How Los Lobos pivoted from being “just another band from East L.A.” into the electric roots juggernaut that crashed the Hollywood punk scene of the mid-Eighties forms the crux of Chris Morris’ insightful and affectionate history of this extraordinary group. The veteran Variety reporter thoroughly explores the band’s influences and early years, following them through all the triumphs and tribulations, including No. 1 smash “La Bamba” and a galling experience with Paul Simon’s Graceland. He critically examines their many recordings, concentrating on masterworks How Will the Wolf Survive? and Kiko, with forays into various side projects. First-person perspectives from band members enrich the narrative. Morris bookends this love letter with performance reviews from a Cinco de Mayo celebration and a club show on the Sunset Strip. And all of it in under 200 pages.

Los Lobos: Dream in Blue

by Chris Morris
University of Texas Press, 182 pp., $22.95

This article appears in December 11 • 2015.

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