Bacilos

Bacilos is a latin music group based in Miami, Florida, USA. Their album "Caraluna" won the 2003 Grammy Award for Best Pop Latin Album and its 2004 release "Sin Vergüenza" has again been nominated for Best Latin Pop Album in the Grammy Awards of 2005. A leading practitioner of Rock en Español, the band has had several hits on the Billboard Latin charts and has had considerable success in the Latin Grammies.

Band history

This Colombian band was formed in the mid 1990s by three students of the University of Miami and was named after the Spanish word for bacillus. Originally a quartet, the band drew influences from Cuban folk singer Silvio Rodríguez and Argentinian rock singer Fito Páez. The band eventually became a trio consisting of Colombian singer and guitarist Jorge Villamizar, bassist André Lopes and percussionist José Javier Freire before releasing an independent album "Madera" in 1999.

Bacilos signed with Warner Music in 2000. The selftitled album was nominated for two Latin Grammy awards and went gold in Colombia. The single "Tabaco Y Chanel" was widely played on Latin radio stations and the success of their major label debut earned them a slot as support artist on a world tour by Spanish artist Alejandro Sanz.

Their 2002 "Caraluna" album added to their reputation winning a Grammy for best Latin pop album and making the Billboard Latin album charts. The album also won best album at the Latin Grammies and their song "Mi Primer Millón" won best tropical song. The single "Caraluna" went to #1 in Chile, top 10 in Argentina and charted in the world and Billboard Latin charts in late 2002 and early 2003.

"Mi Primer Millón", a humorous account of trying to make it in the music industry, again went top 10 in Chile and made the Billboard and world Latin music charts in 2003. "Sólo un segundo" was the third single from the album going top 10 in Argentina and top 20 in Chile. Bacilos also featured on a duet with Celso Piña which made the Chilean Top 20 in May 2004.

"Sin Vergüenza" was released in late 2004. The first single "Pasos de Gigante" went to number 1 in Argentina, #2 in Chile and made top 10 on Billboard's Latin singles charts in late 2004. It has been nominated for a Grammy award for best Latin pop album.

The band announced that they would break up and completed their final tour in the United States on Dec. 15, 2006, when they played at La Covacha, in Miami.

Their final live show was on February 21, 2007, at the Festival Internacional de la Canción de Viña del Mar, in Chile. [http://www.emol.com/noticias/festival/detalle/detallenoticias.asp?idnoticia=246707]

Members

* Singer and guitarist: Jorge Villamizar, Colombian
* Bassist: André Lopes, Brazilian
* Percussionist: José Javier Freire, Puerto Rican

Discography

* "Madera" (1999)
* "Bacilos" (2000)
* "Caraluna" (2002)
* "Sin Vergüenza" (2004)
* "Grandes Éxitos" (2006)

External links

* [http://www.bacilos.com Bacilos Official Website]
* [http://www.miwml.com/bacilos Bacilos Official Label Site - Free music online]