Daniel López Shares His Experience as the Founder & Lead Guitarist of Los Solitarios
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