Rock music Rock is a Music genre, genre of popular music that originated in the United States as "rock and roll" in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of styles from the mid-1960s, primarily in the United States and the United Kingdo ...

entered the Peruvian scene in the late 1950s, through listening to performers like

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

Buddy Holly Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959), known as Buddy Holly, was an American singer, songwriter, and musician who was a central and pioneering figure of rock and roll. He was born to a musical family in Lubbock, Texa ...

and

Bill Haley William John Clifton Haley (; July 6, 1925 – February 9, 1981) was an American rock and roll musician. He is credited by many with first popularizing this form of music in the early 1950s with his group Bill Haley & His Comets and million-sel ...

, who popularized

rockabilly Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950s in the United States, especially the Southern United States, South. As a genre, it blends the sound of Western music (North America), Western musi ...

in the United States. The first Peruvian rock bands appeared during this time. They included Los Millonarios del Jazz, Los Stars, Conjunto Astoria, Los Incas Modernos, and Los Zodiacs.

History

1960s

New trends like British

Merseybeat Beat music, British beat, or Merseybeat is a British popular music genre that developed around Liverpool in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The genre melded influences from British and American rock and roll, rhythm and blues, skiffle, tradit ...

and American surf became popular, and a number of Peruvian bands built a loyal audience.

Los Saicos Los Saicos is a rock music, rock band formed in 1964 in Lima, Peru. Their use of fast tempos, screaming (music), screamed vocals and aggressive riffing has led some publication to retrospectively credit them as pioneering punk rock. In a short a ...

blended

psychedelic rock Psychedelic rock is a rock music Music genre, genre that is inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelia, psychedelic culture, which is centered on perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The music incorporated new electronic sound ...

garage rock Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock music that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The style is ...

and surf. Los Shains featured rock guitar hero (later in Pax).

Traffic Sound Traffic Sound was a Peruvian rock band founded in 1967 by Manuel Sanguinetti (vocals), Freddy Rizo-Patrón Buckley (rhythm guitar), Jean Pierre Magnet (sax), Willy "Wilito" Barclay Ricketts (lead guitar), Willy Thorne Valega (bass, d.2019) and Lu ...

, the first Peruvian supergroup, merged core players from Los Hang Ten's with other important musicians. Also popular were Los York's, Los Jaguars, Los Silvertons, Los Belkings and Los Doltons.

1970s

After the military coup in October 1968, rock music was branded an alienating phenomenon by the government of General

Juan Velasco Alvarado Juan Francisco Velasco Alvarado (June 16, 1910 – December 24, 1977) was a Peruvian Army general, general who served as the President of Peru after a successful 1968 Peruvian coup d'état, coup d'état against Fernando Belaúnde's presidency ...

. There was a ban of concerts in key venues including a highly anticipated

Carlos Santana Carlos Humberto Santana Barragán (; born July 20, 1947) is an American guitarist, best known as a founding member of the Rock music, rock band Santana (band), Santana. Born and raised in Mexico where he developed his musical background, he r ...

concert in 1971. However, some AM radio stations continued to play rock music (such as Radio Miraflores, Radio 1160, and Radio Atalaya). Also, record companies continued to release LPs of rock bands (such as Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix) in Peru. The movie ''

Woodstock The Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held from August 15 to 18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, southwest of the town of Woodstock, New York, Woodstock. Billed as "a ...

'' was shown in Lima every two or three years. Moreover, some bands left their mark, such as El Polen,

, Pax, We All Together,

Telegraph Avenue Telegraph Avenue is a street that begins, at its southernmost point, in the midst of the historic Downtown Oakland, downtown district of Oakland, California, and ends, at its northernmost point, at the southern edge of the University of Califo ...

, Black Sugar,

Crossroads Crossroads is a junction where four roads meet. Crossroads, crossroad, cross road(s) or similar may also refer to: Film and television Films * ''Crossroads'' (1928 film), a 1928 Japanese film by Teinosuke Kinugasa * ''Cross Roads'' (film), a ...

, Tripping Foxters, Red Amber (the first Peruvian progressive rock band), and Fragil (in the late 1970s). In the late 1970s, the band

Breeze Breeze often refers to: * A gentle to moderate wind * Sea breeze, an onshore afternoon wind, caused by warm air rising over the land in sunny weather Breeze or The Breeze may also refer to: Places * Breeze Center, a shopping center in Songshan ...

with Roxana Valdivieso released a self-titled album with English lyrics. Peruvian rock descended into its most obscure era during the mid-1970s, losing the momentum it had laboriously gained.

Disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...

and

salsa Salsa most often refers to: * Salsa (food), a variety of sauces used as condiments * Salsa music, a popular style of Latin American music * Salsa (dance), a Latin dance associated with Salsa music Salsa or SALSA may also refer to: Arts and ent ...

dominated the airwaves for the remainder of the decade. Some rock musicians became jazz musicians, such as guitarist Richie Zellon.

1980s

During the late 1970s and early 1980s, Peruvian rock bands were confined to the underground scene; with no radio or TV support. The half-hour TV show Disco Club led by singer-songwriter Gerardo Manuel (Rojas) was an occasional exception. Fragil released its first LP in 1981. Nevertheless, because of the deep crisis that the country was suffering, Peruvian rockers looked for a way to channel their frustrations. In this environment, it is no surprise that British

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

became a major influence to a few young Peruvians rockers of this era, and quickly a small "underground" scene started brewing parallel to the free-again 'mainstream' scene. Bands like

Leusemia Leuzemia is a Peruvian punk rock band. The name of the band is a misspelling of the Spanish word ''leucemia'' (meaning leukemia). History The band was formed in Lima, Peru in 1983 by Daniel F (guitar, vocals), Kimba Vilis (drums), Raúl Montáñe ...

, Narcosis, Autopsia, Guerrilla Urbana, Zcuela Crrada formed part of the first wave. The members of these bands were mostly from poor neighborhoods, but a few came from upper-class neighborhoods and had learned English in their schools. Bands like Fragil,

Rio Rio or Río is the Portuguese and Spanish word for "river". The word also exists in Italian, but is largely obsolete and used in a poetical or literary context to mean "stream". Rio, RIO or Río may also refer to: Places United States * Rio, Fl ...

, Miki Gonzales, Pax, JAS, Imagenes, Trama, Danai y Pateandolatas came from upper and middle-class backgrounds, uncovering the social division in Peruvian society. According to some scholars (mainly left-wing thinkers), the 'underground' scene was by far richer in creativity, though lacking technical skills; others thought the 'commercial' scene was more worthwhile, since the underground scene only reached a few hundred supporters per concert and was focused in the capital of Lima, being virtually unknown to the rest of the country. Quickly several bands started appearing and creating subgenres within the umbrella 'underground' scene. Radio or TV support was nonexistent for them (the mainstream bands did have some), poverty and lack of technology prevented most bands from recording any moderate-quality material. Despite all this, the present and future looked much brighter than in the 1970s, since these bands, especially the mainstream ones, were pioneers in the rock scene after the 1975–1985 downturn. At the same time, an underground scene of

death metal Death metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. It typically employs heavily distorted and low-tuned guitars, played with techniques such as palm muting and tremolo picking; deep death growl, growling vocals; aggressive ...

and

black metal Black metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include Tempo#Beats per minute, fast tempos, a Screaming (music)#Black metal, shrieking vocal style, heavily distorted Electric guitar, guitars played with tr ...

developed in Lima, influenced by European bands. Local bands such as

Mortem Mortem is a death metal band formed in 1986 in Lima, Peru. Biography Mortem is one of the oldest and most celebrated bands from the obscure Peruvian death metal scene. Founded by Fernán Nebiros and Alvaro Amduscias in July–August 1986, Morte ...

and

Kranium Kemar Donaldson (born 12 August 1993), known professionally as Kranium, is a Jamaican dancehall singer known for his 2013 hit single "Nobody Has to Know" which gave him international recognition and led him to the Atlantic Records record label. ...

were formed in the 1980s.

1990s

The further growth of the underground scene and the liberalization of Peruvian society and economy allowed rock musicians to create sub-circuits, and rock became very diverse. Some of the best (but not necessarily best known) rock bands from Peru came out during this decade.

became the leaders of not only the 'underground' faction, but of all Peruvian rock, undergoing a change from very basic rock band to a prolific and influential group that included rock anthems, ballads and symphonic, almost

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog) is a broad genre of rock music that primarily developed in the United Kingdom through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early-to-mid-1970s. Initially termed " progressive pop", the ...

. For those who liked the 1980s

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of music that emerged in late 1977 in the wake of punk rock. Post-punk musicians departed from punk's fundamental elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a broader, more experiment ...

, Dolores Delirio, Voz Propia and Cardenales were among the best at the

goth Goth or Goths may refer to: * Goths, a Germanic people Arts and entertainment * Gothic rock or goth, a style of rock music * Goth subculture, developed by fans of gothic rock * ''Goth'' (2003 film), an American horror film * ''Goth'' (2008 f ...

sound. Huelga De Hambre was one of Peru's

grunge Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock Music genre, genre and subculture that emerged during the in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington, particularly in Seattle and Music of Olympia, Washington, O ...

-influenced group. El Aire, G3, Arcana, Radio Criminal,

Los Mojarras Los Mojarras are a band from the province of El Agustino Lima Peru that formed in 1992. They released their first album in the same year, titled Sarita Colonia, and are still currently producing music and performing. Link label They have been polit ...

Mar De Copas Mar de Copas is a Peruvian alternative rock band from Lima. They emerged from the South American independent music scene of the 1990s. Mar de Copas sold over 50,000 copies of their first four albums in Peru, where an album with 5,000 copies sold ...

, La Liga del Sueño and Rafo Raez were very solid bands of diverse genres that were followed in the late 1990s by La Sarita, Ni Voz Ni Voto, Cementerio Club, D'Mente Comun and

Líbido Libido is a Peruvian rock Musical ensemble, band formed in 1996. Its band members are Salim Vera (singing, vocals, guitars), Antonio Jauregui (bass guitar, bass), Manolo Hidalgo (lead guitar), Jeffry Fischman (Drum kit, drums) (1996–2005,2014 ...

, greatly expanding rock music in Peru. Due to financial difficulties and lack of support from promoters, most bands had to play the same few venues, where they build loyal and knowledgeable fanbases. Although the concerts were very small at the beginning (typically 50 people), as the decade progressed, more young people started to notice these bands and fill bigger venues with 500, 1000, or 2000 people. Towards the end of the decade, major concerts like "Acustirock", "El Niño Malo", "Antimiseria" and "Inrockuptibles" each brought in at least 10,000 fans. Peruvian media began to pay attention to these bands in the late 1990s, giving exposure to bands of a decidedly more upper-class and 'safer' sounding rock. The most prominent bands of 'mainstream' 1990s Peruvian rock were Nosequien y Los Nosecuantos, Miki Gonzales and Arena Hash. From this last band, Pedro Suárez-Vértiz went on a solo career and became the most commercially successful Peruvian rocker of the decade. The black metal and death metal scene remained an underground, with a few bands releasing self-produced material. Bands included black-metal acts Illapa, Belzec, and Nahual; and death-thrash metal acts like Dark Silence, Ensalve, and Hadez. Many conflicts between bands (which include trash-talking and rivalries) and critical political and economic issues led to the breakup of many metal groups. A report on Peruvian rock included in the July 1999 issue of ''

Maximum RocknRoll ''Maximumrocknroll'', often written as ''Maximum Rocknroll'' and usually abbreviated as ''MRR'', is a not-for-profit monthly online zine of punk subculture and radio show of punk music. Based in San Francisco, ''MRR'' focuses on punk rock and ...

'' mentions the following bands: Aeropajitas, Manganzoides, 60s garage punk/garage revival, Asmereir, a blend of punk/ska/reggae/hardcore/thrash,

, that put out a double CD through Coyote Records titled '' Moxon'', Histeria Kolectiva reminiscing of

, dios hastío euro-crustcore intense and desperate, Ataque Frontal classic I-spit-on-your-face band, one of the shapers of the scene,

Psicosis Dionicio Castellanos Torres (born May 19, 1971) is a Mexican Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, better known by the ring names Psicosis (sometimes Anglicisation, Anglicised as Psychosis) and Nicho el Millonario. He is best known for ...

ska/punk orchestra, 3 Al Hilo, punk rock and roll, Metadona female-fronted pop-punk, Magras punk/hardcore and reggae, P. T. K. this means Pateando Tu Kara, Sudor de Huevos (SDH)-punk, Los Rezios,

Autonomia Autonomism or ''autonomismo'', also known as autonomist Marxism or autonomous Marxism, is an anti-capitalist social movement and Marxist-based theoretical current that first emerged in Italy in the 1960s from workerism (). Later, post-Marxist a ...

, Migraña, Irreverentes, Hazloquechuchapunkron, Perú No Existe, Generacion Perdida. It also mentioned fanzines: Caleta,

Sub Sub or SUB may refer to: Places * Juanda International Airport, Surabaya, Indonesia, IATA code SUB People * Bottom (BDSM), or "sub" for "submissive" * Substitute teacher Christianity * Sub tuum praesidium, an ancient hymn and prayer dedicated t ...

, Cuero Negro and Crash Boom Zap.

2000s

A mature and prolific rock scene soon gained exposure due to the improved economic presence of Peru in the region. Peruvian TV and the Latin American division of

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

took notice of Peruvian bands, and included them in their shows ahead of the Peruvian mainstream radio. Peruvian rock videos were in normal rotation alongside regionally known acts like

Soda Stereo Soda Stereo was an Argentine rock band formed in Buenos Aires in 1982. The band's membership consisted of singer-guitarist Gustavo Cerati, bassist Zeta Bosio and drummer Charly Alberti. During their career, the band released seven studio a ...

Shakira Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll ( , ; born 2 February 1977) is a Colombian singer-songwriter. Referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Latin Music", she has had a Cultural impact of Shakira, significant impact on the ...

and Jaguares.

became Peru's most successful band, selling hundreds of thousands of discs worldwide and receiving Grammy nominations and several Latin MTV awards. Soon other bands like

Amen Amen (, ; , ; , ; , ) is an Abrahamic declaration of affirmation which is first found in the Hebrew Bible, and subsequently found in the New Testament. It is used in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic practices as a concluding word, or as a respons ...

Zen Zen (; from Chinese: ''Chán''; in Korean: ''Sŏn'', and Vietnamese: ''Thiền'') is a Mahayana Buddhist tradition that developed in China during the Tang dynasty by blending Indian Mahayana Buddhism, particularly Yogacara and Madhyamaka phil ...

and TK found success. Aliados and Inyectores (both made up of ex- G3 members), Los Fuckin Sombreros, Campo De Almas,

Pelo Madueño Jorge Enrique Madueño Vizurraga (born 8 March 1968), better known by his stage name Pelo Madueño, is a Peruvian singer-songwriter, producer, actor, and broadcaster. He was the drummer of the ' (underground rock) bands Narcosis (1984–1986) and ...

(drummer of the 1980s Peruvian rock band Narcosis and leader, vocalist and guitarist of the 1990s Peruvian rock band La Liga Del Sueño), 6 Voltios, Space bee, Zaraúz, Brinvonda, Turbopotamos, Vaselina,

, Pancho Pepe Jazz Band, Los Claxon, DaleVuelta, Tráfico, Uchpa which is a rock & blues band in

Quechua Quechua may refer to: *Quechua people, several Indigenous ethnic groups in South America, especially in Peru *Quechuan languages, an Indigenous South American language family spoken primarily in the Andes, derived from a common ancestral language ...

, Jose Arbulú (the vocalist and lead guitar of Cementerio Club), and Area 7 (an exponent of Peruvian Nu-Metal and the country's only all-female metal band), were acts that developed at the local level. Peruvian electronic music has its representatives in bands like Theremyn 4, Unidad central, Deimos, Insumision, Ensamble, Vacuna tu hijo, Kollantes. Dozens of new bands kept coming out and most of the 1990s bands were still playing and improving their recordings. The albums of the early rock banks, including

, and We All Together were released on CDs. Radio stations became more receptive of mainstream Peruvian Rock, given its recent commercial success. Most of the Peruvian media continues to not promote popular underground acts such as punk and reggae.

2010s

During the 2010s, many groups have emerged in the larger cities of Peru, especially in Lima. The growing world scene of psychedelic rock had led to the psychedelic sound being mixed with other genres, influencing Peruvian bands Cholo Visceral (blending with prog rock), Los Silver Mornings (vintage rock), Spatial Moods (blues), Onerom (jazz), and The Dead End-Alley Band and El Jefazo (stoner rock). In some Internet articles it is called "Nueva Psicodelia Latinoamericana" as a way to differentiate it from other kinds of psychedelic rock music that have emerged in Latinamerica during the 1970s, 1980s or 1990s.https://www.vice.com/es/article/el-despertar-de-la-nueva-psicodelia-en-latinoamerica-parte-2/

List of bands and solo performers

* Frágil *

* 6 Voltios *

Mar de Copas Mar de Copas is a Peruvian alternative rock band from Lima. They emerged from the South American independent music scene of the 1990s. Mar de Copas sold over 50,000 copies of their first four albums in Peru, where an album with 5,000 copies sold ...

*Crimson Death * Dale Vuelta * Los Dickens * Theremyn 4 * A.M.A.X.A *(1957) Los Millonarios del Jazz *(1958) Eulogio Molina y sus Rockanrollers *(1959) Jorge Botteri *(1962) Los Kreps *(1962) Los Incas Modernos *(1963) Los Sunset *(1963) Los Golden Boys *(1964) Los Zodiacs *(1964) Los Saicos *(1964) Los Shains *(1965) Los Termits *(1965) Los Doltons *(1965) Los Drags *(1965) Los Steivos *(1965) Los Fannings *(1965) Los Teddys *(1965) Los VIPs *(1965) Los Belkings *(1966) Los Spectros *(1966) Los Golden Stars *(1966) Los York's *(1966) Los Silverstons *(1967) Los Holys *(1967) Los Zanys *(1967) Traffic Sounds *(1968) The Mad's *(1968) Los Comandos *(1969) El Opio *(1969) Los Far Fen *(1969) The (St Thomas) Pepper Smelter *(1969) Telegraph Avenue *(1969) PAX *(1970) Black Sugar *(1970) Grupo Amigos *(1970) Gerardo Manuel & El Humo *(1971) El Alamo *(1971) Smog *(1971) Cacique *(1971) We All Together *(1972) El Ayllu *(1972) El Polen *(1972) Tarkus *(1974) Red Amber *(1976) Frágil *(1980) Up Lapsus *(1982) Autocontrol *(1983) Rio *(1983) Leuzemia *(1984) Feiser *(1984) Narcosis *(1985) M.A.S.A.C.R.E. *(1986) Arena Hash *(1986) Miki Gonzáles *(1986) G-3 *(1986) Salón Dadá *(1986) XDinero *(1987) Trama *(1987) Orgus *(1988) No se quién y no se cuántos *(1991) UCHPA *(1991) La Liga del Sueño *(1992) Mar de Copas *(1993) Los Zopilotes *(1993) Pedro Suárez-Vértiz *(1994) Campo de Almas *(1994) Dolores Delirio *(1994) Ni Voz Ni Voto *(1994) Huelga de Hambre *(1995) Amen *(1996) Madre Matilda *(1995) Trémolo *(1996
Deimos
*(1996) El Aire *(1996) Libido *(1996) Arcana *(1996) Cementerio Club *(1998) Semillas *(2000) Chaska *(2000) Inyectores *(2001) TK *(2001) Chabelos *(2001) Gaia *(2002) La Negra *(2002) Fuera del Resto *(2002) ZEN *(2003) Wayo *(2004) Pamela Rodriguez *(2005) YAWARHIEM *(2005) Dos Vírgenes *(2005) Emergency Blanket *(2007) Alerta Rocket *(2007) Los Silver Mornings *(2007) Diego Dibós *(2007) Grisho *(2008)

*(2008) Autobus *(2009) Jhovan *(2010) Zhoria *(2010) Difonía *(2010) Los Luna *(2010) Kanaku y El Tigre *(2010) Los Casablancahttp://elcomercio.pe/impresa/notas/adios-casablanca/20110714/862989 *(2011) Alejandro y Maria Laura *(2011) Cholo Visceral *(2011) Francois Peglau *(2012) Gris Volta *(2012) Spatial Moods *(2012) Tourista (rock) *(2013) Danitse *(2013) Puto Man Insecto *(2014) La Lá *(2014) Almirante Ackbar *(2014)

Mundaka Mundaka () is a town and municipality located in the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of Basque Country, in northern Spain. Mundaka is internationally renowned for the surfing community that takes advantage of its coast and unique ...

*(2015) Los Lagartos *(2015) Serto Mercurio *(2015) Fabricio Robles *(2015) Astronaut Project *(2015) Banana Child *(2015) Manuel Vera Tudela Wither *(2016) El Cuarto de Juegos *(2016) Bricheros *(2016) Golden Cameleon *(2017) Inzul *(2017)

Santa García Santa Claus (also known as Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle or Santa) is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring gifts during the late evening and overnight hours on Christma ...

*(2017) Mecánica del Caos *(2018) Lorena Blume *(2019) Putzy

References

{{Music in Spanish

Rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

* Rock music by country