It was a mutual fondness for obscure artists like Randy Newman and Ry Cooder that originally sparked drummer Louie Pérez and guitarist David Hidalgo’s musical relationship in 1973. But it wasn’t until the ’80s that the massive soundtrack cover of Ritchie Valens’ “La Bamba” catapulted them into the mainstream. More than 40 years, and 20 records, later, Los Lobos has cultivated an unmistakable legacy that has influenced a multitude of artists from Phish and the Grateful Dead to Ozomatli and Los Lonely Boys.
Friday 5/15. $37-40, 8pm. The Jefferson Theater, 110 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. 245-4980.