Rock en español

In 1958, Ritchie Valens covered the Mexican folk song "La Bamba", popularizing Spanish-language rock music throughout Latin America.

That year, Daniel Flores composed "Tequila", and the Champs' production of the song, which reached nº1 in Billboard pop charts.

Success outside of the native and Spanish-speaking scene proved difficult to attain though, and the few hits these bands achieved worldwide were sung in English, as Miguel Ríos and Los Bravos did for example.

By mid-decade the Mexican (later US citizen) Carlos Santana moved north to California and soon joined the burgeoning San Francisco rock scene.

Almendra, led by Luis Alberto Spinetta, was one of the most important prog bands of the late 1960s and later, Spinetta would become one of the most important artists of the 1970s rock en español scene, Influenced by the new trends of the 60's, psychedelic acts like Los Dug Dug's, Pescado Rabioso (heavy psych)— or La Revolución de Emiliano Zapata (although rarely they featured Spanish vocals during these years); blues acts like Manal and progressive rock bands like Invisible, Sui Generis (folk prog), Témpano [es], Los Jaivas (Andean rock), Vox Dei (which style would turn harder sounding) or Triana (heavily influenced by flamenco) and Crack (more British prog-rock influenced) appeared.

Also the dictatorship established in Argentina in 1976 make some Argentine artist leave the country for greener pastures in Europe, mostly Spain.

Tequila joined a rock and roll, glam and rhythm & blues scene along with other Spanish acts Burning or La Orquesta Mondragón.

Soda Stereo is largely credited as the first Spanish-language rock band to gain widespread popularity across Latin America.

However, there was equal transnational success in the mid to late 1980s from Virus, Radio Futura, Enanitos Verdes, Caifanes, Hombres G, or Los Prisioneros among others during the same time period.

Since then, successful bands and musicians include Juanes, Libido, Maná, Jaguares, Caramelos de Cianuro, Aterciopelados, Bersuit Vergarabat, Jorge Drexler and Los Tres among others.

In Los Angeles, an underground scene has developed and continues to flourish that supports the local rock en español acts.