Maná

Fher, lead singer

Maná was formed in 1986 by José Fernando "Fher" Olvera (vocals), Ulises (guitars) and Juan Calleros (bass guitar), who had been performing together in a band called Sombrero Verde since the mid-1970s and disbanded in 1983.[9][10] The three placed an advertisement in the local Guadalajara newspaper looking for a drummer to complete a new band, to which fifteen-year-old Alex González applied and soon joined the group.[9] Maná's first album was titled "Maná released on May 12, 1987 on A& M Records. Maná signed to PolyGram, but became unhappy with the direction the label was taking the band and switched to Warner Music shortly before the release of the group's 2nd album, Falta Amor.[11] A year passed before the album garnered its first hit single, "Rayando el Sol". The group toured heavily in support of the album performing more than 250 times throughout Latin America, including shows in Mexico, Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia.

Rock in Rio Madrid 2012.

In 1991, they added 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. On 27 October 1992, the band released ¿Dónde Jugarán Los Niños?, an album that spawned several hits (including "Vivir Sin Aire," "Oye Mi Amor," and "De Pies a Cabeza"). The record sold over 3 million copies worldwide and became the best selling Spanish-language rock album of all time.[12] The band undertook an international tour with 268 concerts in 17 countries.

In 1994, López and Iván González left the group due to musical and personal disputes.[13] Fher Olvera and Alex González felt that their departure offered an opportunity to reinvent the group's sound, and searched throughout Mexico, Spain and Argentina to find a new guitarist.[13] In the meantime, Maná released the live album Maná en Vivo before choosing Mexican guitarist Sergio Vallín to replace Calleros and López.[11] In 1995, the band recorded a Spanish version of Led Zeppelin's "Fool in the Rain" for the tribute album Encomium.[13]

Lead singer Fher Olvera and Juan Calleros in the background performing at Rock in Rio Madrid 2012.

On 25 April 1995, the group released Cuando los Ángeles Lloran. The album was noted for its stylistic departure from the band's previous work, which saw the group experimenting with funk and soul music genres.[13] Olvera explained shortly after the release of the album, "Basically, we're still the same Maná, but we're going through a funky, soulish stage. We want to have some fun and be a little louder."[13] The initial reaction to Cuando los Ángeles Lloran was mixed and the first single, the funk-influenced "Déjame Entrar", failed to reach the top ten on the Mexican Singles Chart.[13] However, the album later caught on and sold 500,000 copies in the United States alone within five months of release.[13]

In 1997, the group released Sueños Líquidos, an album about the highs and lows of love, with songs like "Clavado en un bar" and "En el Muelle de San Blás," recorded in Puerto Vallarta and released simultaneously in 36 countries. The recording received a Grammy Award as Best Latin Rock/Alternative Album. The group performed acoustically in Miami for Latin America's MTV Unplugged program. A final version of the performance was mixed at Conway Recording Studios in Hollywood, and the band released Maná MTV Unplugged on 22 June 1999.[12] In the summer of 1999, the band co-headlined an 18-city tour of the United States with Carlos Santana.[12] Maná also appeared on Santana's 1999 album Supernatural on the song "Corazón Espinado".[11]

In 2002, in an effort to blend their sound with that of rock and roll from the sixties and seventies, the band recorded Revolución de Amor. They won their fourth Grammy for the album. The band released a new version of "Eres mi Religión" for the Italian market in 2003, as a duet with Italian musician Zucchero, and also performed with Zucchero in a new recording of his "Baila Morena". This same year they participated in the annual Pavarotti & Friends concert, along with Queen, Deep Purple, Ricky Martin, Andrea Bocelli, Zucchero and Bono.

Fher Olvera in the background performing at Rock in Rio Madrid 2012.

In 2006, after a four-year hiatus, they released their seventh studio album, Amar es Combatir. It reached #4 on the Billboard Top 200 in its first week, selling over 60,000 copies in the first week. Their first single off the album, "Labios Compartidos", rose to the top of the music charts upon its debut in July, when the group played the song live at the Premios Juventud. Amar es Combatir has sold over 644,000 copies, and the Amar es Combatir Tour in promotion of the album grossed more than $35 million.[14] In 2008, Maná released a live album entitled Arde El Cielo, in both a CD and CD/DVD package. This release shows the band performing during the Amar es Combatir Tour in support of Amar es Combatir.

On 12 April 2011, the band released its eighth studio album, Drama y Luz. The record's release was delayed several times, initially scheduled for a Fall 2010 release, which was later changed to December 2010, and finally changed to April 2011.[15] The band explained that Drama y Luz was not ready for fans and spent time during the delays putting the finishing touches on the record.[15] Themes addressed on the album include love, hope, addiction, and racism.[15] The first single from the album, "Lluvia al Corazón", became the band's sixth song to reach number one on the Billboard Latin Songs chart, as well as its eighth song to top the magazine's Latin Pop Songs chart.[14]

In 2016, Maná was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame.[16]

In 2018, Mana received the Billboard Latin Music Lifetime Achievement Award and performed live on Telemundo from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.[17] Mana was honored as the Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year on November 14, 2018.[18]

In 2019 , Mana announced on February 2019 their new tour "Rayando el sol tour" that will start in the USA on September 2019. On April 12 Maná released a new version of their classic hit Rayando el sol featuring Spanish singer Pablo Alborán as the first song from their upcoming project.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. FAO was founded on October 16, 1945 in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The FAO Goodwill Ambassadors Programme was initiated in 1999. Maná was nominated and appointed FAO Ambassadors on October 16, 2003.[24][25] Maná emphasized that their song "Justicia, Tierra y Libertad" (in English: Justice, Land and liberty [freedom]) from the Revolución de Amor album, is a message of hope and inspiration in the search of a world without hunger; the song also appears in a Chevrolet commercial.

The group is donating a portion of the ticket office collections to the FAO during its recent tour of the United States. They will continue designating part of their gains to this organization during the rest of the tour of the United States, Mexico and Europe.

(before Maná)

• 1981 Sombrero Verde
• 1983 A Tiempo de Rock

• 1987 Maná
• 1990 Falta Amor
• 1992 ¿Dónde Jugarán los Niños?
• 1995 Cuando los Ángeles Lloran
• 1997 Sueños Líquidos
• 2002 Revolución de Amor
• 2006 Amar es Combatir
• 2011 Drama y Luz
• 2015 Cama Incendiada