La Mafia

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La Mafia
La Mafia's Oscar de la Rosa shaking hands with fans at a concert
Background information
Genre(s)	Latin Tejano
Years active	1980–present
Website	http://www.lamafia.com
Members
Oscar de la Rosa, vocalist Armando (Mando) Lichtenberger Jr-accordion and keyboards Tim Ruiz - bass Joe Gonzales-drums Jesus Angel - keyboards Viktor- guitar

From its roots in the Northside neighborhood of Houston, Texas, the four-time Grammy Award-winning musical group La Mafia has charted a course as one of Latin Music’s most influential bands.

1 History
2 Discography
3 Awards and recognitions
4 External links

[edit] History

La Mafia was founded in 1980 by Oscar de la Rosa, and Armando Lichtenberger Jr. at Henry’s Night Club, a bar owned by Oscar’s family. De la Rosa, as vocalist, and Lichtenberger, as keyboardist, accordion player and the band’s producer, were joined by Tim Ruiz Jr. on bass in 1996, Joe Gonzales on drums in 2003, Jesus Angel on keyboards and vocals in 2006 and Viktor on Guitar in 2007. The band’s original name was Los Jovenes.

La Mafia, seeking to expand their musical horizons, began touring extensively in Mexico and Latin America beginning in the late 1980s. The practice of Hispanic-American artists performing in Mexico on a large scale was unheard of before La Mafia. Back home, La Mafia has performed in front of three record-setting crowds at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo at the Houston Astrodome.

[edit] Discography

Since 1993, La Mafia has recorded each of its hits at its own Urbana Recording Studios, including the million-selling “Estas Tocando Fuego” and Ahora y Siempre.” The band has recorded 35 albums and CDs, not including dozens of compilation and greatest hits releases. La Mafia has sold over 8 million records worldwide.

[edit] Awards and recognitions

La Mafia received Grammy Awards for its CDs “Un Million De Rosas” and “En Tus Manos ” and Latin Grammy Awards for it's CDs "Para El Pueblo" and "Nuevamente". It also has received eight Premio Lo Nuestro Awards and 12 Tejano Music Awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Award from the latter, numerous Billboard awards and was listed in the top 10 Billboard Latin Artists for the entire decade of the 90s, ranking La Mafia as the most successful Latin artist Houston has ever produced.