Rock en Español
Encyclopedia
Rock en español is the Spanish-language rock music
. While the term is used widely in English, it is used in Spanish mainly to distinguish such music from "Anglo rock." It is a style of rock music
that developed in Latin American countries and Latino communities, along with other genres like Caribbean ska
, reggae
, and soca
. It belongs to the broader category of Ibero-American rock. Successful musicians and bands playing in this genre are often noted for being "crossover" artists, as this genre inherently bridges both linguistic and cultural boundaries.
a Mexican born in California recorded Mexican folk song "La Bamba
", popularizing Spanish-language rock music throughout Latin America. That year, Daniel Flores
, another son of Mexican immigrants born in California, often called the "Godfather of Latin Rock", performed his hit song "Tequila
", introducing this music to the United States.
The first Rock bands in Latin America were created in the late 50s and early 60s. Since 1959, several Mexican groups like Los Teen Tops, Los Blue Caps and Los Locos del Ritmo recorded Spanish versions of rock classics by Elvis, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, and Buddy Holly among others, which gained them popularity in Latin America. Successful covers included La Plaga (Good Golly Miss Molly) and Popotitos (Bony Moronie
). In 1960, Argentinian Sandro de América
, a rock musician with a very sensual style influenced by Elvis, later developed a style of pop music called Balada romántica Latinoamericana (Latin American romantic ballad).
In this decade the Mexican (later US citizen) Carlos Santana
played in the bars and clubs of California. He recorded a disc with songs in Spanish and English titled Abraxas
, and was one of the first Mexicans or Latin Americans who played Latin rock and rock in Spanish around the world.
In the early 60s, a style of commercial rock music called Nueva ola
(New wave) became popular in several Latin American countries. In Spain, the mid-1960s produced the bands Los Bravos
, Los Brincos
, Bruno Lomas y Los Rockeros, Los Canarios, Los Cheyennes, Fórmula V
, Lone Star
, Micky y Los Tonys, Los Mustang, Los Pekenikes, Pop Tops, Los Salvajes and Los Sírex
.
In the late 60s, the Mexican Carlos Santana
further popularized the Latin rock genre. Although he does not does not consider himself a Rock en Español musician, he is a traditional Latin musician that has fused rock guitar with classic Latin American songs. His hit song "Oye Como Va
" is an example of Santana's fusion, being a song composed by famous Latin jazz
and mambo musician Tito Puente
. Other Mexican bands like Los Lobos
and the Malo
group plays in parts of United States and the radio,In Mexico other groups like La Revolucion de Emiliano Zapata
, Three Souls in my Mind, Toncho Pilatos
, Javier Batiz(he is the teacher of Santana in Tijuana), Peace and Love
, and others playing songs in Spanish and English, in 1969, Santana
plays in the Woodstock Festival
with others mundial rock legends like Jimi Hendrix
, Janis Joplin
, Jefferson Airplane
or The Who
, this festivals made in countries of Europe, Canada, United States and Mexico with rock in English have a influence in the rock in Spanish in the after decades.
http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Festival_de_Woodstock
http://www.maph49.galeon.com/avandaro/avandaroa.html
The late 60s in Argentina
brought a movement called "rock nacional" (Argentinean national rock)
. With a distinct musical style, it has become one of the most popular styles in that country, along with tango
and folk music. Bands and musicians responsible for the movement are Los Gatos (led by Litto Nebbia
), Arco Iris
(led by Gustavo Santaolalla
), Almendra (led by Luis Alberto Spinetta
), Vox Dei
, Sui Generis
and Seru Giran
(both led by Charly García
). Argentinian national rock is linked with the sexual revolution
of that country and the spirit of freedom against military dictatorship
s.
in 1982, Argentine rock
was reborn with bands like Soda Stereo
, Patricio Rey y sus Redonditos de Ricota
, Los Fabulosos Cadillacs
, Sumo
and others singers like Andres Calamaro
and Fito Páez
. The fall of the Nueva canción
movement the rise of the music industry in Latin America favoured the spread of "new" Caribbean styles (Cumbia
, Salsa, Merengue) but also of Spanish language rock across the region.
It was from Argentina, where the most developed music industry and rock scene was, that Spanish language rock begun to be internationalized crossing the boundaries of countries to which each band had previously been more less limited to. Soda Stereo
is largely credited to be the first Spanish language rock band to gain widespread popularity across Latin America. Following Soda a series of other bands from Argentina, but also notably from Mexico, begun to grow audiences all across the Americas. Rock bands from Spain that flourished during and after La Movida Madrileña
failed to gain popularity in Latin America during the 80s.
in 1993, where the first video shown; We are Sudamerican rockers
by Los Prisioneros
reflected its aims to create a Latin American scene. In the late 90s, MTV
created the Latino Award in the MTV Video Music Awards
and Premios MTV Latinoamérica in 2002, awards that recognize the talent and achievements of the genre.
In the 90s bands like Los Rodríguez
and Héroes del Silencio
bridged the gap between Spain and Spanish-speaking America by being the first rock bands to become popular both in the Americas and Europe.
In the late 80s to mid 90s, bands like Robi Draco Rosa, Caifanes
, Café Tacuba, La Ley
, initiated a new stage of Latin rock by broadening its international appeal. Since then, successful bands and musicians include Juanes
(Colombia), Libido
(Peru), Maná
(Mexico), Jaguares
(Mexico), Aterciopelados
(Colombia), Bersuit Vergarabat
(Argentina), Jorge Drexler
(Uruguay), and Los Tres
(Chile) among others.
In the 90s, rock bands experimented with fusing rock music and Latin American folk and African rhythms, with bands like Divididos
, Las Pelotas, Los Piojos
, Bersuit Vergarabat
, Babasónicos
, Catupecu Machu
and La Renga
.
, Ranchera
, Rumba
, and tango
. In its 50 year history, it has evolved from having a cult-like following to being a more well established music genre.
In Los Angeles, an underground scene has developed and continues to flourish that supports the local rock en español acts. Top bands from the LA REE scene include Pastilla, Maria Fatal, Rascuache, Voz de Mano, Cabula, Las 15 letras, and Los Olvidadas.
Record labels that have supported US based REE include Aztlan records, El Mero Mero Records, and Mofo Records.
performed by Mexican American
groups or music with themes derived from Chicano
culture. Chicano Rock, to a great extent, does not refer to any single style or approach. Some of the groups do not sing in Spanish at all, or use any specific Latin instruments or sounds. The main unifying factor, whether or not any Latin American music
is heard, is a strong R&B influence, and a rather independent and rebellious approach to making music.
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
. While the term is used widely in English, it is used in Spanish mainly to distinguish such music from "Anglo rock." It is a style of rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
that developed in Latin American countries and Latino communities, along with other genres like Caribbean ska
Ska
Ska |Jamaican]] ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...
, reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
, and soca
Soca music
Soca is a style of music from Trinidad and Tobago. Soca is a musical development of traditional Trinidadian calypso, through loans from the 1960s onwards from predominantly black popular music....
. It belongs to the broader category of Ibero-American rock. Successful musicians and bands playing in this genre are often noted for being "crossover" artists, as this genre inherently bridges both linguistic and cultural boundaries.
Regional scenes (1950s–1970s)
Rock in Spanish began in 1958, when Ritchie ValensRitchie Valens
Ritchie Valens was a Mexican-American singer, songwriter and guitarist....
a Mexican born in California recorded Mexican folk song "La Bamba
La Bamba (song)
"La Bamba" is a Mexican folk song, originally from the state of Veracruz, best known from a 1958 adaptation by Ritchie Valens, a top 40 hit in the U.S. charts and one of early rock and roll's best-known songs...
", popularizing Spanish-language rock music throughout Latin America. That year, Daniel Flores
Danny Flores
Daniel Flores was the singer on his self-written song, "Tequila", an American Billboard number one hit in 1958 for The Champs....
, another son of Mexican immigrants born in California, often called the "Godfather of Latin Rock", performed his hit song "Tequila
Tequila (song)
"Tequila" is a 1958 Latin-flavored rock and roll song recorded by the group, the Champs. The title of the song constitutes the entirety of the lyrics, and is spoken a total of three times during the course of the song. "Tequila" became a #1 hit on both the pop and R&B charts at the time of its...
", introducing this music to the United States.
The first Rock bands in Latin America were created in the late 50s and early 60s. Since 1959, several Mexican groups like Los Teen Tops, Los Blue Caps and Los Locos del Ritmo recorded Spanish versions of rock classics by Elvis, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, and Buddy Holly among others, which gained them popularity in Latin America. Successful covers included La Plaga (Good Golly Miss Molly) and Popotitos (Bony Moronie
Bony Moronie
"Bony Moronie" is Larry Williams' third single, which has been covered many times, including a version translated into Spanish re-named "Popotitos". Williams' original peaked at #14 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and #4 on the U.S...
). In 1960, Argentinian Sandro de América
Sandro de América
Roberto Julio Sánchez , better known by his artist names Sandro/Sandro de América , Gitano , and the Argentine Elvis, was an Argentine singer and actor.-Biography:...
, a rock musician with a very sensual style influenced by Elvis, later developed a style of pop music called Balada romántica Latinoamericana (Latin American romantic ballad).
In this decade the Mexican (later US citizen) Carlos Santana
Carlos Santana
Carlos Augusto Alves Santana is a Mexican rock guitarist. Santana became famous in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band, Santana, which pioneered rock, salsa and jazz fusion...
played in the bars and clubs of California. He recorded a disc with songs in Spanish and English titled Abraxas
Abraxas
The word Abrasax was a word of mystic meaning in the system of the Gnostic Basilides, being there applied to the “Great Archon” , the princeps of the 365 spheres...
, and was one of the first Mexicans or Latin Americans who played Latin rock and rock in Spanish around the world.
In the early 60s, a style of commercial rock music called Nueva ola
Nueva ola
The Nueva ola is a term applied to a loose group of musicians, mainly in Spanish speaking South America, who played and introduced rock and roll and other American and European music of the 50s and 60s to their countries. Artist associated with the Nueva ola reached their peak of popularity in the...
(New wave) became popular in several Latin American countries. In Spain, the mid-1960s produced the bands Los Bravos
Los Bravos
Los Bravos were a Spanish beat group, formed in 1965, and based in Madrid. Their single "Black Is Black" reached #2 in the United Kingdom in July 1966, and #4 in the United States selling over a million records.-Biography:...
, Los Brincos
Los Brincos
Los Brincos were one of the most successful Spanish rock bands of the 1960s, and they are often referred to as the “Spanish Beatles”.The group was formed in 1964. The members were Fernando Arbex , Manuel González , Juan Pardo and Antonio ‘Junior’ Morales...
, Bruno Lomas y Los Rockeros, Los Canarios, Los Cheyennes, Fórmula V
Formula V
For the motor racing class, see Formula VeeFórmula V is a Spanish pop musical quintet founded in 1965 in Spain. The musical style is very much in the style of 60's rock similar to the Beatles and Monkees. In the late 1960s the band experienced enormous popularity in Spain and Latin America.The...
, Lone Star
Lone Star (band)
-History:Lone Star were a Welsh rock band formed in Cardiff, Wales in 1975. An embryonic line-up consisted of former Iona members, Kenny Driscoll and Tony Smith, former Quest bassist Ray Jones, and drummer Jim Mathews...
, Micky y Los Tonys, Los Mustang, Los Pekenikes, Pop Tops, Los Salvajes and Los Sírex
Los Sírex
Los Sírex is a Spanish rock band born in 1959 in Barcelona at the decade of the sixties. It was initially formed by Antonio Miquel Cervero as vocalist, Luis Gomis on the drums, José Fontsere on the rhythm guitar, Guillermo Rodríguez Holgado on the bass and Manolo Madruga on the lead guitar...
.
In the late 60s, the Mexican Carlos Santana
Carlos Santana
Carlos Augusto Alves Santana is a Mexican rock guitarist. Santana became famous in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band, Santana, which pioneered rock, salsa and jazz fusion...
further popularized the Latin rock genre. Although he does not does not consider himself a Rock en Español musician, he is a traditional Latin musician that has fused rock guitar with classic Latin American songs. His hit song "Oye Como Va
Oye Como Va
"Oye Como Va" is a song written by Latin jazz and mambo musician Tito Puente in 1963 and popularized by Santana's rendition of the song in 1970 on their album Abraxas, helping to catapult Santana into stardom with the song reaching #13 on the Billboard Top 100. The song also reached #11 on...
" is an example of Santana's fusion, being a song composed by famous Latin jazz
Latin jazz
Latin jazz is the general term given to jazz with Latin American rhythms.The three main categories of Latin Jazz are Brazilian, Cuban and Puerto Rican:# Brazilian Latin Jazz includes bossa nova...
and mambo musician Tito Puente
Tito Puente
Tito Puente, , born Ernesto Antonio Puente, was a Latin jazz and Salsa musician. The son of native Puerto Ricans Ernest and Ercilia Puente, of Spanish Harlem in New York City, Puente is often credited as "El Rey de los Timbales" and "The King of Latin Music"...
. Other Mexican bands like Los Lobos
Los Lobos
Los Lobos are a multiple Grammy Award–winning American Chicano rock band from East Los Angeles, California. Their music is influenced by rock and roll, Tex-Mex, country, folk, R&B, blues, brown-eyed soul, and traditional Spanish and Mexican music such as cumbia, boleros and norteños.-History:The...
and the Malo
Malo
Malo was an American Latin-tinged rock and roll group. The San Francisco-based ensemble was led by Arcelio Garcia and Jorge Santana, the brother of Latin-rock guitarist, Carlos Santana....
group plays in parts of United States and the radio,In Mexico other groups like La Revolucion de Emiliano Zapata
La Revolución de Emiliano Zapata
La Revolución de Emiliano Zapata was a 1970s music group in Mexico that broke sales records in Europe with their song 'Nasty Sex'. Breaking ties with their original concept, they continue actively interpreting romantic ballads.-Dizzying Start:...
, Three Souls in my Mind, Toncho Pilatos
Toncho Pilatos
Toncho Pilatos was a Mexican 1970s rock band. Along with Three Souls in my Mind , it was one the most representative predecessors of the "under" scene of Mexican rock...
, Javier Batiz(he is the teacher of Santana in Tijuana), Peace and Love
Peace and love
Peace and love may refer to:*Peace and Love , a 1989 album by The Pogues*Peace and Love , a 2004 album by DJ Tatana*Peace and Love a 2001 album by Edison Chen...
, and others playing songs in Spanish and English, in 1969, Santana
Santana (band)
Santana is a rock band based around guitarist Carlos Santana and founded in the late 1960s. It first came to public attention after their performing the song "Soul Sacrifice" at the Woodstock Festival in 1969, when their Latin rock provided a contrast to other acts on the bill...
plays in the Woodstock Festival
Woodstock Festival
Woodstock Music & Art Fair was a music festival, billed as "An Aquarian Exposition: 3 Days of Peace & Music". It was held at Max Yasgur's 600-acre dairy farm in the Catskills near the hamlet of White Lake in the town of Bethel, New York, from August 15 to August 18, 1969...
with others mundial rock legends like Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
, Janis Joplin
Janis Joplin
Janis Lyn Joplin was an American singer, songwriter, painter, dancer and music arranger. She rose to prominence in the late 1960s as the lead singer of Big Brother and the Holding Company and later as a solo artist with her backing groups, The Kozmic Blues Band and The Full Tilt Boogie Band...
, Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane was an American rock band formed in San Francisco in 1965. A pioneer of the psychedelic rock movement, Jefferson Airplane was the first band from the San Francisco scene to achieve mainstream commercial and critical success....
or The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
, this festivals made in countries of Europe, Canada, United States and Mexico with rock in English have a influence in the rock in Spanish in the after decades.
http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Festival_de_Woodstock
http://www.maph49.galeon.com/avandaro/avandaroa.html
The late 60s in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
brought a movement called "rock nacional" (Argentinean national rock)
Argentine rock
Argentine rock , is composed or made by Argentine bands or artists, in the Spanish language. For nearly half a century it has been a major popular genre, and it is considered part of the popular music tradition of Argentina alongside Argentine Tango, and Argentine folk music.The moment when...
. With a distinct musical style, it has become one of the most popular styles in that country, along with tango
Tango music
Tango is a style of ballroom dance music in 2/4 or 4/4 time that originated among European immigrant populations of Argentina and Uruguay . It is traditionally played by a sextet, known as the orquesta típica, which includes two violins, piano, double bass, and two bandoneons...
and folk music. Bands and musicians responsible for the movement are Los Gatos (led by Litto Nebbia
Litto Nebbia
Litto Nebbia is a singer, songwriter and producer prominent in the development of Argentine rock.-Life and work:Félix Francisco Nebbia was born in Rosario to Martha and Félix Nebbia, in 1948. His parents were struggling musicians, though during his early teens, Litto left secondary school to join...
), Arco Iris
Arco Iris
Arco Iris were a rock group from the late 1960s until the late 1970s in Argentina, and one of the most influential in Argentine rock history in more ways than just music...
(led by Gustavo Santaolalla
Gustavo Santaolalla
Gustavo Alfredo Santaolalla is an Argentine musician, film composer and producer. He has won two Academy Awards for Best Original Score in two consecutive years, for Brokeback Mountain in 2005 and Babel in 2006.-Life and career:...
), Almendra (led by Luis Alberto Spinetta
Luis Alberto Spinetta
Luis Alberto Spinetta , is an Argentine musician. He is one of the most influential rock musicians of South America, and together with Charly García is considered the father of Argentine rock. He was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in the residential neighbourhood of Belgrano...
), Vox Dei
Vox Dei
Vox Dei is an Argentine rock band credited for recording the country's first concept album, The Bible. Its most prolific years were the 1970s, having recorded 10 albums.-History:...
, Sui Generis
Sui Generis
Sui Generis is one of the most important rock bands in Argentine history, enjoying enormous success and popularity during the first half of the 1970s and a following that lasts to the present throughout South America...
and Seru Giran
Seru Giran
Serú Girán was an Argentinian rock supergroup. From 1978 the group consisted of Charly García , David Lebón , Pedro Aznar , and Oscar Moro . It is considered one of the best in the history of Argentine rock, both musically, and conceptually and staging...
(both led by Charly García
Charly García
Charly García is a singer-songwriter, pianist and keyboardist from Argentina with a long career in rock music, forming successful groups such as Sui Generis and Serú Girán, cult status groups like La Máquina de Hacer Pájaros, and as a solo musician.-Early years:Charly García was the eldest son in...
). Argentinian national rock is linked with the sexual revolution
Sexual revolution
The sexual revolution was a social movement that challenged traditional codes of behavior related to sexuality and interpersonal relationships throughout the Western world from the 1960s into the 1980s...
of that country and the spirit of freedom against military dictatorship
Dictatorship
A dictatorship is defined as an autocratic form of government in which the government is ruled by an individual, the dictator. It has three possible meanings:...
s.
Internationalization (80s)
After the Falklands WarFalklands War
The Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands...
in 1982, Argentine rock
Argentine rock
Argentine rock , is composed or made by Argentine bands or artists, in the Spanish language. For nearly half a century it has been a major popular genre, and it is considered part of the popular music tradition of Argentina alongside Argentine Tango, and Argentine folk music.The moment when...
was reborn with bands like Soda Stereo
Soda Stereo
Soda Stereo were an Argentine rock band who are recognized as one of the most influential and important Latin American and Ibero-American bands of all time...
, Patricio Rey y sus Redonditos de Ricota
Patricio Rey y sus Redonditos de Ricota
Patricio Rey y Sus Redonditos de Ricota were an independent rock band originally from La Plata, Argentina whose tours in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s drew a cult-like following....
, Los Fabulosos Cadillacs
Los Fabulosos Cadillacs
Los Fabulosos Cadillacs is an Argentine ska band from Buenos Aires. Formed in 1985, they released their first album, Bares y Fondas in 1986...
, Sumo
Sumo (band)
Sumo was a 1980s Argentine alternative rock band, merging post-punk with reggae and ska. Headed by Italian-born Luca Prodan, it remained underground for most of its short activity, but was extremely influential in shaping contemporary Argentine rock. Sumo introduced British post-punk to the...
and others singers like Andres Calamaro
Andrés Calamaro
Andrés Calamaro , is an Argentine musician, composer and Latin Grammy winner. His former band Los Rodríguez was a major success in Spain in the 1990s. He became one of the main icons of the Argentine rock in the last two decades and has sold over 1.3 million copies.-Abuelos de la Nada:Calamaro was...
and Fito Páez
Fito Páez
Rodolfo "Fito" Páez Ávalos is an Argentine popular rock and roll pianist, lyricist, Spanish language singer and film director.-Early career:...
. The fall of the Nueva canción
Nueva canción
Nueva canción is a movement and genre within Latin American and Iberian music of folk music, folk-inspired music and socially committed music...
movement the rise of the music industry in Latin America favoured the spread of "new" Caribbean styles (Cumbia
Cumbia
Cumbia is a music genre popular across Latin America. The cumbia originated in the Caribbean coast of Colombia, where it is associated with an eponymous dance and has since spread as far as Mexico and Argentina...
, Salsa, Merengue) but also of Spanish language rock across the region.
It was from Argentina, where the most developed music industry and rock scene was, that Spanish language rock begun to be internationalized crossing the boundaries of countries to which each band had previously been more less limited to. Soda Stereo
Soda Stereo
Soda Stereo were an Argentine rock band who are recognized as one of the most influential and important Latin American and Ibero-American bands of all time...
is largely credited to be the first Spanish language rock band to gain widespread popularity across Latin America. Following Soda a series of other bands from Argentina, but also notably from Mexico, begun to grow audiences all across the Americas. Rock bands from Spain that flourished during and after La Movida Madrileña
La Movida Madrileña
La Movida Madrileña was a countercultural movement that took place mainly in Madrid during the Spanish transition after Francisco Franco's death in 1975...
failed to gain popularity in Latin America during the 80s.
Recent times (90s onward)
The final amalgamation into a coherent international scene was helped by the introduction of MTV Latin AmericaMTV Latin America
MTV Latin America is a cable television specialty service aimed at residents in Hispanic American countries. It was launched on October 1, 1993 as MTV en Español. The channel is a Hispanic American version from MTV...
in 1993, where the first video shown; We are Sudamerican rockers
We are sudamerican rockers
We are sudamerican rockers is song by Chilean rock band Los Prisioneros. It came out into airplay as a single the year of 1987. In 1993 MTV Latin America begun its airplay with We are sudamerican rockers. The word sudamerican is a mock Anglicisation of the Spanish word for South America,...
by Los Prisioneros
Los Prisioneros
Los Prisioneros was a chilean rock band formed in San Miguel, Santiago, Chile in 1982. They began as a local band during the early 1980s, playing small shows in their neighborhood and high school...
reflected its aims to create a Latin American scene. In the late 90s, MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
created the Latino Award in the MTV Video Music Awards
MTV Video Music Awards
An MTV Video Music Award , is an award presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in music videos...
and Premios MTV Latinoamérica in 2002, awards that recognize the talent and achievements of the genre.
In the 90s bands like Los Rodríguez
Los Rodríguez
Los Rodríguez was a rock band composed by two Argentines and two Spaniards, that played during the 90's.-History:The group was born in 1990 when Ariel Rot and Julián Infante joined Andrés Calamaro, from the band Los Abuelos de la Nada, and Germán Vilella...
and Héroes del Silencio
Héroes del Silencio
Héroes del Silencio was a Spanish rock band from Zaragoza, Aragón, Spain, formed by Juan Valdivia and Enrique Bunbury. During the 1990s they experienced success around Spain and the Americas, and in various European countries including Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, France, Serbia and Portugal...
bridged the gap between Spain and Spanish-speaking America by being the first rock bands to become popular both in the Americas and Europe.
In the late 80s to mid 90s, bands like Robi Draco Rosa, Caifanes
Caifanes
Caifanes is a Spanish-language rock band from Mexico City formed in 1987. They achieved fame throughout the late 80’s and early 90’s. The original lineup consisted of Saúl Hernández , Sabo Romo , Alfonso André and Diego Herrera . Argentine guitarist Alejandro Marcovich joined in 1989...
, Café Tacuba, La Ley
La Ley (band)
La Ley was a Grammy Award and two-time Latin Grammy Award-winning Chilean pop rock band formed by Andrés Bobe and Rodrigo Aboitiz with Mauricio Claveria, Beto Cuevas and Luciano Rojas. After a failed first album, Desiertos , they released Doble Opuesto , which appears as the official first album...
, initiated a new stage of Latin rock by broadening its international appeal. Since then, successful bands and musicians include Juanes
Juanes
Juan Esteban Aristizábal Vásquez , better known as Juanes is a Colombian musician who was a member of heavy metal band Ekhymosis and is now a solo artist. In 2000, his solo debut album Fíjate Bien won three Latin Grammy Awards.Juanes has sold more than 13 million albums...
(Colombia), Libido
Libido
Libido refers to a person's sex drive or desire for sexual activity. The desire for sex is an aspect of a person's sexuality, but varies enormously from one person to another, and it also varies depending on circumstances at a particular time. A person who has extremely frequent or a suddenly...
(Peru), Maná
Maná
Maná is a pop rock band from Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, whose career has spanned more than three decades. They have earned three Grammy Awards, seven Latin Grammy Awards, five MTV Video Music Awards Latin America, five Premios Juventud awards, nine Billboard Latin Music Awards and 13 Premios Lo...
(Mexico), Jaguares
Jaguares (rock band)
Jaguares is a Mexican alternative rock band formed by former Caifanes lead singer Saúl Hernández, ex-Caifan Alfonso André , and two long-time friends Federico Fong and José Manuel Aguilera .-History:...
(Mexico), Aterciopelados
Aterciopelados
Aterciopelados , also referred to as los Aterciopelados on some albums and other promotional materials, are a rock band from Colombia. Led by Andrea Echeverri and Héctor Buitrago, they have been one of the first rock bands from Colombia to gain international notice and is among the country's top...
(Colombia), Bersuit Vergarabat
Bersuit Vergarabat
Bersuit, formed formally in 1989, is one of the most important Argentine rock bands of the 1990s/2000s. The previous name of the band was Henry y la Palangana....
(Argentina), Jorge Drexler
Jorge Drexler
Jorge Drexler is an Uruguayan musician and actor.In 2004 Drexler won wide acclaim after becoming the first Uruguayan ever to win an Academy Award...
(Uruguay), and Los Tres
Los Tres
Los Tres is a Chilean rock band composed of four members: a rock/folk singer and three jazzmen. It was one of the noted bands in the Chilean nineties, together with La Ley and Lucybell....
(Chile) among others.
In the 90s, rock bands experimented with fusing rock music and Latin American folk and African rhythms, with bands like Divididos
Divididos
Divididos is an Argentine rock band.The band was formed in 1988 after the death of Luca Prodan and the consequent dissolution of the band Sumo...
, Las Pelotas, Los Piojos
Los Piojos
Los Piojos were a rock band from Argentina, highly popular, and one of the seminal bands of the 1990s Argentine suburban rock movement.As with most suburban rock bands, their formative sound owes a significant amount to the style of the Rolling Stones...
, Bersuit Vergarabat
Bersuit Vergarabat
Bersuit, formed formally in 1989, is one of the most important Argentine rock bands of the 1990s/2000s. The previous name of the band was Henry y la Palangana....
, Babasónicos
Babasónicos
Babasónicos is an Argentine rock band, formed in the early 1990s along with others such as Peligrosos Gorriones and Los Brujos. After emerging in the wave of Argentine New Rock bands of the late '80s and early '90s, Babasonicos became one of the banner groups of the "sonic" underground rock...
, Catupecu Machu
Catupecu Machu
Catupecu Machu is an Argentine rock band, usually classified as within Rock en Español. Its current band members are Fernando Ruíz Díaz in voices and guitar; Sebastián Cáceres in bass guitar; Javier "Il Grosso" Herrlein in drums and accordion; and Macabre in keyboards and samplers.-Biography:The...
and La Renga
La Renga
La Renga are a hard rock and Heavy Metal band from Argentina, formed in 1988.They have a moderate success with the albums A Dónde Me Lleva La Vida and Bailando en una pata, between 1993 and 1995, but it was the release of Despedazado por Mil Partes, in 1996, that made them nationally famous.With...
.
Rock en español in the United States
Rock en español borrows heavily from rock and roll music and traditional and popular music of Spanish-speaking countries such as CumbiaCumbia
Cumbia is a music genre popular across Latin America. The cumbia originated in the Caribbean coast of Colombia, where it is associated with an eponymous dance and has since spread as far as Mexico and Argentina...
, Ranchera
Ranchera
Ranchera is a genre of the traditional music of Mexico originally sung by only one performer with a guitar. It dates to the years of the Mexican Revolution in the early 20th century. It later became closely associated with the mariachi groups which evolved in Jalisco. Ranchera today is also played...
, Rumba
Rumba
Rumba is a family of percussive rhythms, song and dance that originated in Cuba as a combination of the musical traditions of Africans brought to Cuba as slaves and Spanish colonizers. The name derives from the Cuban Spanish word rumbo which means "party" or "spree". It is secular, with no...
, and tango
Tango (dance)
Tango dance originated in the area of the Rio de la Plata , and spread to the rest of the world soon after....
. In its 50 year history, it has evolved from having a cult-like following to being a more well established music genre.
In Los Angeles, an underground scene has developed and continues to flourish that supports the local rock en español acts. Top bands from the LA REE scene include Pastilla, Maria Fatal, Rascuache, Voz de Mano, Cabula, Las 15 letras, and Los Olvidadas.
Record labels that have supported US based REE include Aztlan records, El Mero Mero Records, and Mofo Records.
Chicano rock
Chicano Rock Music is rock musicRock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
performed by Mexican American
Mexican American
Mexican Americans are Americans of Mexican descent. As of July 2009, Mexican Americans make up 10.3% of the United States' population with over 31,689,000 Americans listed as of Mexican ancestry. Mexican Americans comprise 66% of all Hispanics and Latinos in the United States...
groups or music with themes derived from Chicano
Chicano
The terms "Chicano" and "Chicana" are used in reference to U.S. citizens of Mexican descent. However, those terms have a wide range of meanings in various parts of the world. The term began to be widely used during the Chicano Movement, mainly among Mexican Americans, especially in the movement's...
culture. Chicano Rock, to a great extent, does not refer to any single style or approach. Some of the groups do not sing in Spanish at all, or use any specific Latin instruments or sounds. The main unifying factor, whether or not any Latin American music
Latin American music
Latin American music, found within Central and South America, is a series of musical styles and genres that mixes influences from Spanish, African and indigenous sources, that has recently become very famous in the US.-Argentina:...
is heard, is a strong R&B influence, and a rather independent and rebellious approach to making music.
Other variations
- Argentine rockArgentine rockArgentine rock , is composed or made by Argentine bands or artists, in the Spanish language. For nearly half a century it has been a major popular genre, and it is considered part of the popular music tradition of Argentina alongside Argentine Tango, and Argentine folk music.The moment when...
- Bolivian rock
- Chilean rockChilean rockChilean rock music comes from many decades of evolving musical styles, many of the later conceived artists in the 80's and 90's are highly influenced by artists such as folk musicians Victor Jara and Violeta Parra...
- Costa Rican rock
- Colombian rockColombian rockColombian Rock is a generic term that describes the different types of rock music from Colombia, the most common being based on Rock en Español, but also, in recent years, being based on indie rock, as well as the traditional focus of hard rock Colombian bands....
- Cuban rockCuban rockRock and roll in Cuba began in the late 1950s, with artists covering American songs translated into Spanish, as was occurring in Mexico at the same time...
- Dominican rockDominican rockDominican rock, , is rock music created by Dominican groups and soloists. Originating in the 1980s with the start of Luis Dias band Transporte Urbano, successful bands such as Tribu Del Sol, Toque Profundo and Tabu Tek began to emerge...
- Ecuadorian rockEcuadorian rockEcuadorian rock encompasses a broad and diverse independent music scene. The genre includes different styles, such as hardcore punk, metalcore, gothic metal, heavy metal, alternative rock alternativo, punk, ska, blues, and grunge...
- Equatoguinean rock
- Guatemalan rockGuatemalan rockGuatemalan Rock or Rock Chapín is a genre of rock music which has been developing in Guatemala since the mid 1960s.-Guatemalan Rock Music:...
- Honduran rock
- Mexican rockMexican rockMexican rock music, often referred to in Mexico as rock nacional , originated in the 1950s with covers of standards by Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley and The Everly Brothers, among others, bands such as Los Rebeldes del Rock, Los Locos del Ritmo, Los Crazy Boys, Los Nómadas, and Javier Bátiz soon arose...
- Nicaraguan rock
- Panamanian rock
- Paraguayan rock
- Peruvian rockPeruvian rockRock entered the Peruvian scene in the late-1950s, through listening to performers like Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly and Bill Haley, who popularized rockabilly in the United States. The first Peruvian rock bands appeared during this time...
- Puerto Rican rockPuerto Rican rockRock in Puerto Rico has been a product of direct and indirect influence from both American rock music and Latin rock music, and its fusion with other genres. Throughout history, the genre has suffered ups and downs having a significant peak in the 1990s...
- Salvadorean rock
- Spanish rockSpanish rockSpain has produced a great variety of rock and roll.There have also been a number of acts who have incorporated the Celtic musical heritage of that region into Celtic rock sung in Spanish, like Celtas Cortos....
- Uruguayan rockUruguayan rockUruguayan rock first emerged in Uruguay in the 1950s. The real breakthrough for rock in Uruguay, however, as in much of the world, was the arrival of The Beatles in the early 1960s.- History :...
- Venezuelan rockVenezuelan rockVenezuelan rock is a generic term that describes the different types of rock music from Venezuela, the most common being based on Rock en Español.-History:...
See also
- ShakiraShakiraShakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll , known professionally as Shakira , is a Colombian singer who emerged in the music scene of Colombia and Latin America in the early 1990s...
- JuanesJuanesJuan Esteban Aristizábal Vásquez , better known as Juanes is a Colombian musician who was a member of heavy metal band Ekhymosis and is now a solo artist. In 2000, his solo debut album Fíjate Bien won three Latin Grammy Awards.Juanes has sold more than 13 million albums...
- Latin AlternativeLatin AlternativeLatin Alternative, or Alterlatino, is the brand of latin music produced by combining genres like alternative rock, electronica, metal, New Wave, pop rock, punk rock, reggae, heavy metal or ska with traditional Latin American sounds...
- Latin American musicLatin American musicLatin American music, found within Central and South America, is a series of musical styles and genres that mixes influences from Spanish, African and indigenous sources, that has recently become very famous in the US.-Argentina:...
- Brown-eyed soulBrown-eyed soulBrown-eyed soul is a subgenre of soul music or rhythm and blues created in the United States mainly by Latino in Southern California during the 1960s, continuing through to the early 1980s. The genre of soul music occasionally draws from Latin, and often contains rock music influences...
- Tejano musicTejano musicTejano music or Tex-Mex music is the name given to various forms of folk and popular music originating among the Mexican-American populations of Central and Southern Texas...
- rockeros.net
- rockenespanol.com