LOS ANGELES (Geffen/Gordo/UMe) - From
Shakira to Juanes,
Cafe Tacuba to Mana, Latin Rock has never been more popular than it is today. But in Mexican-American neighborhoods decades ago there was a band that earned acclaim behind only
Santana and War, and remains a favorite among
Latino baby boomers - El Chicano. Though none of El Chicano's original '70s albums are available domestically on CD, the group's greatest tracks - 12 digitally remastered selections, from the jazzy instrumental "Viva Tirado" to the brown-eyed soul classic "Tell Her She's Lovely" - can be heard once more on THE BEST OF EL CHICANO edition of 20TH CENTURY MASTERS/THE MILLENNIUM COLLECTION (Geffen/Gordo/UMe), released October 5, 2004.
Today, with a new album in the works, scoring a documentary on union organizer and band friend Cesar Chavez, preparing a book documenting its lengthy history, and playing some 100 dates around the world each year, El Chicano is reaping the rewards of its influence on new generations of Latin rockers.
Formed in 1968 in East Los Angeles and nurtured by the area's racially diverse audiences, El Chicano blended bilingual lyrics with hard rock and Latin rhythms, as well as soul, funk, blues and jazz. The group's hypnotically funky reworking of jazz pianist Gerald Wilson's "Viva Tirado," an instrumental homage to Mexican matador Jose Ramon Tirado, became the title track of El Chicano's 1970 debut LP and a surprise hit single, reaching No 28 pop, No 20 R&B and No 10 Adult Contemporary. In L.A., the song was No 1 for 13 weeks. The album also included a cover of Herbie Hancock's "Cantelope Island."
Six other Kapp/Decca (later MCA) albums followed. REVOLUCION (1971) included "Cubano Chant" and "Sabor A Mi." CELEBRATION (1972) boasted a Top 50 pop reading of Van Morrison's "Brown-Eyed Girl" with guest singer Steve Salas (later a co-founder of Tierra) and "Juntos." EL CHICANO (1973) spawned a major hit in Hispanic markets with the Top 40 pop/Top 30 AC "Tell Her She's Lovely" and "(Se Fue Mi) Cha Chita." CINCO (1974) spotlighted Tito Puente's "El Cayuco," "The Latin One," "Ahora Si" and "Gringo En Mexico."
After exiting MCA in 1976, the band continued to record and perform (including in such far-flung locales as Japan, Malaysia and Korea). When El Chicano was sampled by Kid Frost on 2001's "La Raza," it was just one sign that Latin Rock had declared "Viva El Chicano!" The series 20TH CENTURY MASTERS/THE MILLENNIUM COLLECTION, featuring new "best of" albums from the most significant music artists of the past century.
