Keeping Their Roots Alive

The Chicano musical artists in the United States were losing sight of their heritage and roots. They had disguised their cultural backgrounds and downplayed their cultural roots. Growing up, many of the artists' parents tried to force them into becoming Americanized. Many groups performed in English with English names, wearing matching tuxedos and were pressured to fit into the American r&b genre in order to be successful [1].

Finally after years of trying to please the American record companies, many Chicano groups decided it was time to get in touch with their roots. "Little Joe and the Latinaires" changed their name to "Little Joe y La Familia." Another musical group "The Jaguars" decided to change their name to "Tierra." These are examples of how Mexican American artists implemented change in the United States and made the Chicano wave a successful crossing of cultural borders [2].

Another group called "Los Lobos" had played in local rock-and-roll bands, but after the Chicano Wave had began, they became increasingly more interested in contributing their music to the movement. They were inspired by the social empowerment of Mexican Americans that they had seen in other musical artists' work, and began learning old Mexican songs as a hobby. They began to study various Mexican styles and instruments, and recorded an album of traditional Mexican music in 1978. They later combined traditional and contemporary styles, and incorporated influences from Tex-Mex music through rock and blues with their traditional Mexican rhythms [3].