Musicians - Los Prisioneros

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	Musicians - Los Prisioneros

Los Prisioneros is a Rock en Español band from San Miguel, Chile formed in 1982. They began as a very influential local band during the early 1980s, and once signed to EMI they reached mainstream success all over South America.

The Line Up

Current:

Jorge González - Guitar/Lead Vocals
Miguel Tapia - Drums/Background Vocals
Sergio "Coti" Badilla - Synthesizer/Programs/Guitar Bass

Corazones/1990's

Jorge Gonzalez - Guitar/Lead Vocals/Synthesizer
Miguel Tapia - Drums/Background Vocals
Cecilia Aguayo - Synthesizers/Background Vocals
Robert Rodríguez - Bass/Synthesizer

Original 1980's/Reunion 2001-2003

Jorge Gonzalez - Bass/Lead Vocals/Synthesizers
Miguel Tapia - Drums/Background Vocals
Claudio Narea - Guitar/Chorus Vocals/Synthesizers

History

The band started when Jorge González (bass and vocals), and Miguel Tapia (drums) decided to start their own band while still high school students. They were inexperienced but enthusiastic, after many practices and writing songs, they asked Claudio Narea if he would play (guitar) with them, impressed with the music he accepted. Towards the early 80's they went through some name changes and before settling on "Los Prisioneros" they had the name "Los Vinchukas" as their original name. In 1983, they had played a number of local shows and that's when they met Carlos Fonseca, their future manager. Through him, they managed to score a record deal with Fusión Producciones.

In 1984, the band's debut album was released, with the hit song "La Voz De Los '80" (which was never a single). They reached acclaim in the radio and by the next year they would be touring. In 1986, their long awaited second album "Pateando Piedras" went double Platinum album in Chile. By that time, the group was invited to perform at Argentina's Chateau Rock Festival and later to a similar event in Montevideo, Uruguay. They continued touring and they became more successful mainstream wise.

In 1987 Los Prisioneros would head into the studio to record their third album, "La Cultura De La Basura". After four months of recording sessions, the record was released. Much tension yet relief was accomplished during those four months, the band had never sounded so unified. They put out many singles like "Pa Pa Pa", "Maldito Sudaca", "Que No Destrocen Tu Vida" and others. This album was by far their most socially & politically active album lyric wise since "La Voz De Los '80". They toured around South America for months, using the tours to help promote the "No on Pinochet". In 1988, due to not so high of what the label expected in sales, they re-released "La Cultura De La Basura" for the Latin American market with most of the songs re-recorded. They also included the song that would become the first video to be ever aired on MTV Latino, "We Are Sudamerican Rockers". With all this, Los Prisioneros gained a lot of mainstream attention.

In 1990 due to conflicts with Claudio and Jorge, Claudio decided to leave the band. They no longer got along musically, or personally. Miguel Tapia has said, he always tried to keep the band together, but this time, he couldn't. It was too big of a situation that could be fixed. The exact reason for why Claudio left, is still a little bit unclear. Los Prisioneros went through a rough time without Claudio, but they continued to move forward. Without Claudio Narea, Jorge Gonzalez had the responsibility of recording the next Los Prisioneros album, since he was the main composer Miguel Tapia was not present. He went to the United States to record their following album, "Corazones". It was recorded in Los Angeles, CA. After the album was mixed and edited, Los Prisioneros released "Corazones" in South America. When the first single was released, "Tren Al Sur", became an instant classic and was a heavily played song on the radio as well as its video on MTV Internacional. The album was very different compared to the first three Los Prisioneros albums, this album was filled with ideas and stories of love and romance, heartbreak, and lust. They released other singles like "Amiga Mia", "Corazones Rojos", and another huge success: "Estrechez De Corazónn". Los Prisioneros by now had reached the most mainstream success in their whole career as Los Prisioneros. After a year of non stop touring, they decided to do a "farewell" tour and the group played for the last time on December 21, 1991.

In the year 2001, Los Prisioneros announced that they would reunite, with the original guitarist, Claudio Narea. They announced that they would play 2 shows in the Estadio Nacional de Chile. Both shows sold out, and were a huge success. From then on until 2002 they played sold out shows all over Chile, South America, Canada, and North America.

In 2003 the band released its first new album since Claudio Narea left the band in 1990. It was titled "Los Prisioneros". Though it didn't receive the best reviews, the album sales were still solid. It had a whole new sound, but it keep the political lyrics of the band in most of their songs. They continued to tour and promote the album in 2003.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Los Prisioneros ]

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