Los Lobos

Biography

Los Lobos (pronounced [los ˈloβos], Spanish for "the Wolves") is an American rock group from East Los Angeles, California. Their music is influenced by rock and roll, Tex-Mex, country, zydeco, folk, R&B, blues, brown-eyed soul, and traditional music such as cumbia, boleros and norteños. The band rose to international stardom in 1987, when their version of "La Bamba×La Bamba1987 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksALa BambaBCharlena" 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, Frankie Yankovic, and Robert Plant. In 2015, they were nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2018, they were inducted into the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame. They are also known for performing the theme song for Handy Manny. As of 2024, they have been nominated for twelve Grammy Awards and have won four.

1973–79: Formation and early releases

Vocalist and guitarist David Hidalgo and drummer Louie Pérez met at Garfield High School in East Los Angeles, California, and bonded over their mutual affinity for musical acts such as Fairport Convention, Randy Newman and Ry Cooder. 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 to complete the group's lineup, in 1973. Their first album, Los Lobos del Este de Los Angeles×Los Lobos del este de Los Angeles1978 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracksA1El canelo3:47A2El pescado nadador2:43A3Sabor a mi3:51A4Flor de huevo1:54A5aCielito lindo1:14A5bCielito lindo huasteco2:30A6La iguana3:21B1El cuchipe2:21B2Imploracion2:33B3Guantanamera4:48B4La feria de las flores2:42B5Maria chuchena3:57B6El bon bon de Elena3:39, 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 four 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), which translates to The Wolves of the East (of Los Angeles), a play on the name of the norteño band Los Tigres del Norte. There was another conjunto band at the time named "Los Lobos Del Norte", which had released several albums already. 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 in Los Angeles, when they were hired by David Ferguson and CD Presents to open for Public Image Ltd. On September 28, 1983, the band released an extended play 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. Seven 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 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?×How Will the Wolf Survive?1984 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Don't Worry Baby2:502A Matter of Time3:533Corrido #12:424Our Last Night3:095The Breakdown4:146I Got Loaded3:247Serenata Norteña2:538Evangeline2:439I Got to Let You Know2:3710Lil' King of Everything1:2211Will the Wolf Survive?3:42 The album's title and the title song were inspired by a National Geographic 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, and they later opened for the Los Angeles band the Blasters, whose influences included rhythm and blues and rockabilly. Philadelphia born Steve Berlin played saxophone for the Blasters then left the group to join Los Lobos. When he joined the band, Berlin spoke about his similar record collection to the other members of Los Lobos, where they shared loves for George Jones and Hank Williams.
The film Colors 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×By the Light of the Moon1987 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1One Time One Night4:492Shakin' Shakin' Shakes4:143Is This All There Is?4:004Prenda Del Alma3:215All I Wanted to Do Was Dance3:576Set Me Free (Rosa Lee)3:367The Hardest Time3:138My Baby's Gone3:419River of Fools2:5510The Mess We're In3:0111Tears of God3:47. In the same year, they recorded some Ritchie Valens covers for the soundtrack of the film La Bamba×La Bamba1987 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksALa BambaBCharlena, including the title track, 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 pistola y el corazónSeptember 1988 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracks1La guacamaya2:062Las amarillas3:043Si yo quisiera2:434(Sonajas) Mañanitas michoacanas2:245Estoy sentado aquí2:286El gusto2:597Que nadie sepa mi sufrir2:308El canelo3:289La pistola y el corazón3:28, featuring original and traditional Mexican songs. The album never peaked above #189 in the pop charts, but it did garner Los Lobos their second 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, U2 and the Grateful Dead.
Los Lobos returned with The Neighborhood in 1990, and the more experimental Kiko (produced by Mitchell Froom) in 1992. Kiko sold more units (over 400,000 sold) than the previous two albums and was voted 'Album of the year' by the Los Angeles Times and Chicago Sun-Times. 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 in 1993, 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. The album garnered a Grammy nomination for Best Children's Album. The band also scored the film Desperado. The album track "Mariachi Suite" won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance and was their 3rd Grammy Award.
In 1996, they released Colossal Head. In spite of the fact that the album was critically acclaimed, Warner Brothers 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 to the AIDS benefit album Silencio=Muerte: Red Hot + Latin, produced by the Red Hot Organization, on which they performed "Pepe and Irene."

1999–2006: Mammoth Records, subsequent releases

Los Lobos signed to Mammoth Records (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 November 2000, Rhino/Warner Archives released the boxed set Cancionero: Mas y Mas.
In 2001, Los Lobos was awarded the El Premio Billboard Award.
The band released their Mammoth Records debut, Good Morning Aztlan in 2002. They released The Ride in 2004 as an unofficial 30th Anniversary album. The Ride featured Tom Waits, Mavis Staples, Bobby Womack, Elvis Costello and others covering Los Lobos music with the band. They did a follow-up album in 2005, Ride This×Ride This3 August 2004 · EPSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 7 tracks1Jockey Full of Bourbon3:292More Than I Can Stand4:093Uncomplicated5:134Patria5:195Shoot Out the Lights4:556It'll Never Be Over for Me3:447Marie Marie2:56 – The Covers EP featuring Los Lobos covers of songs by Dave Alvin, Waits, Costello and others.
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 (Mammoth Records) to much critical acclaim. The album's lyrics deal with Louis Perez's childhood in East Los Angeles, while the music provides complex and original soundscapes reminiscent of their previous release Kiko. Cartoonist Jaime Hernandez did the artwork for the album. The album is told in the first person, with each song serving as an episodic step.

2007–present

In 2007, Los Lobos performed a cover of Bob Dylan's "Billy 1" (from Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid) for the soundtrack to Todd Haynes's film I'm Not There. Also in 2007, they participated in Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino (Vanguard), 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×Los Lobos Goes Disney26 October 2009 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1Heigh-Ho2:372I Wan'Na Be Like You3:393Not in Nottingham3:204The Tiki Tiki Tiki Room2:515Grim Grinning Ghosts3:326I Will Go Sailing No More2:227The Ugly Bug Ball3:288Cruella de Vil3:489Bella Notte2:5110Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah2:4911Bare Necessities2:5812Oo-De-Lally2:1013When You Wish Upon a Star / It's a Small World2:28 (Disney Sound/Walt Disney Records) and participated in a tribute album to the late Doug Sahm, 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 David Hidalgo were featured artists in the Experience Hendrix Tour.
On August 3, 2010, the group released their first album in four years, Tin Can Trust×Tin Can Trust3 August 2010 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks · 2 discsDisc 1A1Burn It Down5:11A2On Main Street3:17A3Yo Canto2:59B1Tin Can Trust4:35B2Jupiter or the Moon4:22B3Do the Murray3:36Disc 2C1All My Bridges Burning4:52C2West LA Freeway7:04C3The Lady and the Rose4:11D1Mujer Ingrata2:46D227 Spanishes4:37. In 2011, the group was nominated for two Grammy Awards for Tin Can Trust in the categories of Best Rock Instrumental Performance and Best Americana Album.
In 2011, the group was awarded the Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
In 2013, the group toured Europe supporting Neil Young and Crazy Horse.
On September 25, 2015, their album Gates of Gold×Gates of Gold25 September 2015 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Made to Break Your Heart4:462When We Were Free5:113Mis - Treater Boogie Blues3:114There I Go3:175Too Small Heart3:526Poquito para aquí3:567Gates of Gold3:528La tumba será el final2:399Song of the Sun3:4110I Believed You So4:2411Magdalena4:15 was released.
On October 9, 2015, Los Lobos was nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for the first time.
In 2017, Los Lobos appeared in the multi award-winning documentary film The American Epic Sessions 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 had to rush to an upholstery shop to repair it.
Los Lobos was inducted into the Austin City Limits 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 in the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California.
The band was a recipient of a 2021 National Heritage Fellowship awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts, 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×Native Sons5 May 2021 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1Love Special Delivery2:232Misery2:343Bluebird / For What It’s Worth6:394Los chucos suaves3:255Jamaica Say You Will3:166Never No More2:377Native Son3:118Farmer John2:309Dichoso3:3610Sail On, Sailor3:2111The World Is a Ghetto8:3312Flat Top Joint2:5113Where Lovers Go4:32, 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".
The group's co-founder and former band member Francisco González died on March 30, 2022, at the age of 68.
On April 3, 2022, at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards which was held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Los Lobos won their fourth Grammy Award for Native Sons, this time in the Best Americana Album category.
On November 25, 2023, Los Lobos celebrated their 50th Anniversary at their alma mater, James Garfield High School in East Los Angeles with a sold-out performance at the high school's auditorium. Two shows earlier that week in Los Angeles also sold out immediately: The Whisky a Go Go in West Hollywood and The Paramount Theatre in Boyle Heights.
In February 2024, Los Lobos were inducted into the California Hall of Fame.
In March 2026, a documentary film titled Los Lobos Native Sons, premiered at the South By Southwest Film Festival in Austin, Texas. A film five years in the making, among the people interviewed are musicians Tom Waits, Linda Rondstadt, Ozomatli, Flaco Jimenez, Bonnie Raitt and actors Cheech Marin, Edward James Olmos and Chicano activist Dolores Huerta.

Members

David Hidalgo – vocals, guitar, accordion, fiddle, requinto jarocho (1973–present)
Louie Pérez – drums, guitar, jarana huasteca, vocals (1973–present)
Cesar Rosas – vocals, guitar, bajo sexto (1973–present)
Conrad Lozano – bass, guitarron, vocals (1973–present)
Steve Berlin – saxophone, flute, keyboards, percussion (1982–present)

Former members

Francisco "Frank" González – vocals, mandolin, arpa jarocha (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 – drums, percussion (2021–present)

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, 1988
The Neighborhood, 1990
Kiko, 1992
Papa's Dream, 1995
Colossal Head, 1996
This Time, 1999
Good Morning Aztlán, 2002
The Ride, 2004
The Town and the City, 2006
Los Lobos Goes Disney, 2009
Tin Can Trust, 2010
Gates of Gold, 2015
Llegó 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, San Diego)
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) – "Diablo Con Vestido" and "How Much Can I Do"
L.A. Rockabilly, 1982 (Rhino Records) – "We're Gonna Rock"
Graceland, Paul Simon, 1986 (Warner Bros.) – "All Around the World or the Myth of Fingerprints"
A Fine Mess: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, 1986 (Motown) – "I'm Gonna Be a Wheel Someday"
The Money Pit: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, 1986 – "La Bamba×La Bamba1987 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksALa BambaBCharlena"
La Bamba: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, 1987 (Slash/Warner Bros.) – "La Bamba", "Come On, Let's Go" and six others
Colors, 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) – "I Got Loaded"
Hey Good Lookin (video), Buckwheat Zydeco, 1990 – with David Hidalgo and Dwight Yoakam
Deadicated: A Tribute to the Grateful Dead, 1991 (Arista) – "Bertha"
The Mambo Kings: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, 1992 (Elektra) – "Beautiful Maria of My Soul×Beautiful Maria of My SoulSingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Beautiful Maria of My Soul4:00"
In The Spotlight: A Beatles Songbook, 1993 (Lonesome Pine/PBS TV special) – "Tomorrow Never Knows"
Untamed Heart, 1993 (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) – "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, 1994 (Essential) – "Alone in a Crowd"
Grammy's Greatest Moments Volume III, 1994 – live performance of "La Bamba" from the 1988 Grammy Awards
Desperado: The Soundtrack, 1995 (Epic Soundtrax) – primary score composer and performer
The Last Supper, 1995 Columbia Pictures – "Wicked Rain" (not on soundtrack album)
Till the Night is Gone: A Tribute to Doc Pomus, 1995 (Forward/Rhino) – "Lonely Avenue"
Feeling Minnesota: Original Soundtrack, 1996 (Atlantic Records) - "Minnesota Medley"
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, Columbia, Sony Music Soundtrax) – "Viking"
Live at the World Café - Volume 9, 1999 (World Cafe) – "This Time×This Time20 July 1999 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1This Time3:312Oh Yeah3:443Viking3:304High Places4:215Cumbia Raza2:466Run Away With You3:067Corazón4:078Some Say, Some Do3:099Turn Around3:4610La Playa3:1211Why We Wish2:53"
Spy Kids: Music from the Dimension Motion Picture, 2001 (Chapter III Records) – "Spy Wedding" and "Oye Como Spy"
House of Mouse, 2001 – End Credits Music
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"
Handy Manny, 2006 (Buena Vista Television, Disney–ABC Domestic Television 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 (Vanguard) – "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) – "A Man of Somebody's Dreams"
El Infierno: Soundtrack, 2010 (Bandidos Films) – "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, 2011 (Appleseed) – "The Long Goodbye"
Music from The American Epic Sessions: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, 2017 (Lo-Max, Columbia, Third Man) – "El Cascabel"

DVD

Live at the Fillmore, 2004
Kiko Live, 2012 (Recorded February 24, 2006 at House of Blues, San Diego)