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.