Willie & Lobo

Though they were initially discovered while playing at a small club in Puerto Vallarta, the acoustic duo of Willie Royal and Wolfgang "Lobo" Fink had been influenced by the music of the entire world — Royal, though born in Texas, traveled with his Air Force father to Turkey, Germany, Mexico, the Netherlands and France, while Fink, born in Germany, also lived in Spain, Jamaica and Mexico. As such, Willie & Lobo's music includes influences from Gypsy music, Tex-Mex, flamenco, hot jazz, reggae, tango, and many more styles. The duo met in Mexico and after playing together briefly, went their separate ways, with Fink recording two albums as Lobo during the mid-'80s. They were together again for good by 1991, Royal's classically trained but jazz-inspired violin meshing well with Fink's energetic flamenco guitar. Willie & Lobo had been playing together for several years before being picked up by Mesa/Bluemoon for American release in 1993. That year, Gypsy Boogaloo was released in the States and reached number two on the world charts. Worldwide exposure followed soon after, almost a given considering the duo's inclusion of several different national forms. Further albums followed: 1994's Fandango Nights, 1995's Between the Waters, 1996's The Music of Puerto Vallarta Squeeze and 1997's Caliente. After a short hiatus, the duo regrouped in 1999 for the typically eclectic Wild Heart. Siete followed in mid-2000; Live In Concert was issued in early 2001.