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Los Lobos (, Spanish for "the Wolves") is a Mexican American rock group, rock music band from East Los Angeles, California. Their music is influenced by rock and roll, Tejano music, country music, zydeco, folk music, R&B, blues, brown-eyed soul, and traditional music such as cumbia, and norteños. The band rose to international stardom in 1987, when their version of "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, 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.
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.El Cancionero: Mas y Mas liner notes of CD box set.
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 . In 1987, they released a second album, By the Light of the Moon. In the same year, they recorded some Ritchie Valens covers for the soundtrack of the film La Bamba, 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, 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 .
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.
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 , produced by the Red Hot Organization, on which they performed "Pepe and Irene."
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 – 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.Gale, Dan (2005). Los Lobos LP/DVD Discography. Retrieved February 24, 2006. The album is told in the first person, with each song serving as an episodic step.
In 2009, the group under contract to Disney Music released an album of Disney covers, Los Lobos Goes Disney (Disney Sound/Walt Disney Records)Chris Morris Los Lobos: Dream in Blue 2015 -029274823X - Page 142 "They countered that by saying, 'If you want to do another children's record, you can do Disney songs. ... Alas, the band's collective heart was clearly not in the making of the awkwardly titled Los Lobos Goes Disney," and participated in a tribute album to the late 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. Los lobos plays at "In Performance at the White House: Fiesta Latina" concert, The White House Historical Association, 2009.
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. 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 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 Studio recording, 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 on a Wells Fargo float 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, 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 April 2024, the 157-second trailer for a Los Lobos documentary titled Native Sons was released on YouTube. Among the people interviewed about Los Lobos are musicians Tom Waits, Linda Rondstadt, Ozomatli, Bonnie Raitt and actors Cheech Marin, Edward James Olmos and Chicano activist Dolores Huerta. The documentary will be released in 2025.
| 1981 ! scope="row" | "Under the Boardwalk" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album songs | ||
| 1983 ! scope="row" | "Ay Te Dejo en San Antonio" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ...and a Time to Dance | ||
| 1984 ! scope="row" | "Let's Say Goodnight" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1987 ! scope="row" | "Shakin' Shakin' Shakes" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | By the Light of the Moon | ||
| 1988 ! scope="row" | "Donna" | 98 | 27 | — | — | 29 | — | — | 32 | 26 | 83 | — | |||
| 1990 ! scope="row" | "Down on the Riverbed" | — | — | 67 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | The Neighborhood | ||
| 1991 ! scope="row" | "Bertha" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Deadicated: A Tribute to the Grateful Dead | ||
| 1992 ! scope="row" | "Bella María de Mi Alma" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Just Another Band from East LA: A Collection | ||
| 2000 ! scope="row" | "Cumbia Raza" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | This Time | ||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||||||||||||
| 2010 ! scope="row" | "Wasted Days and Wasted Nights" | Rick Trevino | Non-album song |
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