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Malo (English: "Bad") is an American musical group known for its blend of Latino, rock, jazz and blues. The San Francisco-based ensemble was led by Richard Bean, Arcelio Garcia, and Jorge Santana, the brother of Latin-rock guitarist Carlos Santana.
Malo | |
|---|---|
| Origin | San Francisco, California, United States |
| Genres | Chicano rock, Latin rock, Latin funk, jazz rock |
| Years active | 1971–1974, 1981–present |
| Labels | Warner Bros. |
| Members | Arcelio Garcia Richard Bean Hadley Caliman Hipolito Colon Luis Gasca Jorge Santana Francisco Aguabella Frank Corsetti Leo Rosales Tony Menjivar Gabriel Manzo Martin Cantu Aki Starr Frank Bailey Ramiro Amador Pablo Tellez Abel Zarate Jack Musgrove Brian Beukelman Saul Benavidez Bobby Simcox Amado Tuazon Tony Flores Gabriel Del Rosario Calixto Manriquez Oscar Estrella Juan Escovedo Mario Vega Manny Angel Bill Ortiz Jay Rossette |
Three of Malo's original members (Garcia, Richard Bean, Pablo Tellez, and Jorge Santana) had previously played in the band The Malibus.
The other three members (Abel Zarate, Roy Murray, and Richard Spremich) had played together in the group Naked Lunch.[1] (Zarate also played in a band called the Righteous Ones together. Abel Zarate and Roy Murray also played in another band founded by Zarate called Banda De Jesus (Named after Zarate's father "Jesus") along with longtime and current Bonnie Raitt bassist James "Hutch" Hutchinson and which was also produced by David Rubinson and Fred Catero though the tracks were never formally released.
History
The band featured full horn and percussion sections in the style of contemporary bands Blood, Sweat & Tears and Chicago. Some of the best musicians in the Bay Area were featured in Malo, including Luis Gasca, Forrest Buchtel, Jr., Ron Smith, and Tom Poole in the trumpet section. Malo's music was popular in Central and South America, especially the songs "Chevere", "Nena", "Pana", "Cafe", and "Oye Mama".[2]
After the release of their first album, many of Malo's original band members left the group in a rift widely publicized in the media. Buchtel went on to play with Blood, Sweat & Tears, Jaco Pastorius and Woody Herman. Abel Zarate went on to play with Willie Bobo and continues to play Latin/Brazilian Global jazz in San Francisco with his group Zarate Pollace Project. Richard Bean formed the group Sapo. Arcelio Garcia remained the leader of Malo until his passing in 2020.
Malo's January 1972 hit single, "Suavecito" (meaning "soft" or "smooth" in Spanish), was the group's only song that charted on Billboard's Top 20, at #18 for 10 weeks. Lyrics were written and sung by Malo co-founder, Richard Bean and the music by guitarist Abel Zarate who wrote or co-wrote many of the album's other songs.
A vocal section of "Suavecito" was included in the refrain of Sugar Ray's 1999 hit song, "Every Morning", which was one of Sugar Ray's most successful singles, climbing to number one on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and the Canadian RPM Top Singles chart, becoming the latter country's second-highest-selling single of 1999. The chorus of the song references "Suavecito". Mark McGrath, Sugar Ray's frontman, says, "We referenced 'Suavecito' because growing up in California, you know, that was just like the low rider anthem. Any car show or swap meet you'd ever go by, you'd always hear that [song] and that just stuck in your mind." He added, "We actually came up with that part, and it was very similar to Malo's part. We were sort of imitating it, and then we said, 'Let's just leave it, we're gonna change it later.' It really makes the song – we think – so we just left it."
From 1994 to 1996, Malo was joined by new lead singer Martin Cantu. In 1995, Malo released Señorita on GNP Crescendo Records. The title track of the CD was co-written by Damon Bartlett and Martin Cantu, who, like previous band members, also grew up in the San Francisco Mission District. Martin went on to write the first single, "Take My Breath Away", along with co-writer Damon Bartlett and two other songs, "More Than Friends" and "Malo Ya Llego", co-written with Arcelio Garcia. Martin Cantu also has several songs featured on the 1998 album, Rocks The Rockies, a live Malo concert recording, recorded in Pueblo, Colorado.
Malo was led Jorge Santana and Arcelio Garcia until his death in 2020. Malo is currently led by Malo co-founder Richard Bean, the co-writer of Malo's #1 Hit Song, "Suavecito."
Discography
Albums
| Year | Album | US Top 200 | US R&B |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Malo[3] | 14 | 10 |
| Dos | 62 | 13 | |
| 1973 | Evolution | 101 | 39 |
| 1974 | Ascención | 188 | - |
| 1981 | Malo V | - | - |
| 1986 | Coast to Coast | - | - |
| 1992 | The Best of Malo | - | - |
| 1995 | Señorita | - | - |
| 1998 | Rock the Rockies | - | - |
| 2004 | Malo En Vivo | - | - |
Singles
| Date | Name | US Hot 100 | US Billboard AC | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | "Suavecito" | 18 | 8 | 14 |
| "Café" | 101 | - | - | |
| "Latin Bugaloo" | 108 | - | - | |
| "I'm for Real" | - | - | - | |
| 1973 | "I Don't Know" | - | - | - |
| 1974 | "Love Will Survive" | - | - | - |
| 1981 | "Lady I Love" | - | - | - |
| 2004 | "Dilo Otra Vez" | - | - | - |
References
- ^ "wingswest.net - wingswest Resources and Information". Wingswest.net. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
- ^ "Redirecting". Serious-oldies.blogspot.com. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
- ^ "Searching for "Arcelio Garcia Jr."". Discogs.com. Retrieved September 15, 2016.