I can't claim he's a household name.
As a solo artist and the lead singer of the Mavericks, he was an incredible talent.
I have featured a few songs here on My Music Monday of either the band or him by his lonesome. His voice was just amazing. But so were his songwriting skills.
We were able to see him a few times - both on his own and with the band. Each time was amazing. No gimmicks, no stage extravaganza, just raw talent and that voice.
For those with a memory, Malo was one of the artists and subjects over which late blogger Birdie and I bonded. Should heaven exist, no doubt she greeted him.
A lazy man would be quick to compare Malo to Roy Orbison, which in a slight way I get. But that comparison is overlooking a lot that Malo had, which Orbison didn't - and not just the Hispanic background and influence.
Malo had a way with Hispanic music, but he could equally be compared as big band singer for the '40s, if you really went and sampled his solo stuff. But make no mistake, he was great with a full-on Mariachi band sound too.
He put out music with the Mavericks and did solo work. A holiday album, a quarantine album during Covid, full Spanish disks, and the man was no stranger to covers - and those were all over the place. All well executed, even if not always my taste.
Malo had colon cancer that metastasized to lungs and brain. When that happens, there is little that can be done, but even until two months ago he was planning a tour with the band. Wishful thinking perhaps, but it also might have kept him going for longer than planned. He was younger than I.
Raul Malo was not super famous for sure, but well respected in the music community. And almost a decade ago, my cousin had his artwork on one of the Maverick's releases.
There isn't one song I could use to encapsulate all of Malo's artistic qualities. So I'm just pulling something off one of his solo albums and using the song "Haunting Me" as a sample.
Song by: Raul Malo
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