Sergio Vallín
Encyclopedia
Sergio Vallín Loera is the lead guitarist of the Mexican
band Maná
. Vallín was born in Mexico City
, where he lived for the first ten years of his life until he moved with his family to Aguascalientes
, capital of the state of the same name. Thus he has nicknamed himself "Hidrocálido", after one of the demonym
s for his adopted city.
, The Rolling Stones
, and The Doors
. At thirteen, he received his first salary as a musician, when he began to give private guitar lessons to other young kids in his same age group. He formed the band "Wando" with his siblings Rocío and Fernando Vallín, and Emilio (who is now the drummer of Marco Antonio Solís
' Band "El Bucky"). "Wando" won first place in the contest "Valores Juveniles Bacardí" in 1993 in the group category with "Puedo gritarlo frente a ti". (Ana Bárbara
won first prize in the singles category in the same contest).
During a Luis Miguel
concert, Sergio met guitarist Kiko Cibrián, to whom he gave a copy of his guitar demo
. The demo passed from person to person until it reached Fher Olvera
, Maná vocalist, who was looking for a guitarist for the band after the departure of César "Vampiro" López. Olvera was greatly impressed with Vallín's style, and asked him to audition. Fher was very pleased with Sergio's audition, telling Sergio: "eres un bombon asesino", meaning "he's really good". Vallín was chosen after trying out more than eighty guitarists and since 1994 has formed part of Maná.
and "Fool in the rain" from Led Zeppelin
, Maná recorded Cuando los ángeles lloran in 1995, the first studio album with Sergio as lead guitar. The album is considered by many as being the best of Maná, and was also a "point of inflection" in his career because of Vallín's experience with classical guitar and because of rock and roll riffs on songs like "Déjame entrar".
Vallín has recorded three other studio albums Sueños Líquidos
(1997), Revolución de Amor
(2002) and Amar es Combatir
(2006), as well as the Maná MTV Unplugged
(1999).
holds special significance to Sergio Vallín. They subsequently composed "Corazón Espinado" specially for Santana which now features on his production Supernatural. Sergio has admitted that playing next to the idol of his early life has been one of the most gratifying events of his career.
Sergio's importance to the group has grown through the four albums. He debuted as a composer in Sueños Líquidos, with the flamenco
influenced song "Ámame hasta que muera". He debuted as a singer in Revolución de Amor with the theme "¿Por qué te vas?" dedicated to his parents. In this album he also composed "No voy a ser tu esclavo" and collaborated again with Santana in the guitar solo of "Justicia Tierra y Libertad". In Amar es Combatir he wrote three songs: the cumbia
"Somos Mar y Arena", "Relax", and "Bendita tu Luz". Sergio, who is considered one of the best Latin guitarists, is an admirer of flamenco, Paco de Lucía
and Tomatito
, and has become involved in projects outside of Maná. He has worked as the producer of new artists like Chío and Serralde, and is currently working on the project "Escuela de Música México Contemporáneo".
Music of Mexico
The music of Mexico is very diverse and features a wide range of different musical styles. It has been influenced by a variety of cultures, most notably indigenous Mexican and European, since the Late Middle Ages...
band Maná
Maná
Maná is a pop rock band from Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, whose career has spanned more than three decades. They have earned three Grammy Awards, seven Latin Grammy Awards, five MTV Video Music Awards Latin America, five Premios Juventud awards, nine Billboard Latin Music Awards and 13 Premios Lo...
. Vallín was born in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
, where he lived for the first ten years of his life until he moved with his family to Aguascalientes
Aguascalientes
Aguascalientes is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 11 municipalities and its capital city is Aguascalientes....
, capital of the state of the same name. Thus he has nicknamed himself "Hidrocálido", after one of the demonym
Demonym
A demonym , also referred to as a gentilic, is a name for a resident of a locality. A demonym is usually – though not always – derived from the name of the locality; thus, the demonym for the people of England is English, and the demonym for the people of Italy is Italian, yet, in english, the one...
s for his adopted city.
Early music
Arriving in Aguascalientes, he had his first contact with music when he became part of a local student musical arrangement. At the age of ten he began to feel attracted to bands like The BeatlesThe Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
, The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
, and The Doors
The Doors
The Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger...
. At thirteen, he received his first salary as a musician, when he began to give private guitar lessons to other young kids in his same age group. He formed the band "Wando" with his siblings Rocío and Fernando Vallín, and Emilio (who is now the drummer of Marco Antonio Solís
Marco Antonio Solís
Marco Antonio Solís is a Mexican musician, composer, and record producer. Throughout his career, he has sold over 80 million records and written over 300 songs, arguably making him one of the most successful singer-songwriters in Latin America.-Early life and career:Marco Antonio Solís started his...
' Band "El Bucky"). "Wando" won first place in the contest "Valores Juveniles Bacardí" in 1993 in the group category with "Puedo gritarlo frente a ti". (Ana Bárbara
Ana Bárbara
Ana Bárbara is a Mexican Latin Grammy Award winner, songwriter, producer, and Grammy-nominated recording artist.-Early life and early career:...
won first prize in the singles category in the same contest).
During a Luis Miguel
Luis Miguel
Luis Miguel Gallego Basteri is a Mexican singer. He is widely known only by the name Luis Miguel and is often referred to as "El Sol de México"...
concert, Sergio met guitarist Kiko Cibrián, to whom he gave a copy of his guitar demo
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
. The demo passed from person to person until it reached Fher Olvera
Fernando Olvera
José Fernando Emilio "Fher" Olvera, in Puebla, Puebla, Mexico as José Fernando Emilio Olvera Sierra, is the secondary guitarist, composer, and lead singer for the Mexican rock band Maná. Olvera studied communications in the Universidad Iberoamericana...
, Maná vocalist, who was looking for a guitarist for the band after the departure of César "Vampiro" López. Olvera was greatly impressed with Vallín's style, and asked him to audition. Fher was very pleased with Sergio's audition, telling Sergio: "eres un bombon asesino", meaning "he's really good". Vallín was chosen after trying out more than eighty guitarists and since 1994 has formed part of Maná.
Maná
After a few collaborations with the band, doing covers of "Celoso" from Los PanchosLos Panchos
Los Panchos was an internationally famous Latin pop trio known for its romantic ballads and boleros.-History:...
and "Fool in the rain" from Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
, Maná recorded Cuando los ángeles lloran in 1995, the first studio album with Sergio as lead guitar. The album is considered by many as being the best of Maná, and was also a "point of inflection" in his career because of Vallín's experience with classical guitar and because of rock and roll riffs on songs like "Déjame entrar".
Vallín has recorded three other studio albums Sueños Líquidos
Sueños Líquidos
Sueños Líquidos is the fifth studio album by Latin American Mexican rock band Maná. After its release for the first time in over 36 countries across the globe, the band began to receive heavy international attention, especially in Spain and the U.S., where the album sold in excess of 1,000,000...
(1997), Revolución de Amor
Revolución De Amor
-Revolución de Amor: 2003 Tour Edition:Revolución de Amor: 2003 Tour Edition this is a special re-release of Revolución de Amor from the 2003 Revolución de Amor Tour in Spain, released on July 19, 2005. "Eres Mi Religión" features Italian rock singer Zucchero...
(2002) and Amar es Combatir
Amar es Combatir
- Personnel :* Francisco Ayon – Assistant* Miguel Bustamante – Assistant engineer* Juan Calleros – Bajo sexto, group member* Juan Luis Guerra – Guest vocals* Albert Sterling Menendez – Keyboards...
(2006), as well as the Maná MTV Unplugged
Maná MTV Unplugged
Maná MTV Unplugged is a complete live album that was recorded in Miami, FL for MTV by Latin American Mexican rock band Maná. Maná's MTV Unplugged performance was a live show which was performed in an acoustic sound. The live performance was recorded on March 10, 1999 and released in CD and DVD on...
(1999).
Composer
The song "Jalisco Power" alongside Carlos SantanaCarlos Santana
Carlos Augusto Alves Santana is a Mexican rock guitarist. Santana became famous in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band, Santana, which pioneered rock, salsa and jazz fusion...
holds special significance to Sergio Vallín. They subsequently composed "Corazón Espinado" specially for Santana which now features on his production Supernatural. Sergio has admitted that playing next to the idol of his early life has been one of the most gratifying events of his career.
Sergio's importance to the group has grown through the four albums. He debuted as a composer in Sueños Líquidos, with the flamenco
Flamenco
Flamenco is a genre of music and dance which has its foundation in Andalusian music and dance and in whose evolution Andalusian Gypsies played an important part....
influenced song "Ámame hasta que muera". He debuted as a singer in Revolución de Amor with the theme "¿Por qué te vas?" dedicated to his parents. In this album he also composed "No voy a ser tu esclavo" and collaborated again with Santana in the guitar solo of "Justicia Tierra y Libertad". In Amar es Combatir he wrote three songs: the cumbia
Cumbia
Cumbia is a music genre popular across Latin America. The cumbia originated in the Caribbean coast of Colombia, where it is associated with an eponymous dance and has since spread as far as Mexico and Argentina...
"Somos Mar y Arena", "Relax", and "Bendita tu Luz". Sergio, who is considered one of the best Latin guitarists, is an admirer of flamenco, Paco de Lucía
Paco de Lucía
Paco de Lucía, born Francisco Sánchez Gómez , is a Spanish virtuoso flamenco guitarist and composer. He is considered by many to be one of the finest guitarists in the world and the greatest guitarist of the flamenco genre...
and Tomatito
Tomatito
José Fernández Torres, known as Tomatito , is a Spanish Romani flamenco guitarist. He grew up in a musical family, including two uncles: Niño Miguel, a flamenco guitarist, and Antonio, a professional guitarist....
, and has become involved in projects outside of Maná. He has worked as the producer of new artists like Chío and Serralde, and is currently working on the project "Escuela de Música México Contemporáneo".
Studio album
- 2009: Bendito Entre Las MujeresBendito Entre Las MujeresBendito Entre Las Mujeres is the first solo album by lead guitarist of Latin rock band Maná, Sergio Vallín. The album was released on September 22, 2009...
(Blessed Among Women) (Release on 09/22/09)