Los Bukis

Regional Mexican band

The regional Mexican band Los Bukis began in the town of Ario de Rosales, in the state of Michoacan in Mexico. In the early 1970s Los Bukis founder Marco Antonio Solis often got together with his cousin, Joel Solis, to improvise on a wide collection of instruments. They were only teenagers, but Solis's songs already had the emotional quality that would mark his style throughout his career. He knew he wanted a career as a composer and singer, and dedicated himself to that goal. Solis and his cousin added Eusebio Cortez on bass, Jose Guadarrama on percussion and saxophone, and Pedro Sanchez on drums and the band, whose name means "the kids" in the local dialect, was formed in 1975. An early song, "Falso Amor," sold a million copies in its first year.

In 1995 Solis left Los Bukis, and although he initially called himself "El Buki," he and the other former members of the band agreed that none of them would use the "Los Bukis" name in the future. The remaining members of the band called themselves "Los Mismos," which means "the same," indicating that the band had "the same members as Los Bukis." The band continued to record and perform prolifically, and was a big favorite of Spanish speakers, particularly those from Mexico.

Solis's Solo Career

After Los Bukis, Marco Antonio Solis went solo, toured with Ana Gabriel and Joan Sebastien, and then joined Marc Anthony and Laura Pausini on the Juntos en Concierto tours. These tours took place during a wave of interest in Latin music among Americans of all ethnic groups. The tours were in Spanish and targeted a Spanish-speaking audience, so most of the promotional materials were in Spanish and most of the audiences were Spanish-speaking. The tours did especially well on the West and East coasts and in Chicago.

Solis felt limited by his image as a performer of regional Mexican music, and on his 1999 album Trozos de Mi Alma he wanted to "enrich the songs … take them to other countries as well, with more dignity," as he told Leila Cobo in Billboard. He added, "Don't get me wrong. I'm very Mexican. But this music has no frontiers, and we shouldn't create them. In this industry it's very valuable to be international." He chose Bebu Silvetti to produce the album. Silvetti respected Solis's ability to compose, produce, and arrange his own music, and took most of Solis's suggestions for the album. Trozos de Mi Alma sold more copies than any of Solis's previous albums, and led to a follow-up album, Mas de Mi Alma. Mas included some new types of music, such as a Peruvian waltz and a Venezuelan joropo. The effort to reach out to a wider audience succeeded. In Puerto Rico, for example, where regional Mexican music finds few buyers, Solis was "an inch away from becoming an idol," Fonoviso's general manager, Gilberto Moreno, told Cobo. One song from the album, "O Me Voy, O Te Vas," was played on a Los Angeles radio station in the morning and became a top ten Latin hit by nightfall.

In 2003 Solis renewed his contract with Fonovisa, despite rumors that he would move to another label. Jose Behar, president and CEO of Univision Music Group, the parent of Fonovisa, told Leila Cobo in Billboard Bulletin that the contract was a "long term commitment" with Solis. Solis then released Tu Amor o Tu Desprecia, which featured a variety of musical styles including ballads, mariachi, bolero, polka, and cumbia. The album was released in May, and by June it had reached the number one position in Billboard's Top Latin Albums list. The single "Tu Amor o Tu Desprecia" went on to win the Latin Grammy Award for Best Song of the Year.

In 2005 Solis received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Billboard. According to Cobo, the award recognizes "an outstanding artistic trajectory and one that has been instrumental in promoting and extending the reach of Latin music worldwide."

Kate Ramos, a vice president of the Live Nation tour producers, told Ray Waddell in Billboard that Solis's three decades of experience in the music business "have provided him with a maturity and confidence that is unique." And Cobo noted in Billboard that Solis's success is "based on his songs: lovely, simple, well-crafted affairs of the heart that everyone can identify with."

For the Record …

Members include: Eusebio Cortez , bass; Jose Guadarramo , keyboards; Pedro Sanchez , drums; Joel Solis , percussion; Marco Antonio Solis (left group, 1995), guitar, vocals.

Formed in 1975; their song "Falso Amor" sold a million copies in its first year; group continued to record numerous albums; Marco Antonio Solis left in 1995 to pursue a solo career.

Awards: Four Lo Nuestra awards.

Addresses: Record company—Fonovisa, 7710 Haskell Ave., Van Nuys, CA 91406.

Selected discography

Falso Amor, Fonovisa, 1975.

Yo To Necesito, Fonovisa, 1984.

Adonde Vas, Profono, 1985.

y Para Siempre, Fonovisa, 1989.

Lo Mejor de Los Bukis, Fonovisa, 1989.

Lo Romantico de los Bukis, Fonovisa, 1989.

Juntos Otra Vez, Fonovisa, 1989.

A Traves de Tus Ojos, Fonovisa, 1991.

Me Volvi a Acorder de Ti, Fonovisa, 1991.

Si Me Recuerdas, Fonovisa, 1991.

Quiereme, Fonovisa, 1992.

Inalcanzable, Fonovisa, 1993.

Cumbias al Estilo De, Fonovisa, 1994.

Frente a Frente, Fonovisa, 1994.

Muy Romanticos, Fonovisa, 1994.

Encuentros Musicales, Fonovisa, 1994.

Viva en Cumbia, Fonovisa, 1994.

Nortenas y Chicanas, Fonovisa, 1994.

Los Bukis, Fonovisa, 1994.

Por Amor a Mi Pueblo, Fonovisa, 1995.

A Donde Vas?, Fonovisa, 1995.

Musipistas, Dismex Sonoamerica, 1995.

Triste Imaginar, Fonovisa, 1995.

Cumbias Nortenas, Fonovisa, 1995.

Que Lastima, Fonovisa, 1995.

Te Tuve y Te Perdi, Fonovisa, 1995.

Estabas Tan Linda, Fonovisa, 1995.

Por Bien de Los Dos, Fonovisa, 1995.

A Bailar Con, Fonovisa, 1996.

Romanticos, Fonovisa, 1996.

Romantico de Corazon, Fonovisa, 1996.

15 Kilates Musicales, Fonovisa, 2001.

Recuerdos, Fonovisa, 2002.

Favoritas con Amor, Fonovisa, 2002.

25 Joyas Musicales, Fonovisa, 2003.

20 Inolvidables, Fonovisa, 2003.

Cronica de Dos Grandes, Fonovisa, 2004.

Encuentro en la Cumbra, Univision, 2005.

Los Idolos de Siempre, Fonovisa, 2005.

Siempre en las Alturas, Univision, 2006.

Los Inicios de Nuestra Hitoria, Fonovisa, 2006.

Dos en Uno, Fonovisa, 2006.

Marco Antonio Solis

Por Amor a Mi Pueblo, Fonovisa, 1995.

El pleno vuelo, Fonovisa, 1996.

Marco, Fonovisa, 1997.

Marco Antonio Solis en Vivo, Fonovisa, 2000.

Trozos de Mi Alma, Fonovisa, 2000.

Mas de Mi Alma, Fonovisa, 2001.

Tu Amor o Tu Desprecia, Fonovisa, 2003.

Raz-n de Sobra, Fonovisa, 2004.

Sources

Periodicals

Billboard, June 2, 2001, p. 18; May 10, 2003, p. LM-18; April 30, 2005; September 23, 2006, p. 62.

Billboard Bulletin, April 3, 2003, p. 2.

Online

"The ex Buki returns with a set of diverse songs," Laprensa San Diego, June 6, 2003, http://www.laprensa-sandiego.org/archive/june06-03/solis.htm (January 3, 2008).

"Marco Antonio Solis," IMG Artists, http://www.imgartists.com/?page=artist&ud=689&c=2 (January 3, 2008).

—Kelly Winters