Top Rock Artists from Mexico

Café Tacuba

This band, influenced by Alternative Rock groups such as the Clash, the Cure, and the Smiths, originally called themselves Alicia Ya No Vive Aquí.

Lead singer  Rubén Albarran and guitarist José Alfredo Rangel  met at Metropolitan Autonomous University in Mexico City while both were studying graphic design.  Rangel's brother Enrique (bass)  and Emmanuel Del Real (keyboards) completed the group in 1989.  The group began playing live around Mexico City, and were discovered by producer Gustavo Santaolalla.  Santaolalla had been producing some of the top bands of the burgeoning Rock en Español, or Spanish-language rock music, and helped the group sign a recording contract with Warner Music Latina Records.

The group's debut album was well received in Mexico, and María" was nominated for Video of the Year at the Lo Nuestro Awards of 1993.  Café Tacuba's album Cuatro Caminos won a Grammy Award for Best Latin/Alternative Album. 

Violinist Alejandro Flores has been with the group since 1994.  Café Tacuba has released seven studio albums.

Caifanes

Caifanes' music has elements of new wave, progressive rock, and Latin percussion.  Their original lineup was:  Saúl Hernández (vocals & guitar), lead guitarist Alejandro Marcovich, Sabo Romo on bass, drummer Alfonso André and Diego Herrera on keyboards and saxophone.

 

 

In 1987, Juan Aceves produced a four song demo for the group at Arco Studio, where Aceves was chief engineer.  Caifanes received a big break when Ariola Records asked them to open for Argentinean rocker Miguel mateos at Mexico City.  Oscar Lopez, Mateos' producer, loved the group and brought them into the studio to record a demo.  Lopez helped Caifanes sign a recording contract with RCA-Ariola and produced their first two albums.  The EP sold over 300,000 copies and by 1989, Caifanes had become one of the top rock acts from Mexico.  In June, the group sold out two shows at Auditorio Nacional in Mexico City, a first for a Mexican rock group.

 

In 1989, guitarist Alejandro Marcovich joined the group.  In 1992, Caifanes sold out the Hollywood Palladium, and in 1993, they became the first Mexican rock group to sell out the Palacio de los Desportes (Sports Palace) in Mexico City.

 

In 1993, Romo and Herrera left, but the following year, Caifanes sold out stadiums throughout Mexico and large venues in Latin America and the United States.  The group's music was regularly played on Latin MTV and Rock en Español radio, and appeared at several music festivals.  They opened for the Rolling Stones in Mexico City and played at Peter Gabriel's WOMAD Festival.

 

However, Caifanes broke up in 1995.  The group has sold over eight million albums in their career.

Mana

Maná  formed in Guadalajara, Mexico in 1986 with José Fernando "Fher" Olvera on vocals, Ulises (guitars) and Juan Calleros (bass).  They had been with the group Sombrero Verde since the mid-70's before breaking up in 1983, and needed a drummer to complete the group.  They found him in fifteen-year-old Alex Gonzales.

 

Maná   initially signed a recording contract with PolyGram Records, but was unhappy and switched to Warner Music prior to the release of their debut album.  The group performed over 250 shows throughout Latin America to promote the release.

 

In 1991, Maná added keyboardist Iván González and guitarist César "Vampiro" López, as Calleros ceased performing to become one of the group's managers.  The following year, Maná  released the album ¿Dónde Jugarán Los Niños?, which sold over three million copies worldwide to become the top-selling Spanish-language rock album of all-time.  Maná went on an international tour with 268 shows in 17 countries.

 

In 1994, González  and González left the group, so the group searched throughout Mexico, Spain and Argentina to find a new guitarist.  Sergio Vallin replaced González in 1997, and released the album Sueños Líquidos, which won a Grammy Award as Best Latin Rock/Alternative Album.  In 1999,  Maná backed Carlos Santana on an 18-city tour of the United States, and collaborated with the superstar on the song "Corazón Espinado" for Santana's album Supernatural.

 

In 2002, the group released the album Revolución de Amor, which won them another Grammy Award for Best Latin/Alternative Album.  The album peaked at #4, and spawned the single "Labios Compartidos", which went to #1 on the Latin chart.  Amar es Combatir has now sold over 644,000 copies.

 

Maná has won three Grammys and five Latin Grammys, along with five MTV Latin America Video Music Awards, fourteen Billboard Latin Music Awards and fifteen Premios Lo Nuestro Awards.  The group's career sales now top 25 million. 

Paulino Rubio

 

Rubio began taking singing, acting, jazz, painting, and dance lessons when she was five, and enrolled at what is now the Centro de Educación Artística (CEA) in Mexico.  Children from the center formed a band two years later. 

 

In 1982, Rubio began singing at the age of ten with the group Timbiriche, which she performed with through 1991.  In 1988, Rubio turned her attention to acting, starring in several Mexican films.

 

In 1991, Rubio moved to Spain to begin working on her solo debut, La Chica Dorada, which spawned the single "Mio".  "Mio" went all the way to #3 on the Billboard Hot Latin Tracks, and peaked at #1 in Spain and #2 in Mexico.

 

In 1993, Rubio released the album 24 Kilates, which sold 150,000 copies within two weeks and became the #1 album in Mexico.  The single "Nieva, Nieva" became Paulina's first #1 song in Mexico.  "El Me Engañó" and "Asunto de Dos" reached #1 and #5, respectively.  Rubio was nominated for Female Artist and New Artist of the Year at the Lo Nuestro Awards.

 

Rubio struck paydirt with her album Paulina in 2001.  She received Lattin Grammy Award nominations for Album of the Year, Song of the Year (for "Y Yo Sigo Aquí"), and Best Female Pop Vocal Album.  "Y Yo Sigo Aqui" reached #3 on the Hot Latin Songs chart.  Paulina reached #1 on the Latin Albums chart, and finished the year as the top-selling Latin album.  It has now sold over 800,000 copies in the United States and over 600,000 albums in Mexico.  In 2009, Paulina was named as one of the Top 10 albums in the history of Mexico.

 

In 2002, Rubio released the English-language album Border Girl, which reached #11 in the United States, #5 in Mexico, #9 in Canada, and #14 in Spain.  The album sold over 500,000 copies in the U.S.  The single "Don't Say Goodbye" became her biggest hit, reaching #41 on the Popular chart, while the Spanish version peaked at #5 on the Hot Latin Tracks chart.

 

Rubio appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn, among others, and performed at international music festivals, including Wango Tango, Festivalbar, and Festival di Sanremo in Italy.  She was profiled in the magazines Rolling Stone and Blender.  On June 21, 2002, radio station KRBE in Houston, Texas declared June 21 as "Paulina Day".

 

In 2004, Pau-Latina was Rubio's second straight album to debut at #1 on the Top Latin Albums chart, and reached #105 overall.  Pau-Latina was nominated for Best Pop Female Vocal Album at the Latin Grammy Awards, and it earned a Grammy nomination for Best Latin Pop Vocal Album.  The single "Te Quise Tanto" reached #1 for six weeks on the Hot Latin Tracks chart, and peaked at #1 in most Latin American countries.

 

Rubio headed out on her first world tour in 2005-6.  Her 2006 album Ananda reached #1 in the U.S. on the Latin Album chart, and peaked at #1 throughout Latin America.  The album peaked at #25 overall, and earned Paulina two Billboard Awards.  " Ni Una Sola Palabra" gave Rubio her third #1 Hot Latin hit, a chart-topper for four weeks, that also peaked at #1 in Mexico, Spain, and most Latin American countries.

 

Rubio performed at the Nobel Peace Prize Gala in Norway.  Her song "Nena" was nominated for Record of the Year at the Latin Grammy Awards.  Rubio's single "Causa y Efecto" topped the Hot Latin Songs chart for five weeks.  In 2009, Rubio's album Gran City Pop was nominated for Best Latin Pop Album at the Grammy Awards.

 

Rubio has now sold over 20 million records worldwide, and is considered as one of the most influential Latin celebrities in the world.

 

 

 

Santana

 

With the group which took his name, Carlos Santana is a pioneer in fusing rock music with Latin American influences.  Hundreds if not thousands of groups sprung up in the U.S., Mexico, and around the world as a result of Santana. 

 

Carlos learned to play violin at age five, and the guitar at age eight.  The family moved first to Tijuana, then to San Francisco, which is where he met other musicians and formed the group Santana.

 

Carlos received his big break due to a series of events which happened on the same day.  He frequented Fillmore West in San Francisco, owned by promoter Bill Graham.  During one show, Paul Butterfield was supposed to perform, but could not because he was intoxicated.  Graham quickly assembled an impromptu band of musicians he knew through his connections with the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, and Butterfield's group.  Graham still needed a guitarist, so Santana's manager, Stan Marcum, suggested Carlos.  Graham agreed, and Santana's performance at the jam session won the praise of both Graham and the audience.

 

Santana formed his own band shortly afterwards with bassist David Brown, Gregg Rolie on lead vocals and organ, and Marcus Malone playing percussion.

 

With its amazing original blend of Latin-infused rock, jazz, blues, salsa, and African rhythms, Santana gained a large following at clubs throughout the San Franciso area, and captivated the world with a stellar performance at Woodstock in 1969.  That memorable show led to a recording contract with Columbia Records.

 

Guitarist Neal Schon joined for the group's third album, Santana III, which yielded the song "Caravanserai", nominated for Best Pop Instrumental Performance with Vocal at the Grammy Awards.

 

Santana released 22 studio albums, with four of those (Abraxas, Santana III, Supernatural, and Shaman) reaching #1.  Fifteen of the 22 reached at least Gold status (500,000 in sales), with two going Platinum (one million) and five Multi-Platinum.  Santana also had two compilation albums go Gold, with one Platinum, and Santana's Greatest Hits has now gone over the seven-million mark.

 

In 1999, Santana made a huge comeback with the album Supernatural.  The release has now gone over 15 million in sales in the United States alone and over 30 million worldwide.  Santana won nine Grammy Awards (Album of the Year, Best Rock Album, Record of the Year and Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals ("Smooth"), Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal ("Maria, Maria"), Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group ("Put Your Lights On"), Best Rock Vocal Instrumental Performance (for "The Calling"), and Best Pop Instrumental ("El Farol"), and three Latin Grammy Awards.

 

Santana has now sold over 100 million albums in his career and won ten Grammy Awards.  He has scored 23 hits, with eight reaching the Top 10 and two #1 songs.

 

 

 

Jorge Santana

Jorge, brother of Carlos, joined the San Francisco group Malo, which scored a Top 20 hit with "Suavecito" in 1972.  Jorge went solo beginning in 1978, and has released four studio albums.