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Mazz was a
Tejano Tejanos ( , ) are descendants of Texas Creoles and Mestizos who settled in Texas before its admission as an American state. The term is also sometimes applied to Texans of Mexican descent. Etymology The word ''Tejano'', with a ''J'' instead ...
band originally from
Brownsville, Texas Brownsville ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Cameron County, Texas, Cameron County, located on the western Gulf Coast in South Texas, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border, border with Matamoros, Tamaulipas ...
.
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The band was known for their idiosyncratic and innovative form of Tejano cumbia which made them distinguishable among their counterparts. Mazz became one of the most popular Tejano music bands during the genre's 1990s
golden age The term Golden Age comes from Greek mythology, particularly the ''Works and Days'' of Hesiod, and is part of the description of temporal decline of the state of peoples through five Ages of Man, Ages, Gold being the first and the one during wh ...
. Mazz won the Latin Grammy Award for Best Tejano Album in
2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...
,
2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...
,
2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...
,
2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...
, and in
2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...
, the most wins for a Tejano musician. They landed their first major recording contract with
EMI Latin Capitol Latin (formerly EMI Latin) is a brand of Universal Music Latin Entertainment, a division of Universal Music Group. Previously, it was a subsidiary of EMI. History In 1989, José Behar, the former head of CBS Discos, signed Selena t ...
in the early 1990s, before switching to Freddie Records in 1999. Joe Lopez and Jimmy Gonzalez formed Mazz in 1978 before disbanding and creating smaller bands throughout their careers. Gonzalez was known for blending a variety of genres into his basic Tejano sound, a formula he continued to use up until his final release, ''Porque Todavía te Quiero'' (2018). Gonzalez was pronounced dead in
San Antonio, Texas San Antonio ( ; Spanish for "Anthony of Padua, Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the List of Texas metropolitan areas, third-largest metropolitan area in Texa ...
on June 6, 2018, after suffering from
low blood sugar Hypoglycemia (American English), also spelled hypoglycaemia or hypoglycæmia (British English), sometimes called low blood sugar, is a fall in blood sugar to levels below normal, typically below 70 mg/dL (3.9 mmol/L). Whipple's tria ...
as a result of his
diabetes Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of common endocrine diseases characterized by sustained high blood sugar levels. Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough of the hormone insulin, or the cells of th ...
.


History

Mazz was founded by Joe Lopez and Jimmy Gonzalez in 1978. Grupo Mazz were known for using the
synthesizer A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis a ...
and blending
rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...
into their original
Tejano music Tejano music (), also known as Tex-Mex music, is a popular music style fusing Mexican influences. Its evolution began in northern Mexico (a variation of regional Mexican music known as ). It reached a larger audience in the late 20th century ...
sound. They earned a marketing contract with Coors in the mid-1980s that provided the band with exposure. The marketing success of Coors enabled the band to tour in Florida, California, and much of the southwest and Pacific coast states of the United States. The band's repertoire included award-winning songwriter Luis Silva who provided the band's earliest success with "Laura Ya No Vive Aquí", "Borraré Tu Nombre", and "Otra Vez". Grupo Mazz began receiving top honors at the
Tejano Music Awards The Tejano Music Awards (TMA) is an accolade created by former arts teacher and musician Rudy Trevino in 1980. The accolade recognizes outstanding performers of Tejano music, a German polka music, polka-based Latin music (genre), Latin music genre ...
, winning Single of the Year, Best Tejano Album, Male Vocalist of the Year, and Showband of the Year. By 1986, Grupo Mazz began selling 50,000 units and became one of the top-selling Tejano acts. The group had a reputation as being "bad boys" of the Tejano music industry, they were known to be late at their shows. The single "Laura Ya No Vive Aqui" peaked atop ''Billboard''s Latin music charts in March 1987. The band's 1987 album ''Beyond'' took Album of the Year honors at the 1988 Tejano Music Awards, while Lopez and Gonzalez won Vocal Duo of the Year. In 1988, Mazz signed with CBS Records and released ''Straight from the Heart'' (1989), the following year they signed with
EMI Latin Capitol Latin (formerly EMI Latin) is a brand of Universal Music Latin Entertainment, a division of Universal Music Group. Previously, it was a subsidiary of EMI. History In 1989, José Behar, the former head of CBS Discos, signed Selena t ...
. At the 1990 Tejano Music Awards, Grupo Mazz took Songwriter of the Year (Lopez), Vocal Duo of the Year, and Song of the Year (for "Now I Want You to Love Me") honors. The band's album ''No Te Olvidare'' (1990) reached atop the ''Billboard'' Regional Mexican Albums chart in July 1990. It spent five consecutive months at number two behind
Bronco A bucking horse is any breed of horse, male or female, with a propensity to buck. They have been, and still are, referred to by various names, including bronco, broncho, and roughstock. The harder they buck, the more desirable they are for ro ...
. In March 1990, the album received a gold award from EMI Latin, signifying 50,000 units sold. That July, the company announced that ''No Te Olvidare'' sold 75,000 units in the United States. Mazz performed at RodeoHouston for 14 consecutive years, starting in 1991 as part of Go Tejano Day. Lopez and Gonzalez separated in 1998 and pursued solo careers with their own bands. Gonzalez signed a recording contract with Freddie Records in 1999. Mazz won the Latin Grammy Award for Best Tejano Album in
2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...
,
2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...
,
2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...
,
2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...
, and in
2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...
, the most wins for a Tejano musician. Mazz's albums ''No Te Olvidare'', ''Para Nuestra Gente'', ''Una Noche Juntos'', and ''Mazz Romanticos Que Nunca'', sold 100,000 units each by June 2018.


Gonzalez's death

As Gonzalez's health condition began to deteriorate as a
diabetic Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of common endocrine diseases characterized by sustained high blood sugar levels. Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough of the hormone insulin, or the cells of th ...
, the singer began sitting during his performances. In February 2018, Gonzalez was hospitalized after a show for breathing problems. Following a show on June 5, Gonzalez planned on returning to Brownsville. The singer decided to see relatives in San Antonio and was hospitalized on June 5 following a drop in
blood sugar The blood sugar level, blood sugar concentration, blood glucose level, or glycemia is the measure of glucose concentrated in the blood. The body tightly regulates blood glucose levels as a part of metabolic homeostasis. For a 70 kg (1 ...
. Gonzalez suffered from
cardiac arrest Cardiac arrest (also known as sudden cardiac arrest CA is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. When the heart stops beating, blood cannot properly Circulatory system, circulate around the body and the blood flow to the ...
but was momentarily revived, however, he was pronounced dead on Wednesday, June 6, 2018, from complications of diabetes. Within hours of the announcement, Tejano musicians took to social media about Gonzalez. Musicians who held tributes to Gonzalez on their social media includes, Shelly Lares, David Lee Garza, and Raulito Navaira (brother of
Emilio Navaira Emilio H. Navaira III (August 23, 1962 – May 16, 2016) was an American singer-songwriter of Tejano music, Tejano and country music. He is the winner of one Grammy Award and one Latin Grammy Award. Known to most by the Mononymous person, mono ...
who died two years earlier). Tejano music stations in San Antonio began playing Mazz's songs non-stop following the announcement of his death. The group were scheduled to perform at the Shrimporee in Aransas Pass on June 9. Mazz was also scheduled to perform during the Puro Tejano Texas Showdown on June 23 and June 24, 2018, as part of the Puro Tejano 101.7 launch party. The June 24 event will be a tribute to Gonzalez.


Controversies

In April 1994, the bus driver for Mazz was convicted after the driver was found with 49 pounds of
marijuana Cannabis (), commonly known as marijuana (), weed, pot, and ganja, List of slang names for cannabis, among other names, is a non-chemically uniform psychoactive drug from the ''Cannabis'' plant. Native to Central or South Asia, cannabis has ...
at the Falfurrias checkpoint. The group were in Chicago at the time of the arrest of their driver.


Joe Lopez Conviction and Sex Offender status

In 2006, Joe Lopez was convicted of two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child and a count of indecency with a child when his niece provided testimony against Lopez in court. Lopez originally was sentenced to 20 years but was paroled in February 2017. As the board was considering his parole, court documents showed that Lopez also fathered a child with another underage girl, who was 14 years old at the time. Since there were two separate instances of sex with underage girls, advocates objected to his parole. Lopez is required to register as sex offender for the rest of his life and can be found on the Texas Public Sex Offender Website.


Band members

First lineup (1978-1984): * Joe Lopez - vocals * Jimmy González - guitar and backup vocals (d. 2018) *Juan Murillo - bass and backup vocals *Hector Augusto Flores - keyboards *Adolfo Garcia: - drums Second lineup (1984-1997): * Joe Lopez - lead vocals * Jimmy González - vocals and guitar (d. 2018) * Tommie Gonzalez - conga and sax * Alfonso Gonzalez (Super Boy) - accordion * Frankie Caballero - accordion * Robert Chavez- bass * Mario Gonzalez - bass * Brando Mireles - keyboard * Adolfo Garcia - drums * Ricardo Barron - percussion * Rebecca Valadez - vocals * Homero Esquivel - accordion Joe Lopez y La Nueva Imagen Mazz (1998 - 2006) * Joe Lopez - lead vocals * Brando Mireles - keyboard * Richard Barron - Drums * Larry Villanueva - Drums * Ben Ramos - Keyboard / Accordion * Danny Rodriguez - Bass * Tony Cisneros - Guitar Jimmy Gonzalez Y Grupo Mazz (1998 - 2017) * Jimmy Gonzalez - Lead Vocals / Guitar * Mike Gonzalez - Drums * Adolfo Garcia - Drums * Joseph Gonzalez - Percussion * Johnny "Johnny Rod" Rodriguez - Keyboards * Xavier Padilla - Keyboards * Frankie Caballero - Accordion * J.R. Gomez - Accordion * Tommy Gonzalez - Saxophone * Art Ramirez - Bass * Carlos Gonzalez - Bass * Jay Alaniz - Bass * Joe B. - Vocals * Danny Ortiz - Vocals * Rebecca Valadez - Vocals * Kaci Zavala - Vocals


Studio albums

* 1978: ''Mazz'' * 1978: ''Más Mazz, Vol. 2'' * 1979: ''El'' * 1980: ''1980'' * 1980: ''Class'' * 1981: ''The Look Of Mazz'' * 1982: ''Command Performance'' * 1982: ''Pesado (La Mujer Del Año)'' * 1983: ''The Force'' * 1984: ''It's Bad!'' * 1984: ''Standing Ovation (It's A Killer)'' * 1985: ''The Bad Boys'' * 1985: ''Number 16'' * 1986: ''La Continuación: Number 16 Part II'' * 1987: ''Dance Your Mazz Off'' * 1987: ''Beyond'' * 1988: ''Straight From The Heart'' * 1989: ''No Te Olvidaré'' * 1990: ''Para Nuestra Gente'' * 1991: ''Una Noche Juntos: Live'' * 1992: ''Lo Haré Por Ti'' * 1993: ''Mazz Románticos Que Nunca'' * 1993: ''Qué Esperabas'' * 1994: ''Regalo De Navidad'' * 1995: ''Solo Para Ti'' * 1996: ''Mazz Mariachi Y Tradición'' * 1997: ''Al Frente De Todos'' * 1998: ''Cuántas Veces''


References


External links


Jimmy Gonzalez My Space page

Freddie Records




*
Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

My Space fan page

Web site of singer Rebecca Valadez

YouTube - Jimmy Gonzalez y Mazz Hits
{{Authority control Latin Grammy Award winners Musical groups from Texas People from Brownsville, Texas Tejano music groups