Tierra (band)
| Tierra | |
|---|---|
| Years active | 1973 - present |
| Associated acts | El Chicano |
| Past members | Steve Salas Rudy Salas Steve Falomir Philip Madayag Joey Guerra Bobby Navarrete Andre Baeza |
Tierra is a Latin R&B band, originally from Los Angeles, California, that was first established in the 1970s by former El Chicano members Steve Salas (vocals) and his brother Rudy Salas (guitar). The other original members were Bobby Navarrete (reeds), Joey Guerra (keyboards), Steve Falomir (bass guitar), and Philip Madayag (drums) and Andre Baeza (percussion). Their biggest hit was the 1980 remake of The Intruders' 1967 hit "Together", written by Gamble & Huff, which reached #18 on the Billboard Hot 100, and #9 on the US Billboard R&B chart.[1]
Contents
Background
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.[2]
Around 1973, Rudy and Steve Salas formed Tierra and their self-titled debut album was recorded. By the mid-1970s the band consisted of the Salas brothers, Rudy Villa on reeds, Kenny Román on drums and latin-percussion, Conrad Lazano on bass, Aaron Ballesteros on drums and vocals, Alfred Rubaclava on bass and Leon Bisquera on keyboards. Around that time they recorded the album Stranded for the Salsoul records label.[3]
In 1980 they had a platinum hit with their version "Together" which was a remake of the 1967 song by The Intruders.[4] The song which was written by Gamble & Huff, reached #18 on the Billboard Hot 100, and #9 on the US Billboard R&B chart.[5] A few months later they had another chart hit with "Memories". Later in the year they charted again with "La La Means I Love You".[6]
In 1995, they released their A New Beginning album.[7]
Around 1997, younger brother Steve supposedly quit the band after disputes over leadership of the band, money and management. In an interview he claimed that he was fired by his brother Rudy. He formed his own band and for a period of time there were two bands bearing the name Tierra. The Tierra band led by Steve Salas was booked for three nights at the Conga Room. Rudy Salas's wife contacted the club to inform them that the real Tierra was the one fronted by her husband. This led to the club's booking manager Robert Vargas getting into negotiations and mediating between the two brothers with a plan to have a band consisting of the two brothers and as many members as possible from their successful years in the early 1980s. An argument developed over the line up and Steve Salas backed out two weeks before the concert was to take place. He apologized. In January 2002 they were booked to play the Conga Room.[8]
Recent years
More recently, they appeared on Kid Frost's 2001 CD, Still Up in This Shit!, performing a new version of The Notations' "I'm Still Here".
Band member Isaac Avila died at age 49 of a brain hemorrhage on the 30th of August 2009.[9] Johnny "Sticks" Valenzuela has passed away some time between 2010 and 2013.[10] Bassist Steve Falomir died due to a stroke on January 21, 2012 [11] in Los Angeles.
As of May 2015, Tierra was still active and there was talk of a collaboration between Tierra and DW3 aka Down With Three that consists of Billy Mondragon, Damon Montelongo, and Eric Mondragon.[12][13]
Past members
1973 lineup
- Andre Baeza - percussion
- Joey Guerra - keyboards
- Steve Falomir - bass
- Philip Madayag - drums
- Bobby Navarrete - sax, reeds
- Rudy Salas - guitar
- Steve Salas - lead singer[14]
Other members
- Isaac Campos Avila - lead vocals, guitar[15]
- Conrad Lozano - bass
- David Torres - keyboards[16]
- Johnny "Sticks" Valenzuela - Percussion[17]
Discography
- Tierra (20th Century Records, 1973)
- Stranded (Salsoul Records, 1975)
- City Nights (Boardwalk Records, 1980)
- Together Again (Boardwalk Records, 1981)
- Bad City Boys (Boardwalk Records, 1982)
- A New Beginning (Fiesta Records, 1989)
- Tonight (Thump Records, 1993)
- Street Corner Gold (Thump Records, 1995)
- Greatest Hits (Thump Records, 2000)
- Two Worlds - Dos Mundos (Thump Records, 2001)
- Welcome to Cafe East L.A. (Thump Records, 2005)
- The Rare Collection (I.T.P. Records, 2005)
- Greatest Love Songs (Thump Records, 2007)
- On the Right Track (M & M Records, 2008)
See also
References
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 94.7 The WAVE May 22, 2015 Tierra’s Rudy Salas Talks Music, Performing & More By Pat Prescott
- ↑ Barrio Rhythm: Mexican American Music in Los Angeles Steven Loza 104 Part I: History Tierra
- ↑ Postnational Musical Identities: Cultural Production, Distribution, and Consumption in a Globalized Scenario Edited by Ignacio Corona and Alejandro L. Madrid Page 141 Assimilation, Reclamation, and Rejection
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Billboard Artists / Tierra Chart History
- ↑ All Music Tierra A New Beginning
- ↑ Los Angeles Times January 16, 2002 A Band (or Two) of Brothers - Augustin Gurza
- ↑ The Dead Rockstars Club 2009 July to December
- ↑ ¡LatinoLA! April 25, 2013 Chicano Music Legend Rudy Salas of Tierra
The lead guitarist and songwriter for East L.A.'s legacy band speaks up about his new music, his politics, and his family By Belinda Quesada, Contributing Writer - ↑ The Dead Rockstars Club 2012 January to June
- ↑ 94.7 The WAVE May 22, 2015 Tierra’s Rudy Salas Talks Music, Performing & More By Pat Prescott
- ↑ The Electronic Urban Report Jul 23, 11 DW3 Reintroduces Latin Soul Music with their Hot New Release ‘On the Floor’
- ↑ Lowrider website January 1, 2010 Lifestyle / Entertainment, Tierra of East Los Angeles by Steve Gonzales and Mike Landers
- ↑ The Dead Rockstars Club 2009 July to December
- ↑ Lowrider website January 1, 2010 Lifestyle / Entertainment, Tierra of East Los Angeles by Steve Gonzales and Mike Landers
- ↑ JazzTimes January / February 1998 Various Artists, Latin Legends Live By Marcela Breton
External links
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