Formed in 1985 by singer songwriter Saúl Hernández, Caifanes quickly made the jump from playing clandestine underground rock clubs to the big stages of Mexico, U.S. and Latin America. In 1996 the band changed its name to Jaguares due to a legal dispute.
The band’s first album sold nearly 80,000 copies in 1987, without a radio hit or a big marketing campaign. These accomplishment stunned Mexico’s
music industry because it underscored a truth that thousands and thousands of kids already knew—rock music fans now had a voice through Saul’s lyrics.
Jaguares / Caifanes have released 10 albums, sold more that 15,000,000 and collaborated and/ or toured with many artists, including Morrisey, Stuart
Copeland, Adrian Belew, Don Was, The Rolling Stones, David Hidalgo (Los Lobos), Mark Isham, Billy Preston, Flaco Jiménez, Tigres del Norte, Juan Gabriel, La Internacional Sonora Santanera, Peter Gabriel, Live, Estopa, Red Hot Chili Peppers and many others. In 1997, Hernández even teamed up with legendary Algerian rai singer Cheb Khaled to record the bilingual Spanish-Arabic duet “Ki Kounti.”
As a songwriter, Hernández speaks across generations with songs that, whether they become radio hits or not, still take hold as part of the essential soundtracks to the lives of many, in Mexico and all over the world.