With Los Lonely Boys, it's all in the family. This trio of brothers was steeped in music from birth. Before striking out on their own, they played backup for their father's band, The Falcones. Los Lonely Boys, also known as the Garza brothers, blend music from multiple genres to create their smooth rock riffs, usually backed with a Latin beat.
Henry, the oldest, leads on guitar with Joey, or Jojo, on bass and aptly named Ringo on drums. People always ask us what kind of style we play. I tell 'em it's a cross between Stevie Ray meets Santana, Jimi Hendrix meets Richie Valens, or the Beatles meet Ronnie Milsap' says lead man, Henry. All three of the brothers sing, producing interesting vocal harmonies that aren't typical of their rock music idols.
Henry Garza has been called a guitar great by critics. He follows Carlos Santana in the tradition of Latino rock guitar. The heartbeats of the band, Jojo and Ringo, follow Henry's lead with pumping Latin rhythms. Willie Nelson called Los Lonely Boys his favorite new band and invited them to record their debut, self-titled album in his Pedernales studio.
But they didn't hit the big time right away. While the brothers were still in their teens, their father recognized their talent and moved the group from a little town in West Texas all the way to Nashville, Tennessee.
Though they did not find fame playing along the famous Music Row, they grew as musicians before deciding to take their act back to Texas. They began touring in Texas and the Southeast. They rocked the house at every show.
Doors opened for Los Lonely Boys while they toured the southern United States. Their unique blend of classic rock and conjunto music managed to catch the attention of audiences everywhere. As their popularity grew they decided it was time to release their first album. With the help of their new friend Willie Nelson, they did just that. Comprised of all original songs, the album includes catchy tunes like 'Senorita', which is sung in both Spanish and English. The brothers were a little worried about their debut album because they had never recorded anything in a studio. They saw themselves as a performance band whose music was made even better by the energy they gained from the audience. To their surprise the recordings in the studio worked out very well and still captured the rhythmic energy of their unique style of music.
Los Lonely Boys began to be noticed nationally as their self-titled debut album circulated. National press and appearances on TV and radio shows like NPR's Morning Edition sparked interest in the new album and drew more fans to live shows. Awards also marked the success of the band. In 2004 they won big at the Austin Music awards, reeling in five awards, including Band of the Year, Album of the Year, and Song of the Year. Invitations for live shows started pouring in. Los Lonely Boys even got to play with their Latin rock idol, Carlos Santana, in San Francisco. In 2004 they began touring with their pal Willie Nelson, though some dates were cancelled to accommodate Willie's hand surgery. The brothers found themselves in the popular media as well. Their hit single 'Heaven' has been featured on the CBS show 'Joan of Arcadia'. The video accompanying 'Heaven' has also received play on VH1.
