| Mazz | |||||||
| Landscape: | Yes | ||||||
| Background: | group_or_band | ||||||
| Origin: | Brownsville, Texas, United States | ||||||
| Years Active: | 1977–1998 | ||||||
| Module: |
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Mazz was an American Tejano band formed by Joe López and Jimmy González in 1978 in Brownsville, Texas. The band was made known for their unique and innovative form of cumbia and ranchera.[1] [2] After moving to the Capitol/EMI Latin record label in 1989, they became one of the most popular Tejano bands during genre's 1990s golden age.
Mazz disbanded in 1998, with frontmen López and González going on to form, respectively, Joe López y la Nueva Imagen Mazz in 2001 (still with EMI Latin) and Jimmy González y Grupo Mazz in 1999 (with Freddie Records).
In 2006, López was convicted of and imprisoned for sexually assaulting his niece. After his release in 2018, he formed Joe López y Grupo Mazz and continues to write, record, and perform.
Joe López and Jimmy González were born 30 minutes apart on August 28, 1950[3] in Brownsville, Texas and became friends at the age of 7.[4] [5] In June 1977 González persuaded Noe Garcia keyboardist to make a group with him and Joe. They waited a year for Noe because he was a senior in college and was about to graduate in May of 1978 which would be the official launch of the band. After Noe agreed to join we worked on getting Adolfo Garcia into the group. Juan Murillo was the person that convinced Adolfo because they were friends. Nobody knew Adolfo. Adolfo agreed to replace Daniel López on the drums when the Brownsville band Something Easy would disband at the end of the year(1977). In November 1977, the band would decide to assume a new name, initially "Mass", but later changed to "Mazz" in imitating the emphasis in the wordmark of the rock band Kiss (KIϟϟ).[6] [7] According to González, the band's name was also inspired by the 2 z's in his last name.
Mazz is often credited with introducing or at least advancing the synthesizer into the Tejano music sound, though they were one of many bands to do so in the 1980s. Credit should be given when it is due and Mazz and Noe G. were using synths before 1977.[8] In the mid-1980s, Mazz entered a marketing contract with Coors 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", "Borraré Tu Nombre", and "Otra Vez". The group's first live show was held in 1983 at Rosedale Park in San Antonio, Texas. González was surprised that the "[p]eople were all singing our songs."[9] Mazz began receiving many 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, Mazz began selling 50,000 units and became one of the top-selling Tejano acts.[10] The group, known to party and arrive late to performances, was dubbed the "Bad Boys of Brownsville". González commented that "The bad boy image was really cool [...] We were bad in our music. But it got turned into bad, like mean. For example, when bands fight over who goes on stage first. It was known that we were no pushovers." However, he said that he was okay with the label. The single "Laura Ya No Vive Aqui" peaked atop Billboards 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.[11]
In 1988, Mazz signed with CBS Records and released Straight from the Heart (1989), and the following year they signed with EMI Latin.[12] 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.[13] The band's album No Te Olvidare (1990) reached atop the Billboard Regional Mexican Albums chart in July 1990.[14] It spent five consecutive months at number two behind Bronco.[14] 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.[14] Mazz performed at RodeoHouston for 14 consecutive years, starting in 1991 as part of Go Tejano Day.[1]
In 1990, EMI Latin purchased Cara Records and thereby inherited Mazz.[15]
In April 1994, Mazz's bus driver was found with 49 pounds of marijuana at the Falfurrias checkpoint. The group was in Chicago at the time. Rumors about marijuana use began to circulate, but the group member's reputations were eventually cleared. This was desired especially by González, who was strongly opposed to drugs.[16]
Mazz released Al Frente de Todos in 1997 and again received mixed reviews. EMI Latin has not released the album to streaming services. The Corpus Christi Caller-Times headlined its release, "New Mazz album is good enough, but not great," and commented in sum, "In all, the 12 cuts in this album show Mazz in a favorable light, but there's no cutting edge here. The group seems to be in a complacent groove. That spark of independence, of musical ingenuity that showed itself in past arrangements is missing."[17] The album did nevertheless contain "Pa Que Sepas," a ranchera that received "heavy radio play" and was released as a single. It also held a live cumbia reprisal of "Micaela", a song recorded as mariachi just the previous year for Mazz Mariachi y Tradición. The Caller-Times commented that it made "the earlier recording sound bland."
At the September 1997 Tejano Thunder concert at Rosedale Park in San Antonio, Mazz would apparently enter in five stretch limousines escorted by three police motorcycles, but ironically, López, González, and most of the band were already backstage.
March 1998 marked the release of Margarita, the debut album of Tejano musician Freddy Fender's niece Margarita Huerta, produced by Jimmy González and Gilbert Velasquez. Huerta had begun her career a year prior opening and singing backup vocals for Mazz. Mazz also released their final album Cuántas Veces later that year, which received slightly better reaction compared to their previous two albums. Ramiro Burr commented that it was "not quite up to Mazz standards," but that it had "a few bright spots," including the title track and "Ojos Querendones" (both of which were reprised in 2006 Mazz live reunion album).
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.
López and González separated in summer 1998 and pursued solo careers with their own bands.[18]
The "Mazz" trademark has served as dispute between López and González. López claims that he has always owned the trademark and allowed González to keep using it. López's incarceration presumably made him more permitting with the trademark; legal action for which he would be unable to take in prison. After his release and González's death, López did pursue the trademark from González's widow Lisa.
On September 29, 2023, the "Forever Jimmy G." Facebook page publicly admonished the Texas Talent Musicians Association to retract a misinforming email sent to its followers about Joe López's nomination for a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 5th Annual Tejano Music Awards, claiming him as the recipient of the 2001–2004, 2009, and 2014 Grammy awards to Jimmy González y Grupo Mazz (the latter two were won during López's incarceration).[19] [20]
As of September 1, 2025 the Joe Lopez y Grupo Mazz Instagram profile biography continues to misleadingly claim them to be "Winners of the Latin Grammy Award for Best Tejano Album 2001-2004, 2009."[21]
1978–1984
1984–1997
For awards to López and González as individuals, see,
| 1981 | Most Promising Band of the Year | ||
| 1986 | Number 16 | Album of the Year (Orchestra) | |
| 1988 | Beyond | Album of the Year (Orchestra) | |
| 1990 | "Ahora Quiero Que Me Quieras" | Song of the Year | |
| 1991 | No Te Olvidaré | Album of the Year | |
| "Amor con Amor" | Single of the Year | ||
| "No Te Olvidaré" | Song of the Year | ||
| 1993 | "Lo Voy Hacer Por Ti" | Single of the Year | |
| Song of the Year | |||
| 1996 | Sólo para Ti | Album of the Year (Orchestra) | |
| 1999 | Cuántas Veces | Album of the Year (Group) |
| 1991 | "Amor con Amor" | Best Mexican-American Performance | rowspan=2 |
| 1992 | Para Nuestra Gente | Best Mexican-American Album |
| 1991 | Regional Mexican Group of the Year | rowspan=8 | |
| No Te Olvidaré | Regional Mexican Album of the Year | ||
| 1992 | Regional Mexican Group of the Year | ||
| Para Nuestra Gente | Regional Mexican Album of the Year | ||
| 1993 | Regional Mexican Group of the Year | ||
| 1994 | Regional Mexican Group of the Year | ||
| Lo Haré Por Ti | Regional Mexican Album of the Year |
