La Mafia

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La Mafia
LaMafiaGritoFest.jpg
La Mafia's Oscar de la Rosa shaking hands with fans at a concert
Background information
Origin Houston, Texas, United States
Genres Tejano, Latin pop
Years active 1980–present
Labels Urbana Records
Website http://www.lamafia.com
Members Oscar De La Rosa - vocalist
Armando (Mando) Lichtenberger Jr. - accordion, keyboards and Producer
Tim Ruiz - bass
Eduardo Torres - drums
David DeLaGarza- keyboards
Viktor Pacheco - guitar

La Mafia is a four-time Grammy Award-winning musical group. It has its roots in the Northside neighborhood of Houston, Texas and has charted a course as a Latin music band.

History

La Mafia was founded in 1980 in Houston, TX. Vocalist Oscar De La Rosa & producer/keyboardist/accordionist Armando Lichtenberger Jr. created an original style that survived various changes in the music industry. The band consists of Tim Ruiz on bass, David de la Garza on keyboards and background vocals, Joe Gonzales on drums and Viktor Pacheco on Guitar in 2007. The band has won 2 Grammys & 2 Latin Grammys was nominated in 2009 for a Latin Grammy for the album Eternamente Romanticos.

La Mafia, seeking to expand their musical horizons, began touring extensively in Mexico and Latin America beginning in the late 1980s. The practice of Mexican-American artists performing in Mexico on a large scale was unheard of before La Mafia.[citation needed] Back home, La Mafia has performed in front of three record-setting crowds at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo at the Houston Astrodome.

Band Members

Former Members

  • Leonardo Gonzales (brother of Oscar De La Rosa Gonzales) - guitar
  • Robert Gonzales - guitar & bass guitar
  • Marion Aquilina - guitar
  • Israel (Speedy) Villanueva - bass guitar
  • Adolf Alonso - bass guitar
  • Rudy Martinez - bass guitar
  • Jason Rodriguez - bass guitar
  • Tony Rodriguez - drums
  • Mario Gonzalez - drums
  • Adam Mosqueda - drums
  • Michael Aguilar - drums
  • Jesse Moreno - Sax
  • Jesse Peralez - Sax
  • Rick Patino - Sax-Trumpet
  • David Flores - Sax

Discography

Since 1993, La Mafia has recorded each of its hits at its own Urbana Recording Studios, including the million-selling Estas Tocando Fuego and Ahora y Siempre. The band has recorded 35 albums and CDs, not including dozens of compilation and greatest hits releases.

Studio albums

Compilations, duets and live albums

Awards and recognitions

La Mafia received Grammy Awards for its CDs Un Millón de Rosas and En Tus Manos and Latin Grammy Awards for its CDs Para El Pueblo and Nuevamente. It also has received eight Premio Lo Nuestro Awards and 12 Tejano Music Awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Award from the latter, numerous Billboard awards and was listed in the top 10 Billboard Latin Artists for the entire decade of the 1990s, ranking La Mafia as the most successful Latin artist Houston has ever produced.

La Mafia vs. Kumbia All Starz Battle of the bands

In the summer of 2008 Oscar De La Rosa, leader of La Mafia challenged A.B. Quintanilla and his group Los Kumbia All Starz to a battle of the bands. A.B. Quintanilla responded by making a video saying that he accepted and that the battle would be held at Robstown, Texas on August 2, 2008. A press conference was held in San Antonio, Texas on July 30, 2008 where both groups answered questions to the fans. The two stages were set side to side and the rules were each group had to sing 3 songs in a row. The battle began as they tossed a coin to see who would sing first. Oscar called heads and heads it was, so he elected A.B. Quintanilla to go first. For his first 3 songs he chose 3 Tejano songs he wrote and he got his two special guest singers Elida Reyna to sing the first two and Jesse Turner of Siggno to sing the third one. Then La Mafia sang "Estás Tocando Fuego" and two more 90's Billboard hits. For Kumbia All Starz's second turn, their lead singer DJ Kane and Ricky Rick performed the hit single "Shhh!" and two other songs with the dancers from DJ Kane's group when he was a solo singer, John and JD. La Mafia then performed with 3 more songs. Kumbia All Starz sang 3 more songs, then A.B. Quintanilla asked Oscar De La Rosa if they could sing one more song, and Oscar agreed, and so Ricky Rick and Melissa Jiménez got on stage and performed the hit song "Rica y Apretadita". La Mafia then sang 3 of their biggest hits, and after that the crowd was screaming for more, so they sang one more song. At the end of the night La Mafia was declared the winner.[1]

References

  1. ↑ http://en.wordpress.com/tag/la-mafia-vs-kumbia-all-starz-battle-of-the-bands/

External links

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