Artist of the Week: Maná

Here's the deal, this past week the world rang in the new year, and for once, I wasn't working. Well that night at least. So I got to ring in the new year with my family. After the clock struck midnight, and my sister stopped yelling "Woooooo 1999!", we got to hang out and watch a couple of concert performances on TV. One of the performance I enjoyed so much, that I just had to have them on this week. So, lets get to know the band a little better. Most people might not know, but this band has been around for quite a while. The band first got together in Guadalajara in the late 70's with José Fernando "Fher" Olvera (Vocals), Gustavo Orozco (Guitar), Juan Diego Calleros (Bass), Ulises Calleros (Guitar) and Abraham Calleros (Drums). Back then they were called Green Hat, and mostly just covered Beatles and Led Zeppelin songs. Eventually they decided to go into spanish music and changed their name to Sombrero Verde. Although they released two albums, they never really gained any success. In 1986, the band changed their name to Maná and released a self titled album. Seeing that their current label was not gonna give them the push they wanted, the band decided to sign with Warner Music, and in 1990, they released their first album with them in Falta Amor. The album was slow at first, but gained popularity the following year when "Rayando el Sol" became the band's first hit single. The band then when on tour in Mexico and South America performing over 250 times. That year the band added Iván González on keyboards while César "Vampiro" López took over on guitar in place Ulises Calleros. In 1992 the band released their third album with Dónde Jugarán Los Niños?


The album was the bands first big hit and spawned many hit singles that included but are not limited to: "De Pies a Cabeza", "Vivir sin Aire", & "Me Vale". The album would go on to sell over 6 million copies, and took the band on a worldwide tour which included 268 shows in 17 different countries. In 1994, Iván González and César López left the group, but the band still released two albums that year, Maná en Vivo & Cuando los Ángeles Lloran. Sergio Vallín would replace César on guitar later on. In 1997, the band released Sueños Líquidos which was recorded in Puerto Vallarta, and was released in 36 countries simultaneously. In 1999, Maná accepted MTV's proposition and produced a record and DVD with acoustic versions of their best songs, The result was Maná MTV Unplugged, which turned out to be one of the highest selling of the series. In 2002, the band released Revolución de Amor in which they blended their sound with the essence of rock and roll from the sixties and seventies. In 2006, after a four-year hiatus, the band released Amar es Combatir which would sell over 60,000 copies in the first week alone. This past year, the band released their 8th studio album in Arde El Cielo. It's good to see that after almost 3 decades, the band is still going strong. That being said, this week's artist is Maná with their song "Me Vale", enjoy.