Willie & Lobo

An acoustic duo named Willie Royal and Wolfgang "Lobo" Fink first attracted notice during a performance at a modest club in Puerto Vallarta. Royal, born in Texas, accompanied his Air Force father on postings that took the family to Turkey, Germany, Mexico, the Netherlands and France, while Fink, born in Germany, spent time in Spain, Jamaica and Mexico; those travels infused the pair’s sound with Gypsy music, Tex-Mex, flamenco, hot jazz, reggae, tango and additional idioms from around the globe. The two musicians met in Mexico, collaborated briefly, then parted, during which interval Fink issued two albums under the name Lobo in the mid-'80s. They resumed their partnership permanently in 1991, Royal’s classically trained yet jazz-inspired violin blending with Fink’s energetic flamenco guitar. Several years of joint performances preceded their signing with Mesa/Bluemoon, which issued their first American release in 1993. That album, Gypsy Boogaloo, climbed to number two on the world charts and quickly brought the duo international attention consistent with their embrace of multiple national traditions. Subsequent recordings appeared in steady succession: Fandango Nights in 1994, Between the Waters in 1995, The Music of Puerto Vallarta Squeeze in 1996 and Caliente in 1997. Following a brief hiatus, they reconvened in 1999 to produce the characteristically wide-ranging Wild Heart. Siete arrived in mid-2000, and Live In Concert appeared in early 2001.