Latin Legends: El Chicano, Tierra, Malo and Thee Midniters

Latin Legends featuring El Chicano, Tierra, Malo and Thee Midniters

El Chicano:
El Chicano, formed by Freddie Sanchez in the late ‘60s, under the name The VIP’s arose during a period
of increasing Chicano consciousness in America. Their initial hit, “Viva Tirado”, was a jazzy soul rock
rendition of Gerald Wilson’s original song about a bullfighter. The song did very well on Los Angeles
radio and remained #1 for thirteen straight weeks. Other notable tracks recorded by El Chicano are the
funky “Tell Her She’s Lovely” as well as a cover of Van Morrison’s 1967 hit, “Brown Eyed Girl”.

Malo:
Formed by Arcelio Garcia, combining some of the Bay Area’s best musicians, Malo’s 1972 Top 20 hit
single, “Suavecito” (meaning “soft” or “smooth” in Spanish), is often referred to as “The Chicano
National Anthem”.

Thee Midniters:
Thee Midniters are among the first Chicano rock bands to have a major hit in the United States. They
were one of the best-known acts to come out of East Los Angeles in the 1960s, with a cover of “Land of a
Thousand Dances” in 1964 and the instrumental track “Whittier Boulevard” in 1965. They were among
the first rock acts to openly sing about Chicano themes in songs such as “Chicano Power” and “The
Ballad of César Chávez” in the late 1960s.

Tierra:
Tierra is a Latin band from Los Angeles, CA established in the ’70s by former El Chicano members Steve
Salas and his brother Rudy Salas. Tierra has the distinction of being the first Latino band to have four
songs on the national chart with two of them in the Top 100 at the same time. In 1980 they had a
platinum hit with their version “Together” which was a remake of the 1967 song by The Intruders.

Saturday, June 29
Starlight Theater | 7:30 PM | $59 / $49 / $39