Authority control databases: Artists
Authority control databases: Artists  |
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Hotdog | |
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| Origin | Manila, Philippines |
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| Labels | |
| Members | Roy Sadicon Lehi Rebosura Roy Rico Pangilinan Junno delos Santos Jeboy Galvez Glen Mapue Melissa Mel |
| Past members | Rene Garcia† Ella del Rosario Ramon "Mon" Torralba Tito del Rosario Dennis Garcia† Roy Diaz de Rivera Lorrie Ilustre Jess Garcia Rene Enriquez Gavin Zerby Odette Quesada Andy Caberte Zsazsa Padilla Maso Diez Gina Montes Rita Trinidad Joy Reyes Nadia Moore Elaine Evangelista Jun Alañon, Mon Alañon Milla Poblete Arthur Ritona Tony Cortez |
Hotdog, currently performing as Sound of Manila, is a Filipino band formed by brothers Dennis and Rene Garcia that achieved fame in the Philippines during the mid-1970s.[1][2] Their first album, Unang Kagat,[3] was released in 1974[2] by Villar Records.[4] The album led to the 1975 movie of the same name, also starring the band.[1] The band was credited by local journalists as a major influence on and leading exponent of the Manila Sound, a musical genre popular during that period.[5][6]
The original band members included Dennis Garcia, Lorrie Ilustre, Rene Garcia, and Ramon Torralba, who were buddies at La Salle Green Hills. The brothers Dennis and Rene Garcia were members of Redfox, a mainstay band which performed at Third Eye in Manila.[7] They eventually formed the new band which they named Hotdog and invited Ella del Rosario of Assumption Convent as their female solo vocalist.[8]
At a time when Filipino music was hardly favored and practically in limbo, the band springboarded Filipino music and started a revolution that we know today as Original Pinoy Music.[9] It was during the '70s that the local music industry was topped by foreign music playing disco and funk sounds. Most local artists would imitate these foreign tunes in the hopes of becoming visible. However, when Ella del Rosario, Dennis Garcia, Rene Garcia, Ramon Torralba (who composed the mega hit song "Pers Lab"), Lorrie Ilustre, Jess Garcia and Roy Diaz de Rivera first came together, the music landscape in the Philippines completely changed.
The band began the phenomenon known as the "Manila Sound", which gave the Filipino music a fresh, new, and authentic Pinoy sound that undeniably captured millions of Filipinos of all socio-economic classes—from the masa to the rich and high-class. Hotdog's music created songs with delightful rhythms intermixed with catchy lyrics in Tagalog and Taglish reflecting the situations and sentiments of ordinary Filipinos.
It was because of the Manila Sound, pioneered by the band, that Filipino music flourished from the mid-1970s onward. Many of the band's and Ella del Rosario's singles became hits and received gold and platinum status.
Amidst the success and fame that the band was garnering, Hotdog disbanded in the mid-'80s because the members wanted to pursue individual interests. Former vocalist Rita Trinidad is an entrepreneur, while Rene Garcia co-founded Bandang Pinoy Co-Op, an organization that helps aging and retired musicians develop new skills and find employment.[5]
The band reunited (without three original members del Rosario, Ilustre and Torralba) sometime in 2000 to perform various gigs. On June 17, 2014, the band held a benefit concert for the Tacloban victims of Typhoon Haiyan (Typhoon Yolanda).
Lead vocalist Rene Garcia died on September 2, 2018.[10] Dennis Garcia died on January 18, 2020.[11]
One of the band's biggest hits is the song "Bongga Ka, 'Day" (1979). With the song was an eponymous motion picture released, starring renowned cast members including Nora Aunor, Vilma Santos, Joseph Estrada, Fernando Poe Jr. and Boots Anson-Roa. Another one of their hit songs, "Annie Batungbakal", also produced a popular and successful movie.
The hits of Hotdog also sang of relevant social issues. "Manila" was a song dedicated to the millions of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) who are away from their families and long for the taste of their home city, Manila, Philippines.