Los Lobos and Jonah Smith

High school mates David Hidalgo (vocalist/guitarist) and Louie Perez (drummer) bonded over their love for music, and later recruited Cesar Rosas (vocalist/ guitarist) and Conrad Lozano (vocalist/bassist) to join them in a band in 1973, originally calling themselves Los Lobos del Este. Over a span of four months in 1977, the band was able to record their first album, “Los Lobos Del Este De Los Angeles,” and it was mostly recordings of music spanning from free-form jazz, to Top 40, to parody songs. However, they were not quite satisfied with what they were playing so they started to experiment with traditional Mexican music, and later added elements of rock to the sound.

In 1980 their performance at The Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles garnered the attention of prompter David Ferguson, who hired them to open for Public Image ltd, and in 1983 the band released an EP”…And a Time To Dance” which helped them earn enough money to buy a tour van to set out to the rest of the United States. Their first major label album, “How Will The Wolf Survive?” in 1984 was met with critical acclaim and helped put them on the map.

Throughout the late 80s and early 90s, the band spent time extensively touring around the United States, returning with an album entitled “The Neighborhood” in 1990, followed by “Papa’s Dream” in 1995. The album that followed, “Colossal Head” was equally critically acclaimed, however Warner Brothers decided to drop the band from their roster, leading to Los Lobos signing with Mammoth Records in 1999. After signing with Mammoth, the band found continued success, both with the albums they released, as well as with their live shows through touring.