Mana Biography

Maná is a Mexican rock group that had its origins near the end of the 1970s in Guadalajara, Jalisco. It was first organized in 1980 with the name of Sombrero Verde ("Green Hat". The band began by singing covers in English, but then added Spanish numbers to their repertoire. In 1981, they recorded their first album called Sombrero Verde. Their second album called A Ritmo de Rock appeared in 1983.

The group reorganized under the name of Maná (a Biblical reference to the heavenly mannah provided for the Israelites in the desert, as well as meaning "supernatural force" (mana) in Polynesia) with Fher "Whiny Voice" Olvera as lead vocalist, brothers Juan Diego and Ulises Calleros on bass and lead guitar, respectively, and Alex "El Animal" González, a young Cuban-Colombian on drums.
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They released their first eponymous album for Polygram in 1986.

The group's first hit album was Falta Amor, which was released in 1990, but did not become a hit until the next year. The first track from that album "Rayando el Sol" became their first hit single. They began to tour, performing more than 250 times in Mexico, and also abroad in Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia.

1992 brought two new members to the group, Iván González on keyboards and César "Vampiro" López on guitar. Ulises Calleros no longer performed with the group, but became one of their managers. They also released a new album called ¿Dónde Jugarán los Niños? The band undertook an international tour with 268 concerts in 17 countries, including an appearance at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland.

In 1994, Iván González and César López left the group. Fher, Alex, and Juan continued to perform as a trio and released a live album entitled Maná en Vivo with the collaboration of Gustavo Orozco on guitar, Sheila Ríos on vocals, and Juan Carlos Toribio on keyboards.

In 1994, Sergio Vallín brought a new sound to Maná on guitar. The group released Cuando los Ángeles Lloran. The group also started a foundation that year, Selva Negra, to fight for ecological causes.

In 1997, the group released Sueños Líquidos, recorded in Puerto Vallarta, which hit the markets in 36 countries simultaneously. They also released a retrospective album for distribution in Spain called Todo Maná.

In December 1998, they were invited by Carlos Santana to collaborate on his album Supernatural. One of the tracks "Corazón Espinado" was composed by Fher. This gave them exposure in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. They also appeared on the Grammy Award presentations, the Tonight Show, and on MTV. The live performance was released in the Americas and Spain on CD and DVD as MTV Unplugged. They released a greatest hits album for distribution in Italy called Grandes Maná.

In 2002, the group released an album called Revolución de Amor, on which Santana also appeared in the title track. In 2003, they released a version of "Eres mi Religión" with Italian singer Zucchero and appeared in the annual Pavarotti and Friends concert. At the end of the year, they released a three-disc retrospective called Maná Esenciales.

Alex Gonzales has been regarded as one of the best drummers of all time.

MANA PICTURES

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MANA BIOGRAPHY