Joe Lopez is a Tejano musician and singer. He formed the band Mazz and his co-star, Jimmy Gonzales, in 1978. Later, Lopez began singing as an individual performer when Mazz disbanded.
Lopez was involved in a child abuse case and made to register as a sex offender. He has a net worth of approximately $12 million.
| Name | Jose Lopez (Joe Lopez) |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth: | August 28th, 1950 (71 years old) |
| Place of Birth: | Brownsville, Texas |
| Height: | 5 feet 8 inches (1.72 meters) |
| Profession: | Tejano singer, musician |
| Marital Status: | Divorced |
| Children: | 0 |
| Parents: | Antonio Lopez (father), Benita Lozano Lopez Duran (mother) |
| Net Worth Estimate: | $12 million. |
Net Worth
It is not known exactly how much Lopez is worth. However, research indicates that it is approximately $12 million.
Lopez’s earnings come from his time as the lead singer of Mazz. In 1978, Lopez founded the group with Jimmy Gonzales. During the mid-1980s, the beer company Coors signed a marketing contract with Mazz. This gave Mazz several marketing opportunities across America, which helped to elevate the band’s status.
Mazz toured much of southwest America and other states like California, Florida, and the Pacific. This helped to bring the band more fame, and they later became one of the Tejano musical acts to sell the most records.
Later, the band signed a record deal with CBS records and EMI Latin.
This led to EMI Latin certifying one of Lopez’s records as gold for selling 50,000 units. The same year, a different album sold 75,000 copies in America alone. Between 1978 and 1998, Lopez’s band released 28 albums.
However, in 2006, Lopez faced conviction for molesting a child and raping his then 13-year-old niece. The court found him guilty and sentenced Lopez to 20 years in jail. In 2017, Lopez became eligible for parole. He served 12 years of this sentence and was released in 2018. After his release, Lopez was forced to register as a sex offender and cannot use the internet.
Tejano star Joe Lopez receives approval for parole https://t.co/a0m5k0JcMd #RGV
— The Brownsville Herald (@BrownsvilleNews) January 9, 2017
Lopez attempted to return to the music scene after his release from prison. This included concerts in Fort Worth and Houston. However, several residents complained about Lopez’s appearances, so the organizers cancelled these. In 2022, Lopez eventually held his first comeback concert at the Alexander Convention Center in Cotulla, Texas.
Company
In 1978, Lopez founded the musical group Mazz with Jimmy Gonzalez. Lopez. A few years after founding the band, Mazz signed a marketing contract with the beer company Coors. This enabled the band to receive plenty of key marketing opportunities and gain recognition across the United States. Eventually, the band began touring across the south and the Southwestern United States.
Later, Mazz achieved success at the Tejano Music Awards as they received awards for Best Tejano Album, Showband of the Year, and Single of the Year. Lopez won the Male Vocalist of the Year award in 1983, 1989, 1991, and 1992. Mazz holds the record for winning the most awards for Single of the Year, having won four times.
Soon, Mazz became one of the most financially successful Tejano acts, selling approximately 50,000 copies of albums by 1986. They also succeeded across America when one of their singles topped the Billboard Latin music charts.
In 1988, CBS Records signed the band, and they released a single album.
In 1989, Mazz signed with EMI Latin and received even greater success. Their 1990 album No Te Olvidare topped the Billboard Regional Mexican Albums chart, staying at #2 for five continuous months. EMI Latin later certified this album as gold for selling 50,000 copies. A few months later, EMI Latin confirmed that this had been updated to 75,000 copies.
During the 1990s, Mazz became one of the most famous Tejano bands in the world as they released an album almost every year of the decade. In 1991, one of Mazz’s live albums, Una Noche Juntos: Live, was certified double platinum.
In 1998, the band parted ways, with Gonzalez and Lopez choosing to follow solo careers. However, Mazz continued to sell numerous records. In 2018, EMI Latin reported that four of Mazz’s albums had sold 100,000 copies each. These were Una Noche Juntos, Max Romanticos Que Nunca, No Te Olvidare and Para Nuestra Gente.
During Lopez’s time in jail, he wrote over 100 songs intending to release these once he left. He released his first album after his jail time, titled Love From the Heart, in 2022. Lopez has made attempts to tour in Texas and reformed Mazz.
After Lopez’s release, he formed his own company named “Mazz Joe Lopez Entertainment LLC.” Lopez has released merchandise through this company along with his musical endeavours. The company’s revenue is unknown.
Early life
Lopez was born on August 28th, 1950, in Brownsville, Texas. His parents were Benita Lozano Lopez Duran and Antonio Lopez. Benita worked as a housekeeper, although it also appears that she was an undocumented migrant.
Antonio was a veteran who fought in the Pacific for almost half a decade during World War Two. Lopez’s brothers are Lorenzo Lopez and Antonio Lopez. Antonio sadly died during a train accident.
Career
It is unclear when Lopez first entered the Tejano music scene. However, he formed the band Mazz in 1978 with his friend, Jimmy Gonzalez.
Mazz set itself apart from other Tejano musicians by incorporating rock ‘n’ roll aspects into their music. They also used the synthesiser as part of their musical style.
One of the early writers for Mazz was Luis Silva, who became one of the most famous Tejano songwriters. Silva penned the band’s early hits such as Olvidaré Tu Nombre, Otra Vez, and Laura Ya No Vive Aqui.
Eventually, the band signed a marketing deal with Coors and won several awards at the Tejano Music Awards. However, the band soon became infamous for their poor showmanship.
Many music fans considered Mazz the “bad boys” of the Tejano scene due to their lateness when arriving at shows.
Mazz continued to sweep several awards, including Album of the Year for their 1987 record titled Beyond. Lopez won several awards, such as Male Vocalist of the Year in 1983, 1989, 1991, and 1992.
He also won Male Entertainer of the Year in 1991 and 1992 while receiving several other nominations.
In 1998, the band split up, and Lopez decided to create his music. By the standards of Mazz, Lopez’s music was fairly unsuccessful. However, Mazz is still remembered today, with several tribute acts performing the band’s classic songs.
Career Highlights
- In 1978, created Mazz
- Signed marketing deal with Coors
- Began touring across America
- Won numerous awards at the Tejano Music Awards
- Became one of the biggest-selling Tejano musicians in the 1980s
- In 1988, signed with CBS Records
- In 1989, signed with EMI Latin
- In 1990, No Te Olvidare topped Billboard Regional Mexican Albums chart
- Band performed at RodeHouston for 14 years straight
- Mazz disbanded in 1998
- By 2018, 4 albums sold 100,000 copies each
Personal Life
Lopez was previously married to Tina Lopez. It is unknown how long the pair were together, but they have since divorced. They have no children together.
Lopez is the oldest of his two brothers, Lorenzo Lopez and Antonio Lopez. During Lopez’s time in prison, he frequently wrote letters to Lorenzo detailing how the allegations against him were false. Lorenzo also made public statements denying Lopez’s alleged crimes.
In 2006, Lopez was accused of raping his 13-year-old niece two years prior. She claims she stayed home one day after feeling sick and began watching a movie.
Lopez then assaulted her, claiming, “don’t tell anyone, or I’m going to have to kill myself.” The victim had a rape kit performed and later decided to press charges.
Lopez’s lawyer claimed that the story was a lie during the trial.
He also claimed that the victim made it up so she could see her boyfriend. However, it came to light that Lopez had assaulted two other underage girls before.
One of these included a 14-year-old girl with whom Lopez had a child. The jury found him guilty of all three charges.
Lopez spent 12 years in a Brazilian country jail until he was considered for parole. Ten of these years were spent in administrative segregation, as the judges believed that Lopez was at risk of harm from other inmates.
Lopez was forced to undertake a 9-month Sex Offender Education Program before being released in 2018.
Part of his release conditions includes no internet use, registering as a sex offender, and having no contact with children. Lopez can also not visit Harris County, the hometown of his victim.
In 2016, Lopez’s mother died at the age of 95.
Interesting Facts
- Lopez is a Virgo.
- Although Lopez was barred from visiting Harris County, the parole board allowed him to tour the area after his release. They modified the original parole conditions for employment purposes.
- Lopez titled his comeback tour after prison the ‘Freedom Tour.’
- In 2004, Mazz won a Grammy Award for Best Tejano Album. However, the award went to Lopez’s business partner, Jimmy Gonzalez, as Lopez had left the band.
- After Gonzalez’s death, the rights to the band’s name went to Lopez. However, several other individuals attempted to use it for themselves.
With the untimely passing of Jimmy Gonzalez of Grupo Mazz, Joe Lopez now has sole ownership of the groups name. However, many groups and individuals are trying to use the name prompting cease and desist letters from Lopez’s attorney. #RGV @KVEODGarcia pic.twitter.com/vzmLokmb9p
— Local23News (@kveotv23) August 8, 2018
Summary
Joe Lopez is the front-runner of the Tejano band Grupo Mazz. Mazz became one of the biggest-selling artists in the Tejano genre. Mazz’s albums topped Latin charts, and he won several Tejano Music Awards. However, he was imprisoned for 12 years for raping an underage girl and was released in 2018. Lopez has a net worth of approximately $12 million.