Tierra of East Los Angeles

Environment is the greatest dictator of style and substance, so it's fitting that East Los Angeles would serve as the ultimate influence for the aptly-named Tierra, a band that would ultimately become a cornerstone in the East Los Angeles musical movement. With its myriad of different sounds and styles, Tierra formed the perfect fusion of rock, doo-wop, Latin chords and percussion, and R&B-styled rhythms and harmonies to carve a unique and historical niche within the minds and hearts of music enthusiasts everywhere. Simply stated, Tierra is firmly entrenched in the history of East Los Angeles, and remains forever loyal to their neighborhoods and fan base, as they even performed at a benefit in 2007 for Garfield High School to raise funds for a new auditorium, after arsonists burned down the original one. Not bad for a group that has toured the world several times over and performed at the likes of Carnegie Hall, and The Houston Astrodome, appeared on The American Music Awards, American Bandstand, Soul Train, and Solid Gold, and were also crowned by Billboard Magazine as "Best R&B Vocal Group." Through it all, Tierra never forgot where they came from, and the group worked hard to maintain their legacy, releasing an amazing 16 albums between 1993 and 2007. The group scored its biggest success on the Billboard Charts with their breakout hit "Together," which cracked the Billboard R&B Top Ten and peaked at #18 on the Pop Charts in 1980. The group's remake of the Delfonics' "La La Means I Love You" also made the R&B Top 40 charts the following year.

Founding members and brothers Rudy and Steve Salas began their musical career by fronting a local East Los band called The Jaguars before eventually performing on songs with the group El Chicano. The two brothers had been singing together since their teenage years, and Steve found vocal success as the lead voice behind El Chicano's 1972 hit "Brown-Eyed Girl." Rudy Salas is an amazingly talented guitarist and arranger, so between the two of them, they had the ability to create their own songs, and ultimately define the sound of the neighborhoods they grew up in. The brothers eventually found a tight-knit group of musical brethren to share in their desire to create a unique new band, and thus Tierra was born in 1973. Featuring a line-up of Steve Salas as lead singer, Rudy Salas as composer/guitarist/lead arranger, keyboardist Joey Guerra, Steve Falomir on bass, Philip Madayag on drums, Andre Baeza on percussion, along with Bobby Navarrete on the sax and reed instruments, Tierra began a musical career that would span over three decades, a career that is still going strong today. During the lifetime of the band, many different musicians have played a part in Tierra's success, including keyboardist David Torres who currently serves as the musical director for Poncho Sanchez' salsa band, and bassist Conrad Lozano, who joined Los Lobos.

By Mike Landers

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