Mexican sensation Maná is undoubtedly the band making Rock En Español's growing presence known in North America. Compared to the likes of mainstream legendary acts such as Queen, The Beatles, Led Zepplin and Sting, the band is well-known for their unique mixes of traditional Latin/Tropocal sounds, fusion and reggae blended in with their Latin Pop/Rock style.
Formed in the mid 1970’s, Fernando Olvera, Gustavo Orozco and brothers Juan, Ulises and Abraham Calleros began as a poor garage band known as Green Hat Spies. The band traveled through the slums of Guadalajara, Mexico making their wages by playing at social gatherings such as weddings, graduations and quinceañeras. Later changing their name to the Spanish translation "Sombrero Verde", they met Ricardo Ochoa, who whould produce the first discs ever recorded by the group in Mexico City.
In 1981 they released their first recording; a self-titled album which included an English-language track entitled "Long Time". Two years later they released their second album "A Tiempo De Rock" with tracks such as "Laura" and "No Me Mires Asi" which they would later re-record. But with the discs barely making notice, much doubt was cast upon whether they could ever go on as a band.
In the wake of the band's lack of success, Abraham Calleros quit as the band's drummer in 1983. An ad placed by the band in search of a replacement would turn up Miami-born Alejanrdo González who had recently settled in Guadalajara. Two years later Gustavo Orozco left the band; which by then had been dropped by their record company that had produced their albums before. Basically it appeared there was no future left for the band Sombrero Verde. As well record companies cast much doubt on Rock En Español's potential altogether.
Despite being bounced by record companies who would only sign those wanting to record in English, the band remained determined to play rock music in Spanish. In 1986, they finally changed their name to Maná, the name that would become a household name throughout the Spanish-speaking world. They would continue playing in small venues and in 1987, recorded their first album with their new name. The album was made up of tracks such as "Robot", "Mentirosa", and "Queremos Paz".
In 1989 the band was signed by Warner Music Mexico and released their first album with the new label entitled "Falta Amor". The albums title track featured the backing vocals of Alex Lora, lead singer of the legendary Mexican rock act El Tri. Other songs on the album included the live concert favorite, "Perdido En Un Barco", "Puerta Azul", and "Soledad". However the album didn’t get much notice until "Rayando El Sol" made the charts two years later.
In 1992, Ulises Calleros vacated his position as the bands lead guitarist to work with the bands management. Guitarist Cesar "Vampiro" Lopez and keyboard player Ivan González joined Maná’s official lineup for the recording of a would-be successful album, "Donde Jugarán Los Niños?". The album was an anthem for the children of tomorrow and the world that they would live in after all the destruction the environment has suffered. Other known tracks on the album included the acoustic ballads "Te Llore Un Rio", "Vivir Sin Aire" and Alex González’s lead singing smash "Me Vale". The album quickly became a hit throughout the Americas and Spain earning over 20 gold and platinum albums.
The band went on tour behind the album which included concerts in the United States, France, Spain and a feature appearance at the 1994 Montreux Jazz Festival’s Latin Rock Nights in Switzerland. However, midway through the tour, alleged differences in the band had Lopez and Ivan Gonzalez being dropped from the band with keyboard player Juan Carlos Toribio and guitarist Gustavo Orozco replacing them for the duration of the tour. Despite the many personel changes in 1994, Maná began to make their presence known in the world of music as they were honored by Billboard magazine with awards for their latest album as well as New Artist of the Year honors. They also won the same honors in the Latin music awards Premio Lo Nuetro and in 1994 Billboard honored them again for their 2-CD release "En Vivo" which was a feature of the bands successfull world tour.