Spanish rock is the term used for the variety of
rock music
Rock music is a broad genre of popular music that originated as " rock and roll" in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of different styles in the mid-1960s and later, particularly in the United States an ...
produced in Spain. Most bands formed in Spain have sung in Spanish, but many others have sung in English, French and Italian, in addition to the other languages spoken in Spain, such as
Catalan
Catalan may refer to:
Catalonia
From, or related to Catalonia:
* Catalan language, a Romance language
* Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia
Places
* 13178 Catalan, asteroid #1 ...
,
Galician,
Basque
Basque may refer to:
* Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France
* Basque language, their language
Places
* Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France
* Basque Country (autonomous co ...
,
Aragonese, and
Asturian.
History
Beginnings (1950s–early 1960s)
At first, rock music was influenced by the surrounding countries like France or Italy. Despite
Francoist
Francoist Spain ( es, España franquista), or the Francoist dictatorship (), was the period of Spanish history between 1939 and 1975, when Francisco Franco ruled Spain after the Spanish Civil War with the title . After his death in 1975, Spani ...
censorship, many albums were released and mass media started to introduce the new sounds of international music. The most important rock scenes were in Madrid, Zaragoza, Sevilla, Cádiz, Barcelona, and Valencia.
Beat, pop, psychedelia (1960s)
Rock in Spain started to spread nationally. After the
British Invasion
The British Invasion was a cultural phenomenon of the mid-1960s, when rock and pop music acts from the United Kingdom and other aspects of British culture became popular in the United States and significant to the rising "counterculture" on b ...
, many artists such as
Los Bravos
Los Bravos were a Spanish beat group, formed in 1965 and based in Madrid. They are most well known for their debut single "Black Is Black" which reached No. 2 in the United Kingdom in July 1966 and No. 4 in the United States (the first Spanish g ...
,
Lone Star,
Los Brincos
Los Brincos (The Jumps) were one of the most successful Spanish rock bands of the 1960s, and were sometimes called the “Spanish Beatles”.
The group was formed in 1964. The members were Fernando Arbex (drums), Manuel González (bass), Juan Par ...
and
Miguel Ríos
Miguel Ríos Campaña (born 7 June 1944) is a Spanish singer, composer, actor. He is one of the pioneers of rock and roll in Spain.
Biography
Ríos was born in La Cartuja, a neighborhood of Granada. The youngest of seven children, he went to wo ...
appeared. Los Brincos achieved some international success in France, Portugal and Italy. Los Bravos hit some international charts with their single "
Black Is Black
"Black Is Black" is a song by the Spanish rock band Los Bravos, released in 1966 as the group's debut single for Decca Records. Produced by Ivor Raymonde, it reached number two in the UK,
number four in the US,
and number one in Canada.
With ...
", as did Mike Ríos with "
A Song of Joy
"A Song of Joy" ("Himno de la alegría") is the title of a popular rock song by the Spanish singer and actor Miguel Ríos. It is set to the tune the Ninth Symphony by Ludwig van Beethoven, as arranged by Waldo de los Ríos, who specialized in arr ...
".
Progressive and hard rock (1970s)
![Triana - Billboard](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3c/Triana_-_Billboard.jpg)
While mainstream Spanish rock declined during this decade, the underground scenes of progressive rock and
rock urbano emerged. Spanish progressive rock was a commercial failure. In the mid-1970s, a new style called
Andalusian rock
Flamenco rock or Andalusian rock is a rock music subgenre that emerged from (but is not limited to) the Spanish region of Andalusia throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s. There were some precedents like a couple of albums (''Rock encounter ...
that combined flamenco with prog rock started to gain some popularity with bands like
Triana. During the
Spanish transition to democracy
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...
in the late 1970s, hard rock acts appeared. Some hard rock bands influenced by early punk rock like
Leño
Leño was a Spanish hard rock band created in 1978 in Madrid.
The band members were Rosendo Mercado as guitarist and vocalist, Chiqui Mariscal as bassist and Ramiro Penas on drums. When they started to record their first album ''Leño'', Chiq ...
pioneered the rock urbano movement.
Golden Era. New wave, post-punk, heavy metal and punk (1980s)
Punk rock in Spain started its most successful stage with bands like
Kortatu
Kortatu was a Basque ska punk band from the Basque Autonomous Community formed in Irun in the summer of 1984.
Kortatu was born in the context of the first democracy years in Spain in 1984. They had a big significance for left-wing basque natio ...
,
La Polla Records
La Polla Records was a punk rock band from the Basque Country, formed in 1979 in Salvatierra/Agurain, a small town in Álava, Spain. Its founders were Evaristo Páramos "Evaristo" on vocals, Maleguin on bass, Fernandito on drums and Txarly an ...
and
Eskorbuto
Eskorbuto was a Spanish punk rock band from Santurtzi, Greater Bilbao, Basque Autonomous Community, that formed in 1980. They have been one of the most influential bands for Spanish and Latin American punk rock. They are known for their strong ...
.
La Movida Madrileña
''La Movida Madrileña'' ( en, The Madrilenian Scene) was a countercultural movement that took place mainly in Madrid during the Spanish transition to democracy after the death of dictator Francisco Franco in 1975. The movement coincided with econ ...
was a countercultural movement that produced many bands influenced by punk and
new wave, such as
kaka de luxe
Kaka may refer to:
People Nickname or given name Sports
* Carlos Augusto dos Santos da Silva (born 1987), Brazil-born Italy international futsal player
* Kaká (born 1982), Brazilian footballer Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite
* Kaká (footbal ...
,
Derribos Arias,
Radio Futura
Radio Futura was a Spanish pop rock group. They rose to become one of the most popular bands in Spain during the 1980s and early 1990s. In 1989 they were voted the best Spanish act of the 1980s.
The beginnings
In 1979, painter, amateur singer a ...
,
Alaska y Dinarama
Fangoria are a Spanish electropop duo, consisting of Olvido Gara (a.k.a. Alaska, main vocals, occasional guitar), and Nacho Canut (keyboards, occasional bass guitar). Fangoria have sold 1 million records worldwide since 1989.
History
In 1977 ...
,
Gabinete Caligari,
Nacha Pop
Nacha Pop was a Spanish pop/rock group active from 1978 to 1988.
The band was formed by Antonio Vega and Nacho García Vega (guitars and vocals), Carlos Brooking (bass) and Ñete (drums). They signed with Spanish EMI subsidiary Hispavox in 1 ...
,
Loquillo y los Trogloditas and
Los Secretos
Los Secretos are a Spanish rock band founded in Madrid in 1978 and often associated with the movida madrileña movement.
The band's lineup has undergone many changes over the years, beginning with the successive deaths of two of their drummer ...
. Since many of the bands from La Movida did not achieve enough commercial success, many discographies left them supporting other bands like
Mecano
Mecano was a Spanish pop band formed in 1981 and active until 1992. Mecano became one of the most successful Spanish pop bands of all time. The band is still the best-selling Spanish band, with over 25 million records worldwide. They were consid ...
, which achieved some international success,
Siniestro Total, or
Aerolíneas Federales. Hard rock acts such as
Los Suaves
Los Suaves is a Spanish hard rock band from Ourense, Galicia (Spain), Galicia. The band was founded in the 1980s by the Domínguez brothers: Charly, bassist and Yosi Domínguez, vocalist.
The chance to record their first album, ''Esta vida me va ...
or
Barricada
Barricada (from Spanish: ''Barricade'') were a Navarrese hard rock
Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the ga ...
emerged with lack of promotion. Heavy metal bands also appeared in the early 1980s like
Barón Rojo
Barón Rojo (') is a Spanish heavy metal band from Madrid that achieved international success in the 1980s. The band is led by siblings Carlos and Armando de Castro, previously from the band Coz, and is considered one of the most important rep ...
and
Obús
Obús is a Spanish heavy metal band founded in Madrid, Spain in 1980. They stood out because they took the risk of making a big spectacle in their concerts, to reach to the level of other international heavy metal bands. In addition, the lyri ...
.
Indie and alternative (1990s–present)
![Heroes del Silencio Sevilla Oct 07](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0d/Heroes_del_Silencio_Sevilla_Oct_07.jpg)
The band
Héroes del Silencio
Héroes del Silencio (Spanish: ''Heroes of Silence'') (well known as Héroes or HDS) was a Spanish rock band from Zaragoza, formed by guitarist Juan Valdivia and singer Enrique Bunbury. The lineup was completed by bassist Joaquín Cardiel and ...
achieved international success, hitting some charts in Europe and Latin America.
Los Rodríguez
Los Rodríguez were a rock band composed of two Argentines, two Spaniards and one Puerto Rican that played during the 1990s.
History
The group was born in 1991 when Ariel Rot and Julián Infante (members of the famous group ''Tequila'') joi ...
also became popular in Spain and Latin America. In the mid-1990s, some cult bands like Los Enemigos,
Extremoduro
Extremoduro () was a Spanish hard rock band from Plasencia, Extremadura. The band is led by Roberto Iniesta, also known as "Robe", who is often referred as "El rey de Extremadura" (The king of Extremadura). The name Extremoduro is a pun on th ...
and
Platero y Tú
Platero y Tú () was a Spanish rock and roll and blues rock band formed in Bilbao in the 1980s, and disbanded in 2001. Their lyrics mainly deal about drugs, bar issues and love, and their style, being mainly influenced by bands such as Status ...
started to achieve mainstream success. Indie rock bands like
Los Planetas
Los Planetas (''The Planets'') is a Spanish indie rock group from the city of Granada which started out in the second half of the 1990s and continue now through the 2000s. The group's first hit was "Qué puedo hacer" (''What can I do?'') from t ...
appeared. Ska-punk band
Ska-P
Ska-P () is a Spanish ska punk band formed in 1994 in Vallecas, a district of Madrid, by a group of friends from Madrid, Navarre and Euskadi. Review by Chris Trueat Allmusic
The band can be categorized, politically, as an anti-establishment mu ...
and folk metal band
Mägo de Oz emerged, showing the rise of rock diversification.
{{Music in Spanish
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
*
Rock, Spanish