Biography
Cannibal & the Headhunters secured their sole chart success with the infectious “Land of 1000 Dances,” a track potent enough to define an entire career. That same recording also positioned the ensemble among the earliest Mexican-American rock groups to reach a national audience. Formed in East Los Angeles during the mid-1960s by Frankie Garcia—whose boyhood habit of biting opponents earned him the moniker “Cannibal”—alongside Robert Jaramillo and Joe Jaramillo, the band emerged from the earlier aggregations the Rhythm Playboys and the Romanos. Their rendition of the Chris Kenner–Fats Domino composition appeared on the Rampart label in early 1965, climbed to number 30, and earned the act supporting slots on bills that included the Beatles. Wilson Pickett later carried the song to number ten, yet countless other artists also committed versions to tape. A follow-up single failed to register, though the accompanying Land of 1000 Dances LP entered the charts in mid-1965. The group subsequently recorded for Columbia’s Date imprint, which also housed the Zombies’ “Time of the Season,” before signing with Capitol at the close of the decade; neither affiliation yielded further hits. Following ten years of oldies performances, Garcia and the Headhunters then active disbanded in 1978, though he has fronted subsequent lineups on the revival circuit.
Albums
Singles
