David Hidalgo

This article is about the Los Lobos vocalist. For his son, see David Hidalgo Jr.

David Hidalgo
Hidalgo performing with Los Lobos on the South Lawn of the White House, October 13, 2009
Hidalgo performing with Los Lobos on the South Lawn of the White House, October 13, 2009
Background information
Birth nameDavid Kent Hidalgo
Born (1954-10-06) October 6, 1954 (age 70)
Gila, Arizona, US
GenresChicano rock, roots rock, Tex-Mex, Americana, cowpunk
Occupation(s)Musician, songwriter
Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar, accordion, violin, 6-string banjo, cello, requinto jarocho, percussion, drums

David Kent Hidalgo (born October 6, 1954, in Los Angeles)[1] is an American singer-songwriter, best known for his work with the band Los Lobos. Hidalgo frequently plays musical instruments such as accordion, violin, 6-string banjo, cello, requinto jarocho, percussion, drums and guitar as a session musician on other artists' releases.

Early life and education

Career

In 1973, Hidalgo was one of the founding members of Los Lobos, for which he wrote most songs together with Louie Pérez. He also participated as a guest musician on albums of other artists, among them David Alvin, Buckwheat Zydeco, Paul Burlison, T-Bone Burnett, Peter Case, Toni Childs, Marc Cohn, Ry Cooder, Elvis Costello, Crowded House, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, John Lee Hooker, Rickie Lee Jones, Leo Kottke, Roy Orbison, Dolly Parton, Pierce Pettis, Bonnie Raitt, Paul Simon, Taj Mahal, Suzanne Vega, Bob Dylan and Tom Waits. He is a member of the supergroup Los Super Seven and of the Latin Playboys, a side project made up of some of the members of Los Lobos. With Mike Halby of Canned Heat, he formed another band, Houndog, as a side project. He also appeared on national television in the U.S., backing Waits.

In 1987, he contributed the song "Will the Wolf Survive?" to the movie Promised Land. For Dennis Hopper's Colors (1988), he wrote the song "One Time, One Night". He wrote the songs "Manifold De Amour", "Forever Night Shade Mary" and "Chinese Surprize" for the 1995 action film Desperado. He contributed his melancholic song "La pistola y el corazón" for the movie The Mexican (2001).

Hidalgo's songs have been covered by the Jerry Garcia Band, Waylon Jennings, Bonnie Raitt and others. He has performed in Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival since its inception in 2004, including a performance with Los Lobos in April 2013 at Madison Square Garden. Clapton joined the band on stage for their song "Burn It Down", from their 2010 album, Tin Can Trust.

Personal life and family

His son, David Jr., is the drummer for the band Social Distortion. His other son Vincent has played bass for the band Mariachi El Bronx.

Discography

Selected collaborations

DVDs

Music videos

Year Video
1990 "Hey Good Lookin'" (with Buckwheat Zydeco and Dwight Yoakam)

References

  1. ^ George-Warren, Holly, ed. (2001). The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll. Fireside. p. 579. ISBN 0-7432-0120-5.