Archive for the ‘Early Years’ Category

Under the direction of Cuban-American frontman Raul Malo, the Mavericks came together in Miami, Florida, in 1989. Malo met bassist Robert Reynolds, a Kansas City native, at school and quickly formed a bond centering around their similar taste in music, including Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, legendary crooners who changed the sound of country music. Reynolds recruited his best friend Paul Deakin to play the drums. Deakin had spent some time working with some progressive rock bands, though nothing had stuck.The team soon found out the country scene in Miami didn’t immediately cater to emerging talent. Though there were plenty of country-catering bars in the area, they tended to book gigs with a primarily cover-filled playlists. Country audiences, they argued, came to hear tunes they knew, not new songs from upstart bands. The Mavericks decided to focus on playing rock clubs, a decision that would heavily influence their eclectic sound mix of rock and twang. (more…)