Alex González (musician)
Encyclopedia
Alejandro González better known as Alex González, is an American Mexican musician of Cuba
n and Colombia
n origin. He is a member, drummer
and songwriter
for the Mexican band Maná
. He is nicknamed "El Animal" and also sings lead vocals for many songs, including the single "Me Vale". Alex discovered his passion for playing drums when he was only five years old. At such an early age he caught the attention of his kindergarten teacher who gave him a red sparkle drumkit. He took to the instrument very seriously and found himself a teacher by age five.
Alex was in the first version of Maná
by age fifteen and hit it big in 1992 with the album, ¿Dónde Jugarán Los Niños?
, which was certified gold in the U.S. Alex cites influences such as Ringo Starr
, John Bonham
, Keith Moon
, Stewart Copeland
, Neil Peart
and Terry Bozzio
.
Maná has been a big part of the Rock En Español phenomenon in the United States. They began playing in the U.S. in 1993 and influencing other bands with their success to play in the U.S. too. Alex is quoted as saying "I think it’s incredible that Spanish language bands like ours can sell millions of albums and sell out arenas in the U.S. It’s also cool to see how many “anglos” are now getting hooked on our music." His talent has been featured in Modern Drummer Magazinehttp://www.moderndrummer.com/, Drummerworld
, Drum (Magazine)
, among others. He performs exclusively with DW Drums
, Remo
, Paiste
and Vic Firth
.
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
n and Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
n origin. He is a member, drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
and songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
for the Mexican band Maná
Maná
Maná is a pop rock band from Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, whose career has spanned more than three decades. They have earned three Grammy Awards, seven Latin Grammy Awards, five MTV Video Music Awards Latin America, five Premios Juventud awards, nine Billboard Latin Music Awards and 13 Premios Lo...
. He is nicknamed "El Animal" and also sings lead vocals for many songs, including the single "Me Vale". Alex discovered his passion for playing drums when he was only five years old. At such an early age he caught the attention of his kindergarten teacher who gave him a red sparkle drumkit. He took to the instrument very seriously and found himself a teacher by age five.
Alex was in the first version of Maná
Maná
Maná is a pop rock band from Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, whose career has spanned more than three decades. They have earned three Grammy Awards, seven Latin Grammy Awards, five MTV Video Music Awards Latin America, five Premios Juventud awards, nine Billboard Latin Music Awards and 13 Premios Lo...
by age fifteen and hit it big in 1992 with the album, ¿Dónde Jugarán Los Niños?
¿Dónde Jugarán Los Niños?
-Personnel:*Fher Olvera – lead vocal, acoustic guitars & harmonica, choir*César "Vampiro" López – electric & acoustic guitars*Iván González – acoustic piano & hammond organ*Juan Diego Calleros – bass guitar...
, which was certified gold in the U.S. Alex cites influences such as Ringo Starr
Ringo Starr
Richard Starkey, MBE better known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an English musician and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for The Beatles. When the band formed in 1960, Starr was a member of another Liverpool band, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. He became The Beatles' drummer in...
, John Bonham
John Bonham
John Henry Bonham was an English musician and songwriter, best known as the drummer of Led Zeppelin. Bonham was esteemed for his speed, power, fast right foot, distinctive sound, and "feel" for the groove...
, Keith Moon
Keith Moon
Keith John Moon was an English musician, best known for being the drummer of the English rock group The Who. He gained acclaim for his exuberant and innovative drumming style, and notoriety for his eccentric and often self-destructive behaviour, earning him the nickname "Moon the Loon". Moon...
, Stewart Copeland
Stewart Copeland
Stewart Armstrong Copeland is an American musician, best known as the drummer for the band The Police. During the group's extended hiatus from the mid-1980s to 2007, he played in other bands and composed soundtracks...
, Neil Peart
Neil Peart
Neil Ellwood Peart , OC, is a Canadian musician and author. He is the drummer for the rock band Rush.Peart grew up in Port Dalhousie, Ontario . During adolescence, he floated from regional band to regional band in pursuit of a career as a full-time drummer...
and Terry Bozzio
Terry Bozzio
Terry John Bozzio is an American drummer best known for his work with Missing Persons and Frank Zappa.-Biography:Terry Bozzio was born December 27, 1950 in San Francisco, California. He started at age 6 playing makeshift drum sets. At the age of 13 he saw The Beatles premier performance on The Ed...
.
Maná has been a big part of the Rock En Español phenomenon in the United States. They began playing in the U.S. in 1993 and influencing other bands with their success to play in the U.S. too. Alex is quoted as saying "I think it’s incredible that Spanish language bands like ours can sell millions of albums and sell out arenas in the U.S. It’s also cool to see how many “anglos” are now getting hooked on our music." His talent has been featured in Modern Drummer Magazinehttp://www.moderndrummer.com/, Drummerworld
Drummerworld
Drummerworld.com is an encyclopedia-like website about significant jazz, jazz fusion, rock, funk and pop drummers. The site features biographies, sounds, videos and pictures of important drummers, as well as a drum clinic section where drummers can learn from the masters...
, Drum (Magazine)
Drum (Magazine)
Drum is a South African family magazine mainly aimed at Black readers and contains market news, entertainment and feature articles. It has two sister magazines: Huisgenoot and YOU .In 2005 it was described as "the first black lifestyle magazine in Africa"—but it is...
, among others. He performs exclusively with DW Drums
Drum Workshop
Drum Workshop is a drum and hardware manufacturing company based in Oxnard, California. Their slogan is "The Drummer's Choice".-History:...
, Remo
Remo
Remo is a male given name of Latin origin - see Romulus and Remus.Remo may also refer to:* Remo, an American drum skin company* Remo , another name for the German wine grape Riesling* Remo language, a Panoan language of Brazil and Peru...
, Paiste
Paiste
Paiste, a Swiss manufacturer and designer, is the world's third largest manufacturer of cymbals, gongs, and metal percussion. Paiste is an Estonian/Finnish word which means "shine"...
and Vic Firth
Vic Firth
Vic Firth is an American musician and is the founder of Vic Firth Company , a percussion stick and mallet manufacturing company that he started in 1963. The company bills itself as the world's largest manufacturer of drum sticks and mallets...
.