10/12/2025
Absolutely heartbreaking. On par with any of the greats of this generation. He was our Elvis, Orbison, and Sinatra... RIP to The Mavericks' Raul Malo... 💔🙏
“If people feel a sense of inclusive joy when they hear the Mavericks’ music, then I’ve done my job,” Raul Malo said to "The Tennessean" in 2024 as he reflected on his band’s legacy of making life-affirming music. Malo, whose operatic croon and songwriting anchored the Mavericks’ eclectic discography, died Monday, December 8, at the age of sixty following a 2024 cancer diagnosis.
Born Raul Francisco Martinez-Malo and raised by Cuban immigrant parents in Miami, Florida, Malo formed the Mavericks in 1989 after meeting Robert Reynolds. With their fascination for artists like Roy Orbison and Hank Williams, the group stood out in Miami’s rock-centric clubs.
The Mavericks signed with MCA in 1991 and released the album "From Hell to Paradise" in 1992, featuring a revved-up cover of Williams’s “Hey, Good Lookin’” that grazed the country charts. The band continued to refine its sound, deftly blending pop, country, and Tejano sounds while staging electrifying live shows. The 1994 album "What a Crying Shame" attained platinum sales, and 1995’s "Music for All Occasions" produced the hit singles “Here Comes the Rain” and “All You Ever Do Is Bring Me Down.” The group briefly disbanded after 1998’s "Trampoline," then reunited in 2003. In the interim, Malo sang with the Latin music collective Los Super Seven.
When the Mavericks took a longer hiatus in 2004, Malo released solo albums including "You’re Only Lonely" and "After Hours," finding a receptive community in the Americana scene. But the Mavericks weren’t done: the group reunited in 2011 and released the albums "In Time" and "Mono" on the Valory Music label. Subsequent releases, such as the covers project "Play the Hits" and the Spanish-language "En Español," were issued independently through the band’s label, Mono Mundo.
In 2024, the Mavericks released the album "Moon & Stars," featuring guest appearances by Maggie Rose and Sierra Ferrell. Shortly after the album’s release, Malo went public with his cancer diagnosis. The band was still planning to tour in 2025, but canceled dates when Malo’s health declined. In early December, friends and admirers from across the country and roots music spectrum came to the Ryman Auditorium to honor Malo with two nights of joyous performances joined by other members of the Mavericks. Performers included Steve Earle, Marty Stuart, Jim Lauderdale, Maggie Rose, Nikki Lane, Joshua Ray Walker, and many others.
