Latino youth today are captivated with music performers from every corner of the globe, but for a generation Latinos growing up during the late 60s, 70s through the 80s, will remember bands like Los Solitarios, Los Moonlights, Los Freddy’s, Los Baby’s where one didn’t just attend a concert, they danced the night away as the band played live.

When one of our Latin Heat contributors, Gabriela López de Dennis, happened to mention that her dad had written a memoir about his life as one of Los Solitarios, well, you can imagine my delight. Yes, my heart skipped a few beats. Her father is none other than Daniel López, the composer and to who this day, plays lead guitar of Los Solitarios– a band whose music dominated my boy crazy heart in my youth. I know that somewhere in my scrapbooks, there must be photos of this iconic group that my friends and I took.

In the band’s near 58 years they’ve been recognized and awarded just about every music award in existence. In 2008, Lopez and band mate Agustin Villegas were recognized by the prestigious Sociedad de Autores y Compositores de Mexico (SACM) for their dozens of compositions of Mexican romantic ballads.

Gabriela helped us secure the interview with her father. Allow me to enthusiastically introduce you to Daniel López, a musician who up until the COVID-19 crisis, continued to perform. I immediately asked if he ever performed at La Terraza in Tijuana, and he said that yes indeed that was one of the main venues they performed whenever in Tijuana. It was also the one venue my mom allowed me to go with my friends. I think she had security on payroll to keep an eye out for us. Seriously.

LatinHeat: Did your breakout fame happen from your performances in Tijuana or what part of Mexico did it happen for Los Solitarios? Did you have any idea you might be as big if not bigger than Los Moonlights?

Daniel López: The group, Los Solitarios, became famous in Tijuana, but the breakout success was when we arrived in Mexico City and my group was in first place in numerous radio station music charts. It was then that we realized we had surpassed many other groups in popularity.  

LH:  Throughout your years performing, what was the best part, and what was the most challenging?

DL: The best part is when the audience receives us with excitement and big applause and sings along to our songs with us. The best part was also when we were on top of all the music charts in Mexico City. The most challenging part is performing alongside artists that are more famous than us. But you have to accept that everyone has their place. The most challenging part was also finding a way to continue making the hits to remain in first place on the radio stations, but I achieved it and at one point up to three (3) of our hits, songs that I wrote/composed, were on the top 10 charts at the same time.  

LH: What motivated you to write your book and was it emotional ups and downs project?

DL: What motivated me to write this book was respect for my audiences who wanted to know about the history of Los Solitarios. Who else but me could tell the true story and biography of Los Solitarios, as the creator and founder of the group? At the same time, to tell of all the emotions I lived as a musician and from dreams realized. And how to get to more than half a century of creating hit songs. The publishing of this book fulfills one more dream in my life.

LH: How and where are you today?

DL: I started 2020 off with performances in Oaxaca México, Los Angeles, Oklahoma, and Chicago. And currently, I have upcoming projects for various cities in Mexico and the U.S. Only because of the situation we are living in due to the pandemic, everything stopped. But the group hasn’t stopped performing for 57 years. I now live in Los Angeles, CA.

LH: What do you hope your fans learn about you after reading your book?

DL: I hope my fans will learn from reading about the foundation of how the group they supported started, and know the sacrifices, joys, and triumphs. That they see that whatever you set out to do can be achieved with perseverance, work, and effort.

LH: What advise do you give those seeking success in the entertainment and music industry?

Ahora entiendo que el éxito está listo para quienes estamos preparados.”
[“Now I understand that success is ready for those of us who are prepared”] — Daniel Lopez

Daniel Lopez’s book, Un Sueño En Sus Manos, (A Dream in My Hands) was published in April 2020, and available on Amazon. CLICK HERE to read more on his book.

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By Elia Esparza

Un Sueño En Sus Manos, (A Dream in My Hands) written by the lead guitarist Daniel López who shares the story of how he formed the group, Los Solitarios just south of the border in Tijuana, Mx. López has authored his memoir, exercising a new form of creative media, this time to tell the story of his musical journey. His autobiography “Un Sueño En Mis Manos” was published in April 2020 and available on Amazon.

López delves into his beginnings as a musician and composer, and the first musical groups he formed with non-professional instruments. With stories and anecdotes he tells of never imagining that one day he would reach more than half a century exposing his music that has made history as el Símbolo Romántico de México (the Romantic Symbol of Mexico). He tells us how he created the unique sound of Los Solitarios, which became one of the top-selling Mexican musical groups of all time, and has been credited with launching the ‘Romantic group music’ genre (‘Música romántica grupera’) that pioneered a new era in Mexican music in the 60s and 70s.

In 1963, five young musicians– Rogelio, Piki, Armando, Daniel y Alfredo and later Pablo and Agustin, who soon replaced Alfredo, launched their band as “Los Solitarios,” a Mexican band that played musica grupera, a genre of Regional Mexican music. In time, the permanent band members who went on to great fame are:  Agustín Villegas^† (Composer & Singer), Daniel López (Music Director, Lead Guitarist, Composer), Juan Luis Villegas (Drums & Percussion), Miguel Angel Damian (Bass), and David Miranda (Keyboards).

Los Solitarios grew to fame in the ‘60s and ‘70s and would be known to become “El Símbolo Romántico de México” (the Romantic Symbol of Mexico). Fifty-eight years later, they maintain their status. And, for this article, Latin Heat has the pleasure of spotlighting Daniel López, and his new book — Un Sueño En Mis Manos: La Historia de Los Solitarios.

Los Solitarios most famous hits dominated the radio airwaves in the late 60s and 70s, with such hits: Sufrir (1969), Mi Amor Es Para Ti (1970), Nada De Tu Amor (1971), No Debes Cry (1972), Today (1974-75), There are Unforgettable Things (1975), Tomb Of Love, What You Have Left, Yesterday They Told Me, Never Say and Those Eyes, just a few of their successes, and are attributed to López.

With his perseverance and passion for music, he remains in full force for more than half a century, making him a living icon and legend.

The legendary Los Solitarios and Daniel López were not just a band for the ages, they were a phenomenon of the ’60s and 70s, proven by the fact that they always had two songs consecutively dominating Spanish-language radio stations. Their hits were either first or second on the music charts. Los Solitarios’s songs-music pushed genre boundaries and their lyrics hit the heart of every Mexican-American and Latinos who are fans of romantic ballads. López’s vision and musical ability were a big part of this group’s ultimate global success.

López was recognized by the US Library of Congress and honored as one of Mexico’s musical legends. The Society of Authors and Composers of Mexico (SACM) recognized López for his enriching contribution to Mexican music. López’s photograph is cemented in SACM’s Museum of Composers in Mexico City where his music is played.

Los Solitarios recently celebrated its 57th anniversary. Los Solitarios kept performing through March 2020 and then halted all performances as a result of the COVID-19 crisis.

The autobiography is absolutely fascinating and a beautiful walk down memory lane. It is available for purchase on Amazon.

Published by Page Publishing, Inc (2020)  –  Paperback book with photos: 114 pages. Language: Spanish  –  Available online at: Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com  

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