Malo

Latin rock outfit Malo originated in San Francisco when former members of the Malibus and Naked Lunch came together. Fronted by vocalist Arcelio Garcia alongside guitarist Jorge Santana—Carlos Santana’s brother—the group inked a deal with Warner Bros. in 1971 and cut its first album under David Rubinson, the producer behind other California acts the Chambers Brothers and Moby Grape as well as a future close collaborator with Herbie Hancock. Titled simply Malo, the record appeared in early 1972 and found its audience through the mellow romantic groove “Suavecito,” penned by band members Richard Bean, Pablo Tellez, and Abel Zarate; the track climbed to number 18 on the Billboard Hot 100 and quickly turned into a low-rider classic.

Several personnel departures followed, among them Bean and Zarate, and the band proved unable to maintain its initial momentum. Rubinson again handled production on Dos, issued later in 1972, and on Evolution, which arrived in 1973; both sets attracted a shrinking audience drawn to expansive blends of soul, rock, jazz, and Latin music, yet each charted with far weaker sales than the debut. The final album of Malo’s opening era, Ascención, surfaced in 1974 and extended the commercial slide even though Fred Catero—best known for his contributions to Santana’s Abraxas—shared production duties.

Subsequent lineups of the group continued to record and perform intermittently over the ensuing decades. Six further albums appeared across an equal number of labels throughout the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s. Meanwhile “Suavecito” endured, resurfacing on assorted compilations and receiving a nod inside Sugar Ray’s Top Five pop hit “Every Morning.” Rhino Handmade later issued the four-CD box set ¡Celebración!: The Warner Bros. Recordings, which gathered every Warner album plus the corresponding single versions. Garcia remained at the helm of the band well into the 2010s.