Joe Lopez – Sabor A Mi

Joe Lopez – Sabor A Mi

Mazz was founded by Joe Lopez and Jimmy Gonzalez in 1978. Grupo Mazz were known for using the synthesizer and blending rock and roll into their basic Tejano music 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”, “Olvidaré Tu Nombre”, and “Otra Vez”. Grupo Mazz began receiving top honors at the Tejano Music Awards, 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. 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.[9] 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.[9] Mazz performed at RodeoHouston for 14 consecutive years, starting in 1991 as part of Go Tejano Day.

Lopez and Gonzalez separated in 1998 and pursue solo careers with their own bands. Gonzalez signed a recording contract with Freddie Records in 1999.[2] Mazz won the Latin Grammy Award for Best Tejano Album in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, and in 2009, 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.