Raul Malo, one-of-a-kind frontman of The Mavericks, dead at age 60
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Raulo Malo performing in 2024. Photo: Erica Denhoff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Raul Malo, the one-of-a-kind frontman for the Latin-country-rock band The Mavericks, died on Monday following a battle with cancer, his family announced. Malo was 60.
Ralo's wife Betty Malo shared the news of his death on Instagram.
- "No one embodied life and love, joy and passion, family, friends, music, and adventure the way our beloved Raul did," she wrote. "Now he will look down on us with all that heaven will allow, lighting the way and reminding us to savor every moment."
"Genre-bending" is music jargon commonly used to describe countless artists, but the term completely defined Malo's music. When they arrived on the scene from Miami in the early 1990s, there had never been a band like The Mavericks, because no band had dared to combine rock, country and Latin music into a singular cacophony of sound before.
- We all know a Mavericks song when we hear one, particularly because Malo's booming voice is unmistakable. One part rockabilly in the mold of Jerry Lee Lewis, one part Latin crooner reminiscent of Julio Iglesias.
Flashback: The Mavericks took Nashville by storm in the 1990s, inspiring a generation of songwriters and performers, and yet their sound has never been duplicated.
- After a hiatus in the early 2000s, they returned with a run of critically acclaimed albums beginning with "In Time" in 2013.
On a night of magical performances at the 2021 Americana Music Awards, The Mavericks brought the house down with their rocking performance of "La Sitiera," which Malo sang in Spanish.
- The band was honored at the ceremony with the Americana Trailblazer Award.
- Malo had swag on stage, but he was also beloved behind the scenes by music industry professionals for his warmth and kindness.
What he's saying: "Raul Malo is a true artist," Jed Hilly, executive director of the Americana Music Association, tells Axios. "Yes he had a great voice. Yes, his band was as good a live band as there is on the planet! And who the f**k has the balls to close a show solo singing 'La Vie En Rose.'"
- Hilly says he had breakfast with Malo a few months back and the two mainly talked about life, not just music. "He really is an extraordinary human. He made me stronger."