<back - LOS LOBOS - Los Lobos goes beyond being another great Rock and Roots band. They've basically set the standard for measurement purposes, so any outfit with the slightest pretenses of credibility must focus on Hidalgo and Co. as part of required listening 101. Formed in 1973 by 4 schoolboy friends friends, David Hidalgo, Cesar Rosas, Louie Perez, and Conrad Lozano (Steve Berlin would later join the band in 1980),

Their debut CD, Del Este de Los Angeles, sung in their native Spanish, is a reminder of how truly blessed these guys were in having such magnificent folk tunes from which to nurture their bountiful talent and ideas. It foreshadowed 1989's El Pistolero y El Corazon, a triumphant achievement that won a slew of awards (including a Grammy). Perhaps universal acclaim might have been delayed had it not been for a series of English-sung CDs, starting out with 1984's sublime Will The Wolf Survive?, succeeded by the spell-binding By The Light of the Moon (1987), then the platinum-selling La Bamba Soundtrack (1988), and finally The Neighborhood (1990). Kiko from 1992 would enhance Los Lobos reputation as quintessential "out-of-the-box" risk takers. Few of the soulful sambas and R&B shakers that often defined their earlier catalogue are to be found in Kiko. Instead it was a delicate blend of Psychedelia and Blues with a slight Hispanic flavor. It led to the equally adventurous Colossal Head, Other recent CDs include This Time, Good Morning Aztlcan and most recently 'The Ride', a 30th anniversary celebration, which features collaborations with Bobby Womack, Little Willie G, Mavis Staples, Dave Alvin, Tom Waits plus more. David Hidalgo, whose facility as an instrumentalist is something to marvel at (guitar, accordion, dobro, violin, etc) is the acknowledged leader of Los Lobos, while Steve Berlin (who sidelines as a highly sought-out producer) is another one-man band, shifting from saxophone, flute, and keys like a magician shuffling cards. Drummer Louie Perez doesn't sing, but his compositions with Hidalgo have a spiritual quality to them. Along with Mitch Blake and Tchad Blake (long-time producers), Hidalgo/Perez have been moonlighting as the Latin Playboys. But that barely scratches the surface of the side projects and 'helping hands' lent to other artists over the last 20 years, such as The Fabulous Thunderbirds, John Hammond Jr, and John Lee Hooker -to name but a few. Other myriad side projects include the basement Blues of Hounddog featuring Hidalgo, the Grammy award winning pan-Latin musical ensemble of Los Super Seven (it includes Rosas and Hidalgo). Los Lobos is a multi-faceted musical institution, who've been playing 'World Music' long before anyone even used the term.-GT/ MP3- Evangeline | Up the Line |