La Mafia | |
|---|---|
) La Mafia's Oscar de la Rosa shaking hands with fans at a concert | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | 049408 |
| Origin | Houston, Texas, United States |
| Genres | Tejano, Grupero |
| Years active | 1980–present |
| Labels | Urbana Records, Universal Music Latin Entertainme nt 2017-present |
| 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 III - keyboards & background vocals Marion Aquilina - guitar Robbie Longoria - Bajo Sexto -percussions & congas |
| Past members | Leonardo Gonzales - guitar Robert Gonzales - guitar & bass guitar Viktor Pacheko - 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 (1986-2004) Jesse Moreno - sax Jesse Peralez - sax Rick Patino - sax-trumpet David Flores - sax Joe Gonzales - drums |
La Mafia is a six-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 Armando Lichtenberger Jr. created an original style that survived various changes in the music industry. The band consists of Tim Ruiz on bass, David Delagarza on keyboards and background vocals, Eduardo Torres on drums, Marion Aquilina on Guitar and Robbie Longoria on six bass percussion and congas. In 2007 the band won 2 Grammys & 2 Latin Grammys and was nominated in 2009 for a Latin Grammy for the album Eternamente Romanticos. In 2020, the group won a Latin Grammy award for its 2019 album “Live in Mexico.”
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.
Band members
- Oscar De La Rosa - vocalist
- Armando Lichtenberger Jr. - accordion, keyboards & Producer
- David Delagarza III - Keyboards & Vocals
- Tim Ruiz - bass
- Eduardo Torres - drums
- Marion Aquilina - guitar
- Robbie Longoria - Bajo Sexto -percussions & Congas
Former members
- Leonardo Gonzales (brother of Oscar De La Rosa Gonzales) - guitar
- Robert Martinez - guitar & bass guitar
- Viktor Pacheko - guitar
- Israel (Speedy) Villanueva - bass guitar
- Adolf Alonso - bass guitar
- Rudy Martinez bass guitar
- Tony Rodriguez - drums
- Mario Gonzalez - drums
- Adam Mosqueda - drums
- Jason Rodriguez - bass guitar
- Michael Aguilar - drums
- Jesse Moreno - Sax
- Jesse Peralez - Sax
- Rick Patino - Sax-Trumpet
- David Flores - Sax
- Joe Gonzales - drums
- Joe Ovalle - bass guitar
- Johnny Gonzalez - drums
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
- 1980: La Mafia de Oscar y Leonardo Gonzales
- 1981: Only In Texas
- 1982: The Magnificent 7
- 1982: Honey (Cariño)
- 1983: Electrifying
- 1983: Mafia Mania
- 1984: Hot Stuff
- 1985: Neon Static
- 1985: Herencia Norteña
- 1986: La Mafia 1986
- 1987: A Todo Color
- 1988: Amame
- 1989: Xplosiv
- 1990: Enter the Future
- 1990: Con Tanto Amor
- 1991: Estas Tocando Fuego
- 1992: Ahora y Siempre
- 1994: Vida
- 1996: Un Millón de Rosas (Grammy Winner)
- 1997: En Tus Manos (Grammy Winner)
- 1998: Euforia
- 1999: Momentos
- 2000: Contigo
- 2001: Inconfundible
- 2004: Nube Pasajera
- 2004: Para El Pueblo (Latin Grammy Winner)
- 2008: Eternamente Romanticos
- 2014: Amor y Sexo
- 2018: Vozes
- 2019: Non-Stop
Compilations, duets, and live albums
- 1981: La Mafia
- 1984: 15 Hits
- 1987: La Mafia Live
- 1991: Party Time
- 1991: 1991
- 1992: Dancin' With La Mafia
- 1993: Nuestras Mejores Canciones - 17
- 1995: Puro Tejano
- 1995: Éxitos en Vivo
- 1998: Hits De Coleccion Vol. 1
- 2001: Para Enamorados
- 2002: Tejano All Stars
- 2003: Los Hits
- 2003: 30 Éxitos Insuperables
- 2006: Nuevamente (Latin Grammy Winner)
- 2006: La Historia de La Mafia: Los Exitos
- 2008: Leyendas
- 2011: [[La Mafia: Live In The 80s]
- 2019: Live In Mexico
Awards and recognitions
La Mafia received Grammy Awards for its CDs Un Millón de Rosas (1997) and En Tus Manos (1998) and Latin Grammy Awards for its CDs Para El Pueblo(2005),Nuevamente(2006), and “Live in Mexico” (2020). 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.
References
External links
- Official website
- La Mafia at AllMusic
- La Mafia discography at Discogs
- La Mafia at IMDb