Los Nombres

Los NombresOne part War, two parts Santana, and a dash of Motown, immersed in a rich Puerto Rican stock, Los Nombres were the undisputed kings of Northern Ohios Rust Belt barrios. Following successive explosions of brown eyed and Latin soul in Los Angeles and New York during the mid and late 60s, Lorains Boricua underdogs went on a trial by fire recording tear in nearby Cleveland, going all in on a series of no budget recordings at Way Out and with Lou Ragland

One part War, two parts Santana, and a dash of Motown, immersed in a rich Puerto Rican stock, Los Nombres were the undisputed kings of Northern Ohio’s Rust Belt barrios. Following successive explosions of brown-eyed and Latin soul in Los Angeles and New York during the mid and late ‘60s, Lorain’s Boricua underdogs went on a trial-by-fire recording tear in nearby Cleveland, going all-in on a series of no-budget recordings at Way Out and with Lou Ragland at Boddie Recording Company. Boasting a voice that rivaled any on the Fania roster, Willie Marquez led the rotating cast of Latino teens through numerous underfunded recording sessions for the Day-Wood, Beth, and Lorain Sounds imprints, the lo-fi fruits of which are compiled here. Reaching back to Los Nombres’ most glorious and fearless era, these moments of off-the-cuff clarity feature an uncompromising assemblage of searing brass, molten organ, and crystalline nuggets of chili-powdered songwriting that could only have come from Ohio’s “International City”.