Los Dug Dug's
Encyclopedia
Los Dug Dug's are a Mexican
rock group which started off in the early sixties as a high school
band called Xippos Rock, with members [ROBERTO MIRANDA] and [MOISES MUNOZ]]. In 1964 Xippos Rock began a road trip from Durango
to Tijuana
and half way through the trip,in the city of CIUDAD OBREGON SON, the name was changed to Los Dug Dug's, an abbreviation of the band's native city and state.
Once the band had arrived at Tijuana they commenced there ascent of Mexican Rock, soon landing a regular gig at Mike's Bar, where they firmly established their reputation. At this time they also did some gigs across the border in the USA where they picked up the latest sounds to take back to Mexico with them. In this way they brought The Beatles
' music to Mexico, being the first band to play their songs in Mexico. At the same time they became the first band in Mexico to sing their own songs, as well as the songs of other bands in English, thus breaking what had been a rule in Mexican rock up till then.
Armando Nava's father was a sales person and wished to take his family to TIJUANA, Baja California, and as a salesman he used to travel a lot. One day, after a year or so, ARMANDO wanted to go back to DURANGO and try to take the band "XIPPOS ROCK " to TIJUANA. He talked to his mother, MRS NAVA , to let the band travel with them back to TIJUANA. At the time MR NAVA was in Tijuana. The line-up consisted of: ARMANDO NAVA (LEAD GUITAR), Jorge Lujan (vocals and guitar),JORGE DE LA TORRE (VOCALS), SERGIO ORRANTE (DRUMS), and MOISES MUNOZ (bass guitar).they started playing in mazatlan,in OBREGON SONORA, and they changed their name to LOS DUGDUGS, and decided to continue their journey all the way up to Tijuana, while after two months in Tijuana the drummer (SERGIO ORRANTE)decided to go back to Durango and continue with his regular life as high school student.
They got a gig in a streep bar named Sans Souci in Tijuana, just in front of the well-known Mike's Bar. Then they got a chance at Mike's, where they became the main act, not only in Tijuana but in the whole Mexico-California border.
The Dug Dugs were the first group to sing covers and original songs in English, creating what would be known as La Onda Chicana, movement that would include bands like Bandido, Three Souls in my Mind (currently known as El Tri), Peace and Love, El Ritual, among others.
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Music of Mexico
The music of Mexico is very diverse and features a wide range of different musical styles. It has been influenced by a variety of cultures, most notably indigenous Mexican and European, since the Late Middle Ages...
rock group which started off in the early sixties as a high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
band called Xippos Rock, with members [ROBERTO MIRANDA] and [MOISES MUNOZ]]. In 1964 Xippos Rock began a road trip from Durango
Durango
Durango officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Durango is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is located in Northwest Mexico. With a population of 1,632,934, it has Mexico's second-lowest population density, after Baja...
to Tijuana
Tijuana
Tijuana is the largest city on the Baja California Peninsula and center of the Tijuana metropolitan area, part of the international San Diego–Tijuana metropolitan area. An industrial and financial center of Mexico, Tijuana exerts a strong influence on economics, education, culture, art, and politics...
and half way through the trip,in the city of CIUDAD OBREGON SON, the name was changed to Los Dug Dug's, an abbreviation of the band's native city and state.
Once the band had arrived at Tijuana they commenced there ascent of Mexican Rock, soon landing a regular gig at Mike's Bar, where they firmly established their reputation. At this time they also did some gigs across the border in the USA where they picked up the latest sounds to take back to Mexico with them. In this way they brought The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
' music to Mexico, being the first band to play their songs in Mexico. At the same time they became the first band in Mexico to sing their own songs, as well as the songs of other bands in English, thus breaking what had been a rule in Mexican rock up till then.
Early years
In 1960 a seven-member rock and roll band known as Xippos Rock was formed by several high school kids in the city of Durango in the state of Durango. The band was formed by two friends from high school, Roberto Miranda AND Moises Munoz. Miranda was the lead guitar and Munoz was the bass player. While studying in he university of their home town, Durango, in the center of Mexico, after a while they invited Armando Nava, they always see him carrying a guitar in his bike so they talked to him to join the band. Nava had a cousin JORGE LUJAN that was very close to him and Nava teach him how to play the guitar , then he was invited to the play in the band, after a while SERGIO ORRANTE, the drummer, join the band,in a few months FRANCISCO ALCALDE join the band as a singer,at the very last moment JORGE DE LA TORRE join the band as a second singer,they did not have electric guitars, neither drums, but play with acoustic guitars with pick ups home made pick ups and as drums they used a still chair, they even play at a local radio station with a chair and acoustic guitars and some events in local places and theatres, like Ricardo Castro Theatre (known as Cine Principal back then) and in several parties. The songs they used to play in those early years were covers from Mexican rock bands such as LOS TEEN TOPS,LOS LOCOS DEL RITMO , LOS REBELDES DEL ROCK , ETC , ETC,Armando Nava's father was a sales person and wished to take his family to TIJUANA, Baja California, and as a salesman he used to travel a lot. One day, after a year or so, ARMANDO wanted to go back to DURANGO and try to take the band "XIPPOS ROCK " to TIJUANA. He talked to his mother, MRS NAVA , to let the band travel with them back to TIJUANA. At the time MR NAVA was in Tijuana. The line-up consisted of: ARMANDO NAVA (LEAD GUITAR), Jorge Lujan (vocals and guitar),JORGE DE LA TORRE (VOCALS), SERGIO ORRANTE (DRUMS), and MOISES MUNOZ (bass guitar).they started playing in mazatlan,in OBREGON SONORA, and they changed their name to LOS DUGDUGS, and decided to continue their journey all the way up to Tijuana, while after two months in Tijuana the drummer (SERGIO ORRANTE)decided to go back to Durango and continue with his regular life as high school student.
They got a gig in a streep bar named Sans Souci in Tijuana, just in front of the well-known Mike's Bar. Then they got a chance at Mike's, where they became the main act, not only in Tijuana but in the whole Mexico-California border.
The Dug Dugs were the first group to sing covers and original songs in English, creating what would be known as La Onda Chicana, movement that would include bands like Bandido, Three Souls in my Mind (currently known as El Tri), Peace and Love, El Ritual, among others.
From Tijuana to Mexico City
After several months of success in Tijuana,ARMANDO NAVA HAD decided to move to Mexico City, where they started playing at EL HARLEM CAFE this places were called CAFES CANTANTES ,soon they moved to EL TRIP CAFE , after a while they moved again to HULLABALOO CAFE , They started making themselves a name in the biggest city of the world, and even members of other bands would go to their shows and get some ideas for their own, as Alex Lora (from El Tri) has recalled1. The success in Mexico city was so big that even TV stations asked them to perform and record songs for their shows, specially kids-oriented shows (they recorded Chicotito si, a kids song).In New York City
In early 1968 LOS DUG DUGS's moved to New York City, where they got a record some original songs at a local recording studio. Even ARMANDO NAVA recorded songs AS A SINGER with studio musicians. They had problems with the musicians' union, , so they decided to go back to Mexico City. Nevertheless, the experience they got in New York was so worth that it granted them a place AS THE NUMBER ONE BAND who started the mexican ROCK MOVEMENTSelected discography
- Dug Dug's (1971)
- Smog (1972)
- Cambia Cambia (1974)
- El Loco(1975)
- 15 Exitos (1985)
- Abre Tu Mente (1985)
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- Los Dug Dug's website
- Los Dug Dug's at MySpace
- 1 Alex Lora comments
- Interview with Armando Nava of the Dug Dug's The interview was conducted by journalist Ozaeta Ulysses on his radio program The International Cloaca