Tag: David Hidalgo

Los Super Seven – Rio De Tenampa

The more I listen to this band, the more I like them. I have to give credit to halffastcyclingclub, who recommended them, and I’ve been meaning to post on them for 6 months now. A big thank you to him. This song took just one listen, and I was hooked.

The original idea came from the Texas Tornados’ management team, who envisioned a rotating cast of stars celebrating Mexican roots music. The first lineup in 1998 was crazy great: Freddy Fender, Flaco Jiménez, David Hidalgo and Cesar Rosas of Los Lobos, Rick Treviño, Joe Ely, and Ruben Ramos. Their self-titled debut was heavily into traditional rancheras, boleros, and Tex-Mex standards. This song was written by David Hidalgo and Louie Pérez. 

This was definitely a supergroup, and supergroups can be hit or miss. Sometimes they collapse because of too many egos, and sometimes they just fizzle out. But every once in a while, the chemistry works. That’s what happened in the late 1990s when this band made their self-titled debut album.

What makes Los Super Seven so unique is that they never pretended to be a touring band or a permanent outfit. Each record is like a snapshot, different players but the same spirit. If the name Los Super Seven sounds like a superhero crew, well… in a way, it was. Instead of capes and masks, this revolving crew came armed with guitars, voices, and deep roots in the music of Texas, Mexico, and beyond.

The album peaked at #1 on the US Billboard Regional Mexican Albums and #8 on the US Billboard Top Latin Albums in 1998. The album also won them the Grammy Award for Best Mexican-American Performance at the 41st Grammy Awards.

Los Super Seven – Rìo De Tenampa

I sat at a table and wrote a good song
About eyes as blue as the sea
Drank down the whiskey
And let out a sigh
And thought of how things used to be
Children played on the floor near the bar
With toys made of wood and string
Lovers kissed and others laughed
As the band would strum and sing

Speak to me Rio de Tenampa
Sing to me songs of valor
In this rincon of heaven
I leave my love and love

And I passed once a place we’d go
To escape the heat of the day
Tell all the stories of good times and bad
And hear the violins play

Speak to me Rio de Tenampa
Sing to me songs of valor
In this corner of heaven
I leave my affection and love

Remember the story about a lady on the hill
Gave roses to an Indian boy
Ran down to tell eveyone he knew
About his love and his hope and joy

…

David Hidalgo, Louie Pérez

Los Lobos – Evangeline

Damn this song swings, and it has a great guitar intro and feel. I heard this for the first time not long ago, and it stuck with me as well as some more of their songs. With a band like this, it’s hard to pin down one song to post. 

They’ve always had that rarest of abilities: to wrap roots, rock, and border ballads into something that feels less like a style and more like a lineage. The brilliance here is in the restraint. There’s no over-arrangement, no big production, and no studio trickery. Just a man sitting with his memory. 

The song was written by David Hidalgo and Louie Pérez on the album How Will The Wolf Survive? This is truly a great album. It’s easy to overlook this song when you’ve got so much groove and grit elsewhere on the record. But give it a quiet night and some headphones, and you’ll find it’s one of the songs that stays with you longest. I covered the title cut earlier this year. 

This song proves something else… they could write songs that cut deep with almost nothing at all. No drawn-out guitar solos. No choruses built for crowd sing-alongs. Just three minutes of pure delight. The album peaked at #47 on the Billboard 100, #13 in New Zealand, #31 in Canada, and #77 in the UK in 1984. 

I gave this link in the other post. There is a documentary about Los Lobos called Native Sons that is set to be released this year. As far as I know, it still hasn’t been released. If you have any more information, I would love to hear it. 

Evangeline

Evangeline is on the roamJust barely seventeenWhen she left homeDon’t know where she isOr where she’s goingShe is the queen of make believe, Evangeline

I can still remember this little girlBlack eyes just staringAt this big old worldRan off to find some American dreamTrain ticket in one handIn her new blue jeans

Evangeline is on the roamJust barely seventeenWhen she left homeDon’t know where she isOr where she’s goingShe is the queen of make believe, Evangeline

She went out dancin’ on a Saturday nightSilk stockings and high heelsBlue liner on her eyesBut on Sunday morning she’s all aloneHead lying on the nightstandBy the telephone

Evangeline is on the roamJust barely seventeenWhen she left homeDon’t know where she isOr where she’s goingShe is the queen of make believe, EvangelineShe is the queen of make believe, Evangeline

Los Lobos – Will the Wolf Survive?

Halffastcyclingclub and I have had conversations about Los Lobos. I’ve always liked what I heard but I never heard much of anything that was not on the radio. I came across this song when I was listening to various playlists I found. I’ve been listening to this album and will start on their debut album next. 

Sometimes songs grow on me but this one I liked right off the bat. The guitar’s tone and the way they worked it into the song…it just melts into it. This song was released in 1984 as the title track of their major label debut album, How Will the Wolf Survive? The song played a significant role in defining the band’s identity and their fusion of rock, blues, and traditional Mexican music.

Los Lobos (Spanish for “The Wolves”) started in the early 1970s in East Los Angeles. High school friends David Hidalgo, Louie Pérez, Cesar Rosas, and Conrad Lozano started playing together. The guy who brought them together was Francisco González. He left the band before fame and became musical director of El Teatro Campesino and went on to start Guadalupe Custom Strings. They started off by playing top 40 music but soon tired of that. They drew inspiration from Mexican folk music they heard as kids. They didn’t fit into the typical rock band mold… instead, they experimented with acoustic instruments like the jarana, requinto, and bajo sexto. 

They opened for such artists as The Clash and  The Blasters. Steve Berlin, who was born in Philadelphia, played saxophone for the Blasters and then left the group to join Los Lobos. To his delight, he found the other members of Los Lobos shared a love for country artists such as Hank Williams and George Jones. The band mixed so many styles…Mexican folk music, country, and rock all in the same bag. 

The song peaked at #26 on the Billboard Top Rock Tracks Charts and #78 on the Billboard 100. The album peaked at #47 on the Billboard 100, #13 in New Zealand, #31 in Canada, and #77 in the UK in 1984. 

There is a documentary about Los Lobos called Native Sons that is set to be released this year. 

Will The Wolf Survive? 

Through the chill of winterRunning across a frozen lakeHunters hard on his trailAll odds are against himWith a family to provide forBut one thing he must keep aliveWill the wolf survive?

Drifting by the roadsideClimbs a strong and aging faceWants to make some honest payLosing to the rainstormHe’s got two strong legs to guide himTwo strong arms keep him aliveWill the wolf survive?

Standing in the pouring rainAll alone in a world that’s changedRunning scared now forced to hideIn a land where he once stood with prideBut he’ll find his way by the morning light

Sounds across the nationComing from your hearts and mindsBattered drums and old guitarsSinging songs of passionIt’s the truth that they all look forSomething they must keep aliveWill the wolf survive?Will the wolf survive?

…