Fito Olivares - Biography
By J Poet
Fito Olivares is a sax player, singer, songwriter and bandleader from Ciudad, Camargo in Mexico. His given name was Rodolfo, and he was named after his father Rodolfo, Sr., which resulted in his family calling him the diminutive Rodolfito. His friends called him Fito and the nickname stuck. Rodolfo, Sr. encouraged Fito to play sax, but the musically omnivorous boy was soon teaching himself drums, piano, and bass. Fito loved cumbia, a Mexican brand of party music that’s distinct from the Columbian rhythm of the same name. He joined the band of Dueto Estrella, but was hired away by Tam y Tex, the band his brothers Jaime and Javier played in. Olivares was ambitious and convinced the band to move to Houston, Texas, where they began appearing as Fito Olivares y La Pura Sabrosura around 1977. They played an energetic kind of party music influenced by Dominican merengue and marked by the band’s tight musicianship and the sly, innuendo drenched songs Olivares composed. Three years after coming to Texas they were signed by Gil Records and made Mi Profesión (1980 Gil), which was an immediate hit in the Latino community.
La Pura Sabrosura started to hit the Top 10 of the Regional Mexican Charts with Zoologico Tropical (1988 Gil, 2007 FOG Sounds) with the hits "La Gallina,” “El Paso del Canguro” and “La Ranita” and Reinas y Brujas (1989 Gil, 2007 FSU), which included “Juana la Cubana” and “La Negra Catalina.” The title track of Aguita de Melon (1990 Gil) was another big hit. The band’s early chartbusters are collected on the double CD collection Para Ti... Nuestra Historia (2007 Univision.)
In the 90s, the band hit its commercial peak crossing over to the mainstream Latin charts with Cumbia Caliente Candita (1991 Gil,) El Mensajero (1993 Fonovisa), Negra Catalina (1994 Fonovisa), Tambores Y Sabor (1994 Fonovisa) with the Top 10 hits "Cupido Bandido” and "El Colesterol,” and La Sabrosura Continua (1996 Fonovisa).
The band moved to EMI for Con Amor Y con Sabor (1997 EMI International), A Gozar Con Sabrosura (1998 EMI International), and Esto Si Es Sabrosura (1999 EMI International). Most of the band’s albums from the 90s are out of print, but their hits have been collected on several compilations, the best being the 30 track Para Ti... Nuestra Historia (2007 Univision) and the single disc 25 Aniversario: Famosas y Sabrosas (2005 Univision) that gives you 10 tunes not included on the Historia collection.
