Raul Malo, the Cuban-American singer and co-founder of the Mavericks, is being remembered on what would have been his 61st birthday following his death from colon cancer in December 2025. As the band’s frontman for three decades, he helped make the Mavericks a distinctive force in 1990s country by blending country with rock and roll, jazz, Tejano and Cuban influences.

Born in Miami on 7 August 1965, Malo formed the Mavericks in 1989 with bassist Robert Reynolds, before the group secured a deal with MCA Nashville after building a local following. The band released 15 studio albums, placed 15 singles on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart and won a Grammy, two CMA awards and three ACM awards; their 1994 album What a Cryin’ Shame reached number six on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart.