Cannibal & the Headhunters

Cannibal & the Headhunters was a Mexican-American band from East Los Angeles. The band's four members were; Frankie "Cannibal" Garcia,  Joey "YoYo" Jaramillo, Bobby "Rabbit" Jaramillo, and Richard "Scar" Lopez. Cannibal & the Headhunters were the first Mexican American band to have a national hit record in the summer of 1963[1].Cannibal & the Headhunters combined doo-wop (generally love ballads sung by black artists) and soul vocalists and were influenced by many black vocalist groups. This combination of sounds and musical genres clearly demonstrates the group's subconscious attempt to cross musical borders. The first song the band recorded for Rampart records was "Land of 1000 Dances." The Midniters, another popular east-side group also recorded this but it was Cannibal & the Headhunters who achieved success with it [2].The recording eventually reached number 30 on Billboard Charts in 1965 [1]. The song was to be performed and at the rehearsal Frankie "Cannibal" Garcia forgot the words and improvised with "Na Na Na Na"which then stuck and was recorded on the song. This ironically became a token line known by almost everyone across the United States at this time. With a hit record being their claim to fame, The Cannibal & the Headhunters' career began to blossom. The band appeared and performed on many television shows which is where they caught the attention of Paul McCartney. After this, they began to tour with one of the most popular pop groups in history, the Beatles. After their return from the 1965 tour the band continued to record and album which unfortunately did not make it to the charts. The band eventually broke up in 1967, leaving a legacy behind [2].

Click here to listen to Cannibal & the Headhunter's "Land of 1000 Dances"