Maná

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Maná

Maná is a popular Latin American Mexican rock band from Guadalajara whose career has spanned almost three decades. They have earned three Grammy Awards, five Latin Grammy Awards, one Premios Juventud award, and 10 Premios Lo Nuestro awards. Their sound has been described as being anywhere from hard rock, Latin pop, calypso to reggae. They initially received notoriety and commercial success in Latin America and Spain and have since, gained popularity and exposure in the US, Western Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.


Early history

The band was first organized in 1980 under the name of Sombrero Verde (Green Hat). The band began by singing covers in English, but then added Spanish numbers to their repertoire. In 1981, they recorded their first album, Sombrero Verde. Their second album, A Ritmo de Rock appeared in 1983.

The group reorganized under the name of Maná ("supernatural force" (mana) in Polynesia) with Fher Olvera as lead vocalist, brothers Juan Diego and Ulises Calleros on bass and lead guitar, respectively, and Alex González, a young American-born Cuban-Colombian on drums. They released their first eponymous album for Polygram in 1986.

Commercial Success

Unhappy with the direction Polygram was taking them, they switched labels to Warner Music. The group's first album under Warner was Falta Amor, which was released in 1990, but did not become a hit until the following year. The third track from that album "Rayando el Sol" became their first hit single. They began to tour, performing more than 250 times in Mexico, and abroad in Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia.

In 1991, they added two new members to the group, Iván González on keyboards and César "Vampiro" López on guitar. Ulises Calleros no longer performed with the group, but became one of their managers. On April 14, 1994, the band released ¿Dónde Jugarán Los Niños?, an album that spawned many hits (Vivir Sin Aire, Oye Mi Amor, Como Te Deseo) and cemented Mana's status as a bona-fide supergroup. Buoyed by their success, the band undertook an international tour with 268 concerts in 17 countries.

In 1994, Iván González and César López left the group. Olvera, Alex González, and Juan Calleros continued to perform as a trio and released a live album titled Maná en Vivo with the collaboration of Gustavo Orozco on guitar, Sheila Ríos on vocals, and Juan Carlos Toribio on keyboards.

In 1994, Sergio Vallín was brought in to replace César on guitar. The group released Cuando los Ángeles Lloran. The group also started a foundation that year, Selva Negra, to advocate for ecological causes.

In 1997, the group released Sueños Líquidos, recorded in Puerto Vallarta, which hit the markets in 36 countries simultaneously. The recording received a Grammy as Best Latin Rock/Alternative Album. They also released a retrospective album for distribution in Spain called Todo Maná.

In 2002, the group released their fifth album, Revolución de Amor, which garnered Maná their fourth Grammy.

In 2006, after a four-year hiatus, they released their sixth album, Amar es Combatir. It reached #4 on the Billboard Top 200 in its first week, selling over 60,000 copies in the first week (according to Billboard.com). Their first single off the album, Labios Compartidos, has been at the top of the music charts since its debut in July when they played the song live at the Premios Juventud.

Collaborations, compilations and concerts

In December 1998, they were invited by Carlos Santana to collaborate on his album Supernatural. One of the tracks "Corazón Espinado" was composed by Fher. This gave them exposure in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. They also appeared on the Grammy Award presentations, the Tonight Show, and in an MTV live concert. The live performance was released in the Americas and Spain on CD and DVD as MTV Unplugged. They released a greatest hits album for distribution in Italy called Grandes (Import).

In 2003, Maná teamed up with Italian singer Zucchero, which resulted in two duets: a new version of Maná's "Eres mi Religión" and one of Zucchero's "Baila (sexy thing)", both of which were released as singles and the latter of which reached the number one position in the French single charts in 2005. Also in 2004, Maná appeared in the annual Pavarotti and Friends concert. At the end of the year, they released a three-disc retrospective called Maná Esenciales.

Their sixth album, "Amar es Combatir", features a Bachata song titled "Bendita Tu Luz", a duet along with Dominican Singer Juan Luis Guerra, who is widely regarded throughout Latin-America for his significant contribution to merengue and bachata styles of music.

Critical Review

In 1997, Modern Drummer named Alex González the best drummer in Latin America.

All Music Guide reviewer Sandra Brennan has said "Mexican pop-rockers Maná are considered the kings of Latino rock and have a huge following in the United States."

FAO Ambassador

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations FAO is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. FAO was founded on October 16, 1945 in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The FAO Goodwill Ambassadors Programme was initiated in 1999. Maná was nominated and appionted FAO Ambassadors on October 16 2003. Maná wishes to help FAO’s message reach and inspire younger audiences. Maná emphasized that their song "Justicia, Tierra y Libertad" (in english: Justice, the Earth and liberty [freedom]) from the Revolución de Amor album, is a message of hope and inspiration in the search of a world without hunger. The group is donating to the FAO a portion of the ticket office collections during its present tour by the United States. They will continue destining part of its gains to this organization during the rest of the tour by the United States and Mexico.

Politics and Maná

On March 29, 2007, Puerto Rico's Channel 4, WAPA's News program, reported that Maná publicly supported Puerto Rico's prospective independence. In an interview that followed the aforementioned news announcement, the members of Maná were interviewed by Channel 4 (WAPA) journalist, Rafael Lenín López, who asked them what they thought about Puerto Rico. Maná members confirmed that they support the Puerto Rican Independence Movement and favor greater sovereignty for the Latin American and Caribbean island-nation.

Various of their songs have political inspirations. The liner notes for "Me Voy a Convertir en Un Ave," on the album Sueños Líquidos, for example, notes that the song is "inspired by the book Pedro y el capitán by Mario Benedetti and dedicated to all those who, for defending an ideal of justice, are persecuted or find themselves imprisoned. To the Zapatista Army of National Liberation communities for peace and dignity."[1]

Awards

Billboard Latin Music Awards

Grammy Awards


Latin Grammy Awards

  • 2000: Record of the Year for Corazón Espinado (with Santana)
  • 2000: Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for "Se Me Olvidó Otra Vez"
  • 2000: Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group for [[Corazón Espinado] (with Santana)
  • 2003: Best Rock Album by a Duo or Group for Revolución de Amor
  • 2006: Special Award for musical accomplishments

MTV Video Music Awards Latin America

  • 2006: Best Music Video for Labios Compartidos
  • 2006: Best Rock Artist
  • 2006: Lifetime Achievement Award
  • 2007: Best Group or Duet
  • 2007: Artist of the Year

Orgullosamente Latinos

Premios Juventud

  • 2007: Favortie Rock Artist

Premios Lo Nuestro

Premios Oye!

World Music Awards

  • 2007: World’s Best-Selling Latin Group

Discography

Main article: Maná discography

Albums

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