Tierra was born in 1971 when Rudy Salas and his brother Steve (back then known as the Salas Brothers), decided to do their own project after honing their skills with East Los Angeles groups. Tierra's break came after signing with Twentieth Century Records, who released Tierra - described by Rudy as a mixture of "social and cultural commentary." The next album STRANDED (Salsoul) mirrors the name: " It wasn't well distributed and people didn't hear it," Salas remembers. By 1980, the band decided to independently release CITY NIGHTS - A more commercially-based album with Tierra changing their sound. "We started getting radio airplay and on the charts," Salas recalls, "... and the labels starting bidding for the group." Tierra signed with Boardwalk Records, run by Neil Bogart who distributed the album. "Bogart was the only record president who really knew the Hispanic market at the time," explained Salas. Tierra's Boardwalk released CITY NIGHTS charted Top 20 and yielded three hit singles: "Together," "Memories," and "Gonna Find Her" which simultaneously reached the charts. By 1982, the band was recognized world-wide and received accolades, including a sold-out performance at New York City's famous Carnegie Hall. It was a bittersweet year. Suddenly tragedy struck: Bogart died of cancer, and with his passing went the expert marketing of Tierra. BAD CITY BOYS was released on Boardwalk. Nonetheless, "Are we in Love?" becomes a hit. In 1983, Tierra released their next album TOGETHER AGAIN. A single, "Sonia," released independently from the album did well. Tierra scored in 1985 with the TV theme for Norman Lear's "A.K.A. Pablo," starring Paul Rodriguez. In 1988, Tierra released the Jackson's "I Want You Back" and the Spanish version, "Te Quiero A Ti," hit #9 on the Billboard's Latin chart. A new Tierra sound emerged with their next album A NEW BEGINNING "Margarita," the first single, received both English and Spanish airplay. In 1993, Tierra signed with Thump Records. The partnership gave birth to TONIGHT and retrospective STREET CORNER GOLD, their seventh album. Their newest Thump Records release LATIN LEGENDS LIVE - is two-disc collection from three of the most influential Latin bands in musical history - Tierra, Malo, and El Chicano. The album is a testament to their talent that symbolizes decades of dedication to Latin music. Tierra was the first Latino band to have four songs on the national chart and two simultaneously in the Top 100. They were named "Best R&B Vocal Group" by four leading magazines including Billboard. They have performed in such prestigious shows such as Carnegie Hall, The American Music Awards, American Bandstand, and The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Tierra is widely known to have played a role in opening doors for other latino and non-latino superstars of today, including comedian Paul Rodriguez, Arsenio Hall, Sheila E., Gloria Estefan, Los Lobos, latino comic of the year, Rudy Moreno, and more. Rudy Salas holds the foundation of the band strong as he leads the band into the new millenium alone (his brother Steve left the band in the mid '90s and moved on to other projects). With their newly released album, "Welcome to Cafe East L.A.", the band is again moving on! Visit "The Band" for current info on band members