Rock music entered the Peruvian scene in the late 1950s, through listening to performers like Elvis Presley,

Buddy Holly Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959), known as Buddy Holly, was an American singer and songwriter who was a central and pioneering figure of mid-1950s rock and roll. He was born to a musical family in Lubbock, Texas ...

and Bill Haley, who popularized rockabilly in the United States. The first Peruvian rock bands appeared during this time. They included Los Millonarios del Jazz, Los Stars, Conjunto Astoria, Los Incas Modernos, and Los Zodiacs.

History

1960s

New trends like British

Merseybeat Beat music, British beat, or Merseybeat is a British popular music genre that developed, particularly in and around Liverpool, in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The genre melded influences from American rock and roll, rhythm and blues, skiffle ...

and American surf became popular, and a number of Peruvian bands built a loyal audience. Los Saicos blended

psychedelic rock Psychedelic rock is a rock music Music genre, genre that is inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelia, psychedelic culture, which is centered on perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The music incorporated new electronic sound ...

garage rock Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock and roll that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The sty ...

and surf. Los Shains featured rock guitar hero (later in

Pax Pax or PAX may refer to: Peace * Peace (Latin: ''pax'') ** Pax (goddess), the Roman goddess of peace ** Pax, a truce term * Pax (liturgy), a salutation in Catholic and Lutheran religious services * Pax (liturgical object), an object formerly kiss ...

Traffic Sound Traffic Sound was a Peruvian rock band founded in 1967 by Manuel Sanguinetti (vocals), Freddy Rizo-Patrón Buckley (rhythm guitar), Jean Pierre Magnet (sax), Willy "Wilito" Barclay Ricketts (lead guitar), Willy Thorne Valega (bass, d.2019) and Lu ...

, the first Peruvian

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 ...

, merged core players from Los Hang Ten's with other important musicians. Also popular were Los York's,

Los Jaguars LOS, or Los, or LoS may refer to: Science and technology * Length of stay, the duration of a single episode of hospitalisation * Level of service, a measure used by traffic engineers * Level of significance, a measure of statistical significanc ...

Los Silvertons LOS, or Los, or LoS may refer to: Science and technology * Length of stay, the duration of a single episode of hospitalisation * Level of service, a measure used by traffic engineers * Level of significance, a measure of statistical significanc ...

Los Belkings LOS, or Los, or LoS may refer to: Science and technology * Length of stay, the duration of a single episode of hospitalisation * Level of service, a measure used by traffic engineers * Level of significance, a measure of statistical significance ...

and

Los Doltons LOS, or Los, or LoS may refer to: Science and technology * Length of stay, the duration of a single episode of hospitalisation * Level of service, a measure used by traffic engineers * Level of significance, a measure of statistical significanc ...

1970s

After the military coup in October 1968, rock music was branded an alienating phenomenon by the government of General

Juan Velasco Alvarado Juan Francisco Velasco Alvarado (June 16, 1910 – December 24, 1977) was a Peruvian general who served as the President of Peru after a successful coup d'état against Fernando Belaúnde's presidency in 1968. Under his presidency, nationalism ...

. There was a ban of concerts in key venues including a highly anticipated

Carlos Santana Carlos Humberto Santana Barragán (; born July 20, 1947) is an American guitarist who rose to fame in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band Santana, which pioneered a fusion of Rock and roll and Latin American jazz. Its sound featured ...

concert in 1971. However, some AM radio stations continued to play rock music (such as Radio Miraflores, Radio 1160, and Radio Atalaya). Also, record companies continued to release LPs of rock bands (such as Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix) in Peru. The movie '' Woodstock'' was shown in Lima every two or three years. Moreover, some bands left their mark, such as

El Polen EL, El or el may refer to: Religion * El (deity), a Semitic word for "God" People * EL (rapper) (born 1983), stage name of Elorm Adablah, a Ghanaian rapper and sound engineer * El DeBarge, music artist * El Franco Lee (1949–2016), American ...

We All Together We All Together was a Peruvian 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 O ...

, Telegraph Avenue,

Black Sugar Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have of ...

Crossroads Crossroads, crossroad, cross road or similar may refer to: * Crossroads (junction), where four roads meet Film and television Films * ''Crossroads'' (1928 film), a 1928 Japanese film by Teinosuke Kinugasa * ''Cross Roads'' (film), a 1930 Brit ...

, Tripping Foxters, Red Amber (the first Peruvian progressive rock band), and Fragil (in the late 1970s). In the late 1970s, the band

Breeze Breeze often refers to: * A gentle to moderate wind * Sea breeze, an onshore afternoon wind, caused by warm air rising over the land in sunny weather Breeze or The Breeze may also refer to: * Breeze block a concrete masonry unit made from recovere ...

with Roxana Valdivieso released a self-titled album with English lyrics. Peruvian rock descended into its most obscure era during the mid-1970s, losing the momentum it had laboriously gained.

Disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...

and

salsa Salsa most often refers to: * Salsa (Mexican cuisine), a variety of sauces used as condiments * Salsa music, a popular style of Latin American music * Salsa (dance), a Latin dance associated with Salsa music Salsa or SALSA may also refer to: A ...

dominated the airwaves for the remainder of the decade. Some rock musicians became jazz musicians, such as guitarist Richie Zellon.

1980s

During the late 1970s and early 1980s, Peruvian rock bands were confined to the underground scene; with no radio or TV support. The half-hour TV show Disco Club led by singer-songwriter Gerardo Manuel (Rojas) was an occasional exception. Fragil released its first LP in 1981. Nevertheless, because of the deep crisis that the country was suffering, Peruvian rockers looked for a way to channel their frustrations. In this environment, it is no surprise that British punk rock became a major influence to a few young Peruvians rockers of this era, and quickly a small "underground" scene started brewing parallel to the free-again 'mainstream' scene. Bands like

Leusemia Leuzemia is a Peruvian punk rock band. The name of the band is a misspelling of the Spanish word ''leucemia'' (meaning leukemia). History The band was formed in Lima, Peru in 1983 by Daniel F (guitar, vocals), Kimba Vilis (drums), Raúl Montáñ ...

, Narcosis, Autopsia, Guerrilla Urbana, Zcuela Crrada formed part of the first wave. The members of these bands were mostly from poor neighborhoods, but a few came from upper-class neighborhoods and had learned English in their schools. Bands like Fragil,

Rio Rio or Río is the Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and Maltese word for "river". When spoken on its own, the word often means Rio de Janeiro, a major city in Brazil. Rio or Río may also refer to: Geography Brazil * Rio de Janeiro * Rio do Sul, a ...

, Miki Gonzales,

, Jas, Imagenes, Trama, Danai y Pateandolatas came from upper and middle-class backgrounds, uncovering the social division in Peruvian society. According to some scholars (mainly left-wing thinkers), the 'underground' scene was by far richer in creativity, though lacking technical skills; others thought the 'commercial' scene was more worthwhile, since the underground scene only reached a few hundred supporters per concert and was focused in the capital of Lima, being virtually unknown to the rest of the country. Quickly several bands started appearing and creating subgenres within the umbrella 'underground' scene. Radio or TV support was nonexistent for them (the mainstream bands did have some), poverty and lack of technology prevented most bands from recording any moderate-quality material. Despite all this, the present and future looked much brighter than in the 1970s, since these bands, especially the mainstream ones, were pioneers in the rock scene after the 1975–1985 downturn. At the same time, an underground scene of

death metal Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. It typically employs heavily distorted and low-tuned guitars, played with techniques such as palm muting and tremolo picking; deep growling vocals; aggressive, powerful drumming, feat ...

and

black metal Black metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include Tempo#Beats per minute, fast tempos, a Screaming (music)#Black metal, shrieking vocal style, heavily distorted Electric guitar, guitars played with t ...

developed in Lima, influenced by European bands. Local bands such as

Mortem Mortem is a death metal band formed in 1986 in Lima, Peru. They are the first Peruvian metal band to have toured Europe and the United States. Mortem’s musical style is firmly rooted in the death metal, black metal and thrash metal of the 1980 ...

and Kranium were formed in the 1980s.

1990s

The further growth of the underground scene and the liberalization of Peruvian society and economy allowed rock musicians to create sub-circuits, and rock became very diverse. Some of the best (but not necessarily best known) rock bands from Peru came out during this decade.

became the leaders of not only the 'underground' faction, but of all Peruvian rock, undergoing a change from very basic rock band to a prolific and influential group that included rock anthems, ballads and symphonic, almost progressive rock. For those who liked the 1980s post-punk, Dolores Delirio, Voz Propia and Cardenales were among the best at the

goth A Goth is a member of the Goths, a group of East Germanic tribes. Two major political entities of the Goths were: *Visigoths, prominent in Spanish history *Ostrogoths, prominent in Italian history Goth or Goths may also refer to: * Goth (surname) ...

sound. Huelga De Hambre was one of Peru's

grunge Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock genre and subculture that emerged during the in the American Pacific Northwest state of Washington, particularly in Seattle and nearby towns. Grunge fuses elements of p ...

-influenced group. El Aire, G3,

Arcana Arcana may refer to: Music * Arcana (American band), an American jazz band * Arcana (Swedish band), a Swedish dark wave band * Arcana (record label), a French classical record label * Arcana (album), ''Arcana'' (album), a 2001 album by Edenbridge ...

, Radio Criminal,

Los Mojarras Los Mojarras are a band from the province of El Agustino Lima Peru that formed in 1992. They released their first album in the same year, titled Sarita Colonia, and are still currently producing music and performingLink labelThey have been politica ...

Mar De Copas Mar de Copas is a Peruvian alternative rock band from Lima. They emerged from the South American independent music scene of the 1990s. Mar de Copas sold over 50,000 copies of their first four albums in Peru, where an album with 5,000 copies sold ...

La Liga del Sueño La Liga Del Sueño is a Peruvian pop punk band formed in 1991 which had two minor hits "La Peor de las Guerras" and "Mala Sangre". The band was formed in Lima by several members of the very well known (locally) clown troupé called " Pataclaun" ...

and Rafo Raez were very solid bands of diverse genres that were followed in the late 1990s by

La Sarita 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 ...

, Ni Voz Ni Voto,

Cementerio Club Cementerio Club is a Peruvian alternative rock band formed in 1996. In 1999 MTV began to play their videoclip of the song "Barco Viejo" and in 2001 MTV played another video of them called "Sometimes Bonita". In 2004, Cementerio Club was nominated ...

, D'Mente Comun and Líbido, greatly expanding rock music in Peru. Due to financial difficulties and lack of support from promoters, most bands had to play the same few venues, where they build loyal and knowledgeable fanbases. Although the concerts were very small at the beginning (typically 50 people), as the decade progressed, more young people started to notice these bands and fill bigger venues with 500, 1000, or 2000 people. Towards the end of the decade, major concerts like "Acustirock", "El Niño Malo", "Antimiseria" and "Inrockuptibles" each brought in at least 10,000 fans. Peruvian media began to pay attention to these bands in the late 1990s, giving exposure to bands of a decidedly more upper-class and 'safer' sounding rock. The most prominent bands of 'mainstream' 1990s Peruvian rock were Nosequien y Los Nosecuantos, Miki Gonzales and

Arena Hash Arena Hash was a Peruvian rock band. The band originated from the early "Paranoia", a band formed at Maria Reina School, a Peruvian school in 1984. Arena Hash became famous in 1988 with their local hit "Cuando La Cama Me Da Vueltas". Members Thes ...

. From this last band,

Pedro Suárez-Vértiz Pedro Suárez-Vértiz Alva (born February 13, 1969) is a Peruvian singer-songwriter, and guitarist. He founded the popular rock band Arena Hash with his brother Patricio, Arturo Pomar and Christian Meier in 1987; a few years later, the band brok ...

went on a solo career and became the most commercially successful Peruvian rocker of the decade. The black metal and death metal scene remained an underground, with a few bands releasing self-produced material. Bands included black-metal acts Illapa, Belzec, and Nahual; and death-thrash metal acts like Dark Silence, Ensalve, and Hadez. Many conflicts between bands (which include trash-talking and rivalries) and critical political and economic issues led to the breakup of many metal groups. A report on Peruvian rock included in the July 1999 issue of ''

Maximum RocknRoll ''Maximumrocknroll'', often written as ''Maximum Rocknroll'' and usually abbreviated as ''MRR'', is a not-for-profit monthly zine of punk subculture. Based in San Francisco, ''MRR'' focuses on punk rock and hardcore music, and primarily featur ...

'' mentions the following bands: Aeropajitas, Manganzoides, 60s garage punk/garage revival, Asmereir, a blend of punk/ska/reggae/hardcore/thrash,

, that put out a double CD through Coyote Records titled '' Moxon'', Histeria Kolectiva reminiscing of

dios hastío Dios may refer to: * ''Dios'', Spanish for God * ''Dios'', a character in the anime/manga series Revolutionary Girl Utena * Desorption ionization on silicon, an ionization technique in mass spectrometry * dios (malos), a rock band from Hawthorn ...

euro-crustcore intense and desperate, Ataque Frontal classic I-spit-on-your-face band, one of the shapers of the scene, Psicosis ska/punk orchestra, 3 Al Hilo, punk rock and roll, Metadona female-fronted pop-punk, Magras punk/hardcore and reggae, P. T. K. this means Pateando Tu Kara, Sudor de Huevos (SDH)-punk, Los Rezios, Autonomia, Migraña, Irreverentes, Hazloquechuchapunkron, Perú No Existe, Generacion Perdida. It also mentioned fanzines: Caleta,

Sub Sub is a common abbreviation of words beginning with the prefix "sub-". Sub or SUB may also refer to Places * Juanda International Airport, Surabaya, Indonesia, IATA code SUB Computing and technology * , an HTML tag for subscript * SUB designate ...

, Cuero Negro and Crash Boom Zap.

2000s

A mature and prolific rock scene soon gained exposure due to the improved economic presence of Peru in the region. Peruvian TV and the Latin American division of

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

took notice of Peruvian bands, and included them in their shows ahead of the Peruvian mainstream radio. Peruvian rock videos were in normal rotation alongside regionally known acts like Soda Stereo, Shakira and Jaguares. Líbido became Peru's most successful band, selling hundreds of thousands of discs worldwide and receiving Grammy nominations and several Latin MTV awards. Soon other bands like Amen, Zen and TK found success. Aliados and Inyectores (both made up of ex- G3 members), Los Fuckin Sombreros, Campo De Almas,

Pelo Madueño Jorge Enrique Madueño Vizurraga (born 8 March 1968), better known by his stage name Pelo Madueño, is a Peruvian singer-songwriter, producer, actor, and broadcaster. He was the drummer of the ' (underground rock) bands Narcosis (1984–1986) and E ...

(drummer of the 1980s Peruvian rock band Narcosis and leader, vocalist and guitarist of the 1990s Peruvian rock band

La Liga Del Sueño La Liga Del Sueño is a Peruvian pop punk band formed in 1991 which had two minor hits "La Peor de las Guerras" and "Mala Sangre". The band was formed in Lima by several members of the very well known (locally) clown troupé called " Pataclaun" ...

6 Voltios 6 Voltios is a Peruvian punk rock band formed in 1998 that currently consists of Alexis Korfiatis, Marcel Caillaux and Mauritius Llona. The band won popularity since 1999, when they released their debut-album ''Desde el sótano''. 6 Voltios has ...

, Space bee, Zaraúz, Brinvonda, Turbopotamos, Vaselina,

, Pancho Pepe Jazz Band, Los Claxon, DaleVuelta, Tráfico,

Uchpa Uchpa is a Quechua-singing Peruvian hard rock and blues band. Fredy Ortiz formed the band in 1994. History Uchpa came to fame singing in the Quechua language. Formed in Ayacucho in 1991, initially playing cover versions of Nirvana in Quechua ...

which is a rock & blues band in Quechua, Jose Arbulú (the vocalist and lead guitar of Cementerio Club), and Area 7 (an exponent of Peruvian Nu-Metal and the country's only all-female metal band), were acts that developed at the local level. Peruvian electronic music has its representatives in bands like Theremyn 4, Unidad central, Deimos, Insumision, Ensamble, Vacuna tu hijo, Kollantes. Dozens of new bands kept coming out and most of the 1990s bands were still playing and improving their recordings. The albums of the early rock banks, including Los Saicos,

, and

were released on CDs. Radio stations became more receptive of mainstream Peruvian Rock, given its recent commercial success. Most of the Peruvian media continues to not promote popular underground acts such as punk and reggae.

2010s

During the 2010s, many groups have emerged in the larger cities of Peru, especially in Lima. The growing world scene of psychedelic rock had led to the psychedelic sound being mixed with other genres, influencing Peruvian bands Cholo Visceral (blending with prog rock), Los Silver Mornings (vintage rock), Spatial Moods (blues), Onerom (jazz), and The Dead End-Alley Band and El Jefazo (stoner rock). In some Internet articles it is called "Nueva Psicodelia Latinoamericana" as a way to differentiate it from other kinds of psychedelic rock music that have emerged in Latinamerica during the 1970s, 1980s or 1990s.https://noisey.vice.com/es_co/article/el-despertar-de-la-nueva-psicodelia-en-latinoamerica-parte-2

List of bands and solo performers

Frágil Frágil may refer to: * Frágil (band), a Peruvian rock band, or their self-titled album * Frágil (Allison song), "Frágil" (Allison song), 2006 * Frágil (Yahritza y su Esencia and Grupo Frontera song), "Frágil" (Yahritza y su Esencia and Grup ...

* Amen *

Mar de Copas Mar de Copas is a Peruvian alternative rock band from Lima. They emerged from the South American independent music scene of the 1990s. Mar de Copas sold over 50,000 copies of their first four albums in Peru, where an album with 5,000 copies sold ...

* Crimson Death * Dale Vuelta * Los Dickens * Theremyn 4 *(1957) Los Millonarios del Jazz *(1958) Eulogio Molina y sus Rockanrollers *(1959) Jorge Botteri *(1962) Los Kreps *(1962) Los Incas Modernos *(1963) Los Sunset *(1963) Los Golden Boys *(1964) Los Zodiacs *(1964) Los Saicos *(1964) Los Shains *(1965) Los Termits *(1965) Los Doltons *(1965) Los Drags *(1965) Los Steivos *(1965) Los Fannings *(1965) Los Teddys *(1965) Los VIPs *(1965) Los Belkings *(1966) Los Spectros *(1966) Los Golden Stars *(1966) Los York's *(1966) Los Silverstons *(1967) Los Holys *(1967) Los Zanys *(1967) Traffic Sounds *(1968) The Mad's *(1968) Los Comandos *(1969) El Opio *(1969) Los Far Fen *(1969) The (St Thomas) Pepper Smelter *(1969) Telegraph Avenue *(1969) PAX *(1970) Black Sugar *(1970) Grupo Amigos *(1970) Gerardo Manuel & El Humo *(1971) El Alamo *(1971) Smog *(1971) Cacique *(1971) We All Together *(1972) El Ayllu *(1972) El Polen *(1972) Tarkus *(1974) Red Amber *(1976) Frágil *(1980) Up Lapsus *(1982) Autocontrol *(1983) Rio *(1983) Leuzemia *(1984) Feiser *(1984) Narcosis *(1985) M.A.S.A.C.R.E. *(1986) Arena Hash *(1986) Miki Gonzáles *(1986) G-3 *(1986) XDinero *(1987) Trama *(1987) Orgus *(1988) No se quién y no se cuántos *(1991) UCHPA *(1991) La Liga del Sueño *(1992) Mar de Copas *(1993) Los Zopilotes *(1993)

*(1994) Campo de Almas *(1994) Dolores Delirio *(1994) Ni Voz Ni Voto *(1994) Huelga de Hambre *(1995) Amen *(1996) Madre Matilda *(1995) Trémolo *(1996
Deimos
*(1996) El Aire *(1996) Libido *(1996) Arcana *(1996) Cementerio Club *(1998) Semillas *(2000) Chaska *(2000) Inyectores *(2001) TK *(2001) Chabelos *(2001) Gaia *(2002) La Negra *(2002) Fuera del Resto *(2002) ZEN *(2003) Wayo *(2004)

Pamela Rodriguez Pamela may refer to: *''Pamela; or, Virtue Rewarded'', a novel written by Samuel Richardson in 1740 *Pamela (name), a given name and, rarely, a surname *Pamela Spence, a Turkish pop-rock singer. Known as her stage name "Pamela" * MSC ''Pamela'', ...

*(2005) YAWARHIEM *(2005) Dos Vírgenes *(2005) Emergency Blanket *(2007) Alerta Rocket *(2007) Los Silver Mornings *(2007) Diego Dibós *(2007) Grisho *(2008)

*(2008) Autobus *(2009) Jhovan *(2010) Zhoria *(2010) Difonía *(2010) Los Luna *(2010) Kanaku y El Tigre *(2010) Los Casablancahttp://elcomercio.pe/impresa/notas/adios-casablanca/20110714/862989 *(2011) Alejandro y Maria Laura *(2011) Cholo Visceral *(2011) Francois Peglau *(2012) Gris Volta *(2012) Spatial Moods *(2012) Tourista (rock) *(2013) Danitse *(2013) Puto Man Insecto *(2014) La Lá *(2014) Almirante Ackbar *(2014) Mundaka *(2015) Los Lagartos *(2015) Serto Mercurio *(2015)

Fabricio Robles Fabricio () is a Spanish male given name. Fabrício () is the Portuguese equivalent. Among those with the first name are: *Fabricio Coloccini, Argentine footballer *Fabrício Guerreiro (born 1990), Brazilian mixed martial artist *Fabricio Oberto, A ...

*(2015) Astronaut Project *(2015) Banana Child *(2015) Manuel Vera Tudela Wither *(2016) El Cuarto de Juegos *(2016) Bricheros *(2016) Golden Cameleon *(2017) Inzul *(2017) Santa García *(2017) Mecánica del Caos *(2018) Lorena Blume *(2019) Putzy

References

{{Music in Spanish

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 ...

* Rock music by country