- Cheryl Bunn Yamaguchi
- Mar 20, 2023
- 5 min read
Updated: Dec 11, 2024
This year the band LOS LOBOS is celebrating their 50th year together and are thrilled to be touring again, especially with a return to the Pacific Northwest. “We always enjoy coming back to the Northwest and had some fun shows in the Puget Sound area over the years,” Steve says. “I had a personal connection to Olympia when my daughter went to school at evergreen, so I am looking forward to coming back to my favorite spots like for some batdorf and bronson.”
In 1973, Los Lobos entered the music scene, boasting a brave new sound while capturing their Mexican heritage. Over the years, they developed their sound by incorporating elements of rock n’ roll, blues, country, and Latin music. “We aren’t easily pigeonholed outside of our Latino heritage,” shares Los Lobos Saxophonist and Keyboardist Steve Berlin. “In many respects the band never changed as we have gone off on our own way to invent something that we own and I don’t think we really sound like anybody else. What we do is unique and we take a lot of pride in that.” Los Lobos features Steve Berlin on saxophone and keyboard, David Hidalgo as singer, guitarist, and primary songwriter, Louie Perez on drums, guitar, and songwriting, Cesar Rosas as the third guitarist, and Fredo Ortiz on drums. Unfortunately, their bass player Conrad Lozano won’t be touring with the band this year, so David Hidalgo’s son Vincent Hidalgo will be taking the stage with them.~~
LOS LOBOS came thru and did the damn thang!! When you get the chance, please go check these guys out! even if you've seen them live before, go see them again and again and again.... Bravo los lobos!!!
The hit film “La Bamba” rocketed them to stardom with their beloved covers of Ritchie Valens’ songs. The soundtrack for the movie featured many hits, with the title track becoming number one for the band. “It was surprising to say the least,” Steve recalls. “When we were working on ‘La Bamba,’ it at no time seemed like it was going to be a hit movie. It was just timed right, it was soulful, and it was the summer hit so we were it for that year. It changed everything.” Though “La Bamba” brought amazing new opportunities, the band really worked to establish their own separate sound and fanbase through their unique sound.
"La Bamba" (pronounced [la ˈβamba]) is a Mexican folk song, originally from the state of Veracruz, also known as "La Bomba". The song is best known from a 1958 adaptation by Ritchie Valens, a Top 40 hit in the U.S. charts. Valens's version is ranked number 345 on Rolling Stone magazine′s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
"La Bamba" has been covered by numerous artists, notably by Los Lobos whose version was the title track of the 1987 film La Bamba, a bio-pic about Valens; their version reached No. 1 in many charts in the same year. The Belgian Electronic band "Telex", the trio who made the worldwide successful "Moskow Diskow," also created a downbeat electronic cover of it, which is the final track in their final album "How Do You Dance?".
Traditional Versions
"La Bamba" is a classic example of the son jarocho musical style, which originated in the Mexican state of Veracruz, and combines Spanish, indigenous, and African musical elements. The song is typically played on one or two arpa jarochas (harps) along with guitar relatives the jarana jarocha and the requinto jarocho. Lyrics to the song vary greatly, as performers often improvise verses while performing. However, versions such as those by musical groups Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlan and Los Pregoneros del Puerto have survived because of the artists' popularity. The traditional aspect of "La Bamba" lies in the tune, which remains almost the same through most versions. The name of the dance referenced within the song, which has no direct English translation, is presumably connected with the Spanish verb "bambolear", meaning "to sway", "to shake" or "to wobble". In one traditional version of this dance performed at weddings and ballet folklórico shows, couples utilize intricate footwork to create a bow signifying their union.
Early Recordings
"La Bamba" has its origin in the state of Veracruz, Mexico. The oldest recorded version known is that of Alvaro Hernández Ortiz, who recorded the song with the name of "El Jarocho". His recording was released by Victor Records in Mexico in 1938 or 1939, and was reissued on a 1997 compilation by Yazoo Records, The Secret Museum of Mankind Vol. 4.
According to a 1945 article in Life, the song and associated dance were brought "out of the jungle" at Veracruz by American bandleader Everett Hoagland, who introduced it at Ciro's nightclub in Mexico City. It became popular, and the song was adopted by Mexican presidential candidate Miguel Alemán Valdéswho used it in his successful campaign. Later in 1945, the music and dance were introduced at the Stork Club in New York City by Arthur Murray.
A popular version by Andrés Huesca (1917–1957) and his brother Victor, billed as Hermanos Huesca, was issued on Peerless Records in Mexico around 1945–46. Huesca re-recorded the song for RCA Victor in 1947, and the same year the song featured as a production number in the MGM musical filmFiesta, performed by a group called Los Bocheros. The song was featured in the 1946 Mexican movie Rayando el Sol starring Pedro Armendáriz.[citation needed]
The Swedish-American folk singer William Clauson recorded the song in several languages in the early and mid-1950s. He claimed to have heard the song in Veracruz, and in performance slowed down the tempo to encourage audience participation. Another version, "somewhat bowdlerized", was recorded by Cynthia Gooding on her 1953 Elektra album, Mexican Folk Songs.
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