Los Lonely Boys (music group)

Music group

Henry Garza

• Born: May 14, 1978
• Place of Birth: San Angelo, Texas

Jojo Garza

• Born: June 4, 1980
• Place of Birth: San Angelo, Texas

Ringo Garza

• Born: November 29, 1981
• Place of Birth: San Angelo, Texas

• Henry Garza
• Vocalist and guitarist

• Jojo Garza
• Vocalist and bass guitarist

• Ringo Garza
• Vocalist and drummer

Contribution: Los Lonely Boys are a Grammy Award–winning band whose “Texican rock” music draws from a wide range of styles and musical genres.

Background

Los Lonely Boys began as a musical trio of three Mexican American brothers: guitarist Henry Garza, bassist Joey “Jojo” Sacarais Garza, and drummer Ringo Garza. All three were born and raised in the western Texas town of San Angelo. Their father, Enrique “Ringo” Garza Sr., was an accomplished musician who performed with his own brothers in a band called the Falcones. The Falcones performed the Mexican-influenced style of music known as conjunto, a brand that was greatly popular among migrant workers and farmers in western Texas as well as other southwestern regions.

Ringo Sr. and the Falcones traveled on tour throughout Texas during the 1970s and 1980s. Although his own band focused on conjunto, he also instilled in his sons a deep love for a wide range of different musical genres.

When the Falcones disbanded, Ringo Sr. went solo, with his preteen sons performing along with him. In January 1990, Ringo Sr. and his sons moved to the Nashville area to continue performing. They even performed backup for a number of famous artists, including family friend Willie Nelson on his famous 1980 single, “On the Road Again.” By 1996, the Garza brothers had developed into an independent act, though the siblings still credit their father as their greatest musical influence.

In the early 2000s, the Garza brothers moved out of Nashville and back to Texas. There they began work on their debut album at Willie Nelson’s Pedernales Studio in Austin. Nelson himself sat in on many of the sessions. Their producer, Steve Jordan, took the unusual step of simply booking the soundstage and allowing the band to play. After a few weeks of sessions, the songs that were deemed worthy of appearing on the new album were produced. The Garzas reemerged from the sessions as Los Lonely Boys, with Epic Records signing them for a major record distribution.

Career

Los Lonely Boys have described their atypical sound as “Texican,” an amalgamation of traditional Mexican, rock, country, and blues. The Garza brothers have stated in interviews that in addition to being influenced by their father and mentor Willie Nelson, they have found inspiration in the music of Elvis Presley, Jimi Hendrix, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Carlos Santana, Three Dog Night, the Beatles, and Stevie Ray Vaughan.

Their first album, released in March 2004, was simply titled Los Lonely Boys. On that album was their debut single “Heaven,” which immediately hit the charts and earned Los Lonely Boys their first Grammy Award for best pop performance by a duo or group in 2005. “Heaven,” which features a prominent guitar solo, would also be used on the popular video game Guitar Hero: On Tour.

Los Lonely Boys would continue their success in subsequent albums. Under the Epic label, they would produce three more albums: Sacred (2006), Forgiven (2008), and Christmas Spirit (2008). They later embarked on an acoustic tour before returning to the studio to record their next album. In 2008, a Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) documentary, Los Lonely Boys: Cottonfields and Crossroads, chronicled the family and band’s rise to musical prominence.

While recording what would be their fourth studio album (and first away from Epic), Rockpango (2011), the band nearly experienced two tragedies. First, Jojo’s voice became increasingly raspy during sessions. While on tour in Colorado, they consulted a doctor, who told them that one of Jojo’s vocal cords had lost its tension and that without extensive rest, the problem could lead to a complete and permanent loss of speech. He spent several months recuperating and not singing or speaking. During the same period, Henry took a near-fatal fall from a stage, plummeting into the orchestra pit; Henry and his wife later sued the venue for negligence. In light of these events, the band canceled their tour and deferred work on their next album for more than a year.

After a great deal of recovery and rehabilitation, Los Lonely Boys returned to the stage in 2011 to promote Rockpango, their first album under their own independent label. One of the tracks on that album, “Smile,” is symbolic of the band’s collective recovery from those difficult events. Their next album, Revelation (2014), built upon Los Lonely Boys' signature style and wove in musical elements from pop, reggae, accordion, Motown, and acoustic music.

Los Lonely Boys continued touring together over the next several years but met with further hurdles. In 2017, the group put their tour on hold when Ringo was investigated on allegations of child abuse and possession of child pornography; Ringo maintained his innocence, and by mid-2018, no charges had been filed. A little over a year later, in October 2019, JoJo departed from the band, and remaining tour dates for that calendar year were canceled, leading to speculation that Los Lonely Boys would disband. Although Los Lonely Boys did break up for a time, they ultimately reunited in 2022 and resumed touring. In 2024, they released Resurrection, their first new album in a decade. The album contained the song "Send More Love" about the state of the world. The single was released during the previous year.

Impact

Los Lonely Boys began their collective career performing with their father, who was a major musical influence. When they emerged as their own band, Los Lonely Boys immediately found fame and accolades with their debut single, “Heaven.” Although their career nearly came to a tragic and premature end, they have since continued to develop and popularize their brand of Texican music around the country.

Personal Life

Los Lonely Boys are based in San Angelo, Texas, where the Garza brothers also operate an auto-body shop, the Texican Chop Shop. Their sisters Chrissie and Carey also sing in their spare time. Their mother's death in 2015 influenced the brothers' music. The trio has credited their faith for helping them through adversity, such as their father's death in 2024.

Bibliography

Arredondo, Megan. “South Texas Enjoys Night with Los Lonely Boys.” Corpus Christi Caller [TX]. Scripps Newspaper Group, 11 Sept. 2006. Web. 28 Aug. 2013.

Edwards, Gavin. “All in the Family.” Rolling Stone. Rolling Stone, 11 Aug. 2004. Web. 28 Aug. 2013.

Garza, Henry, Jojo Garza, and Ringo Garza. “Los Lonely Boys: Band of Brothers.” Interview by David Greene. Weekend Edition Sunday. Natl. Public Radio, 2 Apr. 2011. Radio.

Garza, Jojo. “The Narrow Road: An Interview with Los Lonely Boys’s Jojo Garza.” Interview by Justin Stokes. Boropulse. Murfeesboro Pulse, 2013. Web. 28 Aug. 2013.

"Los Lonely Boys Cancels Concert Due to Father's Death." East Idaho News, 14 Aug. 2024, www.eastidahonews.com/2024/08/los-lonely-boys-cancels-concert-due-to-fathers-death. Accessed 19 Sept. 2024.

“Los Lonely Boys: Cottonfields and Crossroads.” PBS. Public Broadcasting Service, 2008. Web. 28 Aug. 2013.

Oliver, Ruth. “Grammy-Winning Los Lonely Boys Set to Play Latin Rhythms at Lied.” Daily Nebraskan [Lincoln, NE]. Daily Nebraskan, 5 Apr. 2011. Web. 28 Aug. 2013.

Trammell, Matt. "How Far Is Heaven? Los Lonely Boys Announce Major Comeback." San Angelo Live, 6 May 2022, sanangelolive.com/news/entertainment/2022-05-06/how-far-heaven-los-lonely-boys-announce-major-comeback. Accessed 19 Sept. 2024.