HOW THE WOLF SURVIVED: LOS LOBOS AND MUSICAL MESTIZAJE IN EAST LOS ANGELES

With their 50-year legacy and diverse repertoire, the Chicano musical group Los Lobos holds a unique place in American popular music. The band has become synonymous with Los Angeles and the rich Chicano culture that blossomed in post-war Southern California. From the group’s inception, it has explored new and old musical styles while making bold, expressive recordings. The three long-playing albums they produced between 1977 and 1988 represent a dynamic blend of American roots music and Mexican folk traditions. These sounds were constructed through the mixing of performance textures, languages, and rhythmic frameworks. The band’s performances display commonality between some of these disparate musical traditions.The music found on Los Lobos del Este de Los Angeles (1978), How Will the Wolf Survive? (1984), and La Pistola y el Corazón (1988) best exemplify the unique mestizaje (blend of styles) that is crucial to understanding the band’s nuanced identity and place within the greater sphere of popular music.