The Mavericks biography

 

 

Fusing traditional country with a rich variety of rock, pop, and Latin influences, the Mavericks became one of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful groups of the early '90s.

 

Led by singer/songwriter Raul Malo (born August 7, 1965, Miami, Florida), the band was formed in Florida in the late '80s. Malo had previously played in several different bands while he was in high school, as did bassist Robert Reynolds (born Robert Earl Reynolds, April 30, 1962, Kansas City, Missouri). The pair met at school and discovered they had similar musical tastes -- they both enjoyed Roy Orbison, Patsy Cline, Elvis Presley, Hank Williams, and Johnny Cash  and decided to form a band. Reynolds persuaded his best friend, Paul Deakin (born Paul Wylie Deakin, September 2, 1959, Miami, Florida) - who had been a drummer in progressive rock bands before and had done some session work - to join the fledgling country band.

Taking the name the Mavericks, the band began playing rock clubs around the Miami area and built up a solid local following. The group chose to play rock clubs because the country bars only wanted to book bands that played covers and the Mavericks preferred to concentrate on original material. In the fall of 1990, the band released an eponymous independent album.

 

While the group struggled to make the most of their talent and influences on their first two albums, they hit their stride with 1994's What a Crying Shame, a critical and commercial breakthrough that was a grand showcase for the rich, emotive vocals of Raul Malo and the band's eclectic but accessible approach. The album spawned four singles that landed in the country Top 40, and earned them the freedom to expand their sound on 1995's Music for All Occasions, another success on radio and with fans.

 

They edged away from country into a more distinctive fusion of Latin and pop flavors on 1998's Trampoline, and while it wasn't as commercially successful in the United States as their previous two long players, it was a major success in the U.K., and opened up a large fan base overseas. The group's run of hits faded in the 21st century, and they spent most of the 2000s on hiatus, yet they still held on to a loyal fan base who embrace the group's enthusiastic eclecticism. Releases like In Time (2013) and Mono (2015) eased back on the country side of their personality in favor of Latin and pop accents, but they still bore the trademarks of Malo's vocals and the group's expressive, creatively restless approach.