Louie Pérez

Louie Pérez is an American songwriter, percussionist, painter, prose writer and guitarist for the multiple Grammy Award-winning and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominated band Los Lobos. Pérez, as the group’s primary lyricist, is a keen observer of the human condition and his work has been showcased on every Los Lobos recording, beginning with “And A Time To Dance” (1983) and continuing through the band’s most recent album, Gate of Gold (2015). Pérez also co-wrote songs with his writing partner David Hidalgo for two critically acclaimed albums by Latin Playboys, their side project. Perez also wrote songs for Tony Kushner’s 1994 theatrical adaptation of Bertolt Brecht’s “The Good Person of Szechwan” at the La Jolla Playhouse in La Jolla California as well as co-writing the book for About Productions’ play “Evangeline, the Queen of Make Believe” which premiered at the Bootleg Theatre in Los Angeles.

His songs have been covered by many artists including Waylon Jennings, Jerry Garcia, and Robert Plant, His prose work has been published in the Los Angeles Times Magazine, LA Weekly and the New York arts journal BOMB, to name a few. Perez has also served as art director for a number of album packages including all of Los Lobos recordings to date.  On the Los Lobos boxed set, “El Cancionero: Más y Más,” Pérez was credited with Editorial Direction and Art Supervision; the set was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Boxed Recording Package in 2001.

As a visual artist, Pérez has shown his painting and sculpture since 1975 in many prominent galleries and museums including, The Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery, LACE (Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions), Plaza De La Raza-Los Angeles, El Museo Del Barrio-New York, San Antonio Museum of Art, Museo De Arte Moderno-Mexico City, The William Grant Still Art Center-Los Angeles, The Vincent Price Art Museum- East Los Angeles.