theme Song" *'' I'm Not There: Original Soundtrack'', 2007 (Sony Music Soundtrax, Columbia) – "Billy 1" *'' Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino'', 2007 (

) – " The Fat Man" *'' Keep Your Soul: A Tribute to Doug Sahm'', 2009 (Vanguard) – "It Didn't Even Bring Me Down" *''Man of Somebody's Dreams: A Tribute to Chris Gaffney'', 2010 (

Yep Roc Records Yep Roc Records is an American independent record label based in Hillsborough, North Carolina, and owned by Redeye Distribution. Since 1997, the label has released albums from North Carolina and international artists, including Nick Lowe, Paul W ...

) – "A Man of Somebody's Dreams" *'' El Infierno: Soundtrack'', 2010 (

Bandidos Films ''Bandidos Films'' is a Mexican film production house associated with AMPI (Mexican Association of Independent Producers). Productions Bandidos Films has been mainly characterized by its films about the government's alleged tyranny and poverty i ...

) – "Mexico Americano", "Serenato Norteña" and "Prenda del Alma" *'' Rango: Music from the Motion Picture'', 2011 ( Anti-) – "El Canelo", "Walk Don't Rango" and "Rango Theme Song" *'' Use Me'',

David Bromberg David Bromberg (born September 19, 1945) is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter. David Bromberg biographyat Billboard.com An eclectic artist, Bromberg plays bluegrass, blues, folk, jazz, country and western, and rock a ...

, 2011 ( Appleseed) – "The Long Goodbye" *'' Music from The American Epic Sessions: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack'', 2017 (Lo-Max, Columbia,

Third Man Fielding in the sport of cricket is the action of fielders in collecting the ball after it is struck by the striking batter, to limit the number of runs that the striker scores and/or to get a batter out by either catching a hit ball befo ...

) – "El Cascabel"

DVD

*''Live at the Fillmore'', 2004 *'' Kiko Live'', 2012 (Recorded February 24, 2006 at

)

Singles

Featured singles

References

External links

Los Lobos homepage

JamBase.com article

2007 Mas Magazine article & podcast

Collection of Music Magazine articles on Los Lobos

Rolling Stone's Los Lobos artist guide
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lobos, Los Musical groups from Los Angeles Musical groups established in 1973 Rock en Español music groups Grammy Award winners Slash Records artists Rough Trade Records artists London Records artists Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winners 429 Records artists RCA Records artists Mammoth Records artists Warner Records artists Proper Records artists National Heritage Fellowship winners