Pop/Rock » Rock & Roll/Roots » Latin Rock

Though Latin Rock wasn't a commercial force before Santana broke out of the San Franciscan underground during the late '60s, it had deep roots in the straightahead R&B (a style not especially affected by traditional Latin music) of brown-eyed soul/East L.A. bands like Cannibal & the Headhunters and Thee Midniters. Influenced by the Chicano movement emphasizing culture and heritage, an assortment of California-based bands began incorporating Spanish-language material and the percussion forms of Latin America. Though Santana and War were the only successful bands, great recordings were also made by Malo, Tierra, and El Chicano, as well as bands from New York (Ocho, Mandrill, Eddie Palmieri's Harlem River Drive) and even Peru (Black Sugar).