Mana

Mana
A three-time Grammy Award and five-time from Guadalajara award-winning Mexican rock band Mana has spanned almost three decades dedicated to their music career. Their sound ranges from hard rock to mellow Latin pop with further influences from calypso and reggae.

Came forward in 1980 under the name of Sombrero Verde (Green Hat), the band began by singing covers in English, but then added Spanish numbers to their collection. In 1981, they recorded their first album, Sombrero Verde. Their second album, A Ritmo de Rock appeared in 1983.

The group restructured under the name of Mana ("supernatural force" (mana) in Polynesia) with Fher Olvera as lead vocalist, brothers Juan Diego and Ulises Calleros on bass and lead guitar, respectively, and Alex Gonzalez, a young American-born Cuban-Colombian on drums. They released their first eponymous album for Polygram in 1986.

Later, switching labels to Warner Music, the group's first album under the new label was Falta Amor released in 1990, but it did not become a hit until the following year. The third track from that album "Rayando el Sol" became their first hit single. They began to tour, performing more than 250 times in Mexico, and abroad in Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia.

In 1991, they added two new members Ivan Gonzalez (keyboards) and Cesar "Vampiro" Lopez (guitar) were introduced. Ulises Calleros became one of their managers. The following year they released Donde Jugaran los Ninos?, which firmed their position as predecessors of the rock movement in Mexico. The band undertook an international tour with 268 concerts in 17 countries, including an appearance at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland.

In 1994, Ivan Gonzalez and Cesar Lopez left the group. Olvera, Alex Gonzalez, and Juan Calleros continued to perform as a trio and released a live album entitled Mana en Vivo with Gustavo Orozco on guitar, Sheila Rios on vocals, and Juan Carlos Toribio on keyboards.

In 1994, Cesar was swapped by Sergio Vallin on guitar. The group released Cuando los angeles Lloran. The same year, The group also started Selva Negra -- a foundation to advocate for ecological causes.

In 1997, the group released Suenos Liquidos, recorded in Puerto Vallarta. It received a Grammy as Best Latin Rock/Alternative Album. They also released a retrospective album for distribution in Spain called Todo Mana.

In 2002, the group released their fifth album, Revolucion de Amor, which garnered Mana their fourth Grammy.

In 2006, they released Amar es Combatir - their sixth album, after a four-year gap, which reached #4 on the Billboard Top 200 in its first week, selling over 60,000 copies in the first week. Their first single off the album, Labios Compartidos, has been at the top of the music charts since its debut in July when they played the song live at the Premios Juventud.

In December 1998, they were invited by Carlos Santana to work together on his album Supernatural. This gave them exposure in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. They also appeared on the Grammy Award presentations, the Tonight Show, and in an MTV live concert. The live performance was released in the Americas and Spain on CD and DVD as MTV Unplugged. They released a greatest hits album for distribution in Italy called Grandes Mana.

In 2003, Mana joined hands with Italian singer Zucchero, releasing two duets: a new version of Mana's "Eres mi Religion" and one of Zucchero's "Baila (sexy thing)", both of which were released as singles and the latter became no#1in the French single charts in 2005. Also in 2004, Mana appeared in the annual Pavarotti and Friends concert. At the end of the year, they released a three-disc retrospective called Mana Esenciales.

Their sixth album, "Amar es Combatir", features a Bachata song entitled "Bendita Tu Luz", a duet along with Dominican Singer Juan Luis Guerra, who is widely regarded throughout Latin-America for his significant contribution to merengue and bachata styles of music.

In 1997, Modern Drummer named Alex Gonzalez the best drummer in Latin America.

All Music Guide reviewer Sandra Brennan has said "Mexican pop-rockers Mana are considered the kings of Latino rock and have a huge following in the United States."

On March 29, 2007, Puerto Rico's Channel 4, WAPA's News program, reported that Mana publicly supported Puerto Rico's prospective independence. In an interview, Mana members affirmed that they support the Puerto Rican Independence Movement and favor greater sovereignty for the Latin American and Caribbean island-nation.

Several of their songs have political inspirations. The liner notes for "Me Voy a Convertir en Un Ave," on the album Suenos Liquidos, for example, notes that the song is "inspired by the book Pedro y el capitan by Mario Benedetti and dedicated to all those who, defend an ideal of justice, as a result of which are persecuted or imprisoned.