La Mafia is an American five-time Grammy Award-winning musical group. It has its roots in the Northside neighborhood of Houston, Texas, and has charted a course as a Latin music band.
History La Mafia was founded in 1980 in Houston, Texas. Vocalist Oscar De La Rosa and producer Armando Lichtenberger Jr. created an original style that survived various changes in the music industry. The band consists of Oscar De La Rosa on vocals, Armando Lichtenberger Jr. on Keyboard & Accordion, Rudy Martinez on bass, David De La Garza on keyboards and background vocals, Alan Lopez on drums, Victor Pacheco on Guitar and Robbie Longoria on bajo-sexto & percussion . In 2007 the band won 2 Grammys & 3 Latin Grammys and was nominated in 2009 for a Latin Grammy for the album Eternamente Romanticos. In 2020, the group won a Latin Grammy award for its 2019 album "Live in Mexico."
La Mafia, seeking to expand their musical horizons, began touring extensively in Mexico and Latin America beginning in the late 1980s. The practice of Mexican-American artists performing in Mexico on a large scale was unheard of before La Mafia.
Band members Oscar De La Rosa – vocalist Armando Lichtenberger Jr. – accordion, keyboards, producer David De La Garza III – keyboards, vocals Rudy Martinez – bass guitar Alan Lopez – drums Viktor Pacheko – guitar Robbie Longoria – bajo sexto, percussions, congas
Former members Leonardo Gonzales (brother of Oscar De La Rosa Gonzales) – guitar Robert Martinez – guitar, bass guitar Marion Aquilina – guitar Israel (Speedy) Villanueva – bass guitar Adolf Alonso – bass guitar Tim Ruiz – bass guitar Tony Rodriguez – drums Mario Gonzalez – drums Adam Mosqueda – drums Jason Rodriguez – bass guitar Michael Aguilar – drums Jesse Moreno – saxophone Jesse Peralez – saxophone (died 2025) Rick Patino – saxophone, trumpet David Flores – saxophone Joe Gonzales – drums Joe Ovalle – bass guitar Johnny Gonzalez – drums Eduardo Torres – drums
Discography 1980: La Mafia de Oscar y Leonardo Gonzales 1981: Only In Texas 1982: The Magnificent 7 1982: Honey (Cariño) 1983: Electrifying 1983: Mafia Mania 1984: Hot Stuff 1985: Neon Static 1985: Herencia Norteña 1986: La Mafia 1986 1987: A Todo Color 1988: Homenaje a Nelson Ned & Roberto Carlos 1988: Amame 1989: Xplosiv 1990: Enter the Future 1990: Con Tanto Amor 1991: Homenaje a Javier Solís 1991: Estas Tocando Fuego 1992: Ahora y Siempre 1994: Vida 1996: Un Millón de Rosas (Grammy Winner) 1997: En Tus Manos (Grammy Winner) 1998: Euforia 1999: Momentos 2000: Contigo 2001: Inconfundible 2004: Nube Pasajera 2004: Para El Pueblo (Latin Grammy Winner) 2008: Eternamente Romanticos 2014: Amor y Sexo 2017: Non-Stop 2018: Vozes
Compilations, duets, and live albums 1981: La Mafia 1984: 15 Hits 1987: La Mafia Live 1991: Party Time 1991: 1991 1992: Dancin' With La Mafia 1993: Nuestras Mejores Canciones – 17 1995: Puro Tejano 1995: Éxitos En Vivo 1998: Hits De Coleccion Vol. 1 2001: Para Enamorados 2002: Tejano All Stars 2003: Los Hits 2003: 30 Éxitos Insuperables 2006: Nuevamente (Latin Grammy Winner) 2006: La Historia de La Mafia: Los Exitos 2008: Leyendas 2011: La Mafia: Live in the 80s 2019: Live in Mexico (2020 Latin Grammy)
Awards and recognitions La Mafia received Grammy Awards for its CDs Un Millón de Rosas (1997) and En Tus Manos (1998) and Latin Grammy Awards for its CDs Para El Pueblo (2005), Nuevamente (2006), and Live in Mexico (2020). 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 1990s, ranking La Mafia as the most successful Latin artist Houston has ever produced.
La Mafia received the first Billboard Hot Latin Song of the Year (formally Hot Latin Track of the Year) in 1994 for their song "Me Estoy Enamorando."
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