There were two different variations of Los Orientales de Paramonga, or simp… Read Full Bio ↴There were two different variations of Los Orientales de Paramonga, or simply Los Orientales. One was led by Maximiliano (Maximo) Chávez, the other by Víctor Ramírez, who was originally a member of Chávez's group. Paramonga is a city in the north of Peru, 200 km from Lima.

The "original" Los Orientales were founded in 1968 by students of Colegio Miguel Grau De Paramonga. Band leader Maximo Chávez was a self-taught guitarist who couldn’t read music. The initial line-up likely consisted of Maximo Chávez (lead guitar), either Víctor Ramírez or Jamie Silva (rhythm guitar), Jose “Huachito” Castillo (bass), Daniel Guillen (drums, i.e., timbalero), Manuel Chirboga (huiro percussion) and Manuel “Cote” Duplex Dextre (congas). Early images of the band also show Victor “Yuyo” Ruiz.

All of these young men were active in the Paramonga music scene, and some may have even formed a part of Los Palmers (potentially an early line up of Los Orientales) that played more of a beat rock sound part of the "nueva ola" sound that was popular at the time. It is known that “Cote” Duplex actually played in the Paramongian band Los Yeltons. The band was influenced to go in the chicha (instrumental, guitar-driven cumbia) direction after hearing Enrique Delgado and his Los Destellos perform. The wah wah guitar effect sound was a defining characteristic of Los Orientales. After hearing its use in the music of Agusto Lucho Y Los Satelites, Chávez went to Lima to buy a similar effect pedal.

In 1970 the band’s sound caught the ear of Alberto Maravi, an executive at the Dinsa label. The band went into the studio to record their first single in 1970. Chávez selected “La Carcocha” for the A-side, but it was with the B-side “Lobos Al Escape”, with its iconic wah-wah sound, that the group scored their big hit.

When Maravi approached Chávez for a month long tour of Colombia, the label executive was likely frustrated to learn that the majority of the band’s members were minors (probably about 16 to 17 years old at the time), and would require parental permission to tour abroad. Less than enthusiastic about sending their children to a foreign country to perform rock concerts, the parents did not consent. Maravi proposed a solution: Chávez, at least five years senior than the others, would go with Paco Zambrano’s band the Ratones under the banner of Los Orientales. The tour was such a success, it was extended for an additional two weeks. Upon return to Peru Los Orientales would go on to receive a Disco De Oro (Gold Record) from Colombia, in addition to awards in Peru, Mexico and Venezuela.

Things start to get a bit murky around 1971. Maravi founded Infopesa records in early 1971, after breaking with his former partner Jorge Botteri at Dinsa. Chávez's Los Orientales were under contract with Dinsa so they continued to release singles on the label even after Maravi left to Infopesa. According to Víctor Ramírez, in mid-1971 Chávez allowed the rights of the group over to himself. This may have been in view of contractual issues, and the group wanted to record new music with members who were older and more established musicians. Víctor Ramírez then shopped the group around and possibly received a more lucrative deal from Sono Radio. Along the way he likely burned a bridge with Chávez and Maravi.

Around this same time Chávez recorded under the name Macuito for Infopesa. This was perhaps precipitated by a falling out between Ramírez and Chávez, as well as Chávez’s contractual obligations to Dinsa which would have precluded using the name Los Orientales to record for Infopesa at the time. In 1972 Victor Ramirez's Los Orientales released their first album on Sono Radio. Technically, Víctor Ramírez's band is credited as "Conjunto Tropical Los Orientales De Paramonga", whereas, Chávez’s band on Dinsa is "Los Orientales".

The line-up of Ramírez's group was: Víctor Ramírez (lead guitar), Carlos Ramírez (rhythm guitar), Severino Rino Ramírez (bass), Evert Rosales (timbales), Manuel Mañuco Rea (tumbas) and the fifth one, Victor Rojas (Seaweed), augmented by additional artists.

Maximiliano Chávez's recording career fizzled out in the mid to late 1970s, and he went on to drive a mototaxi in Paramonga, which was ultimately the cause of his death in May of 2012. He suffered a tramautic brain injury when his mototaxi collided with another mototaxi driven by a 15 year old who had no registration. He was 65.

Víctor Ramírez's group continued recording, releasing two more singles and a mini album on Sono Radio. He went on to record under the Los Orientales moniker for the Difa label and the cumbia/chicha label Horoscopo well into the 1980s. Ramírez now lives in Italy.

Selected album discography

Maximiliano Chávez's group
- Maximiliano Chávez y Los Orientales De Paramonga - Los Orientales De Paramonga (Dinsa, 1971)
- Maximiliano Chávez y Los Orientales De Paramonga - Fiesta En Oriente (Infopesa, 1974; Vampi Soul, 2019)
- Los Orientales De Paramonga Y Tito Chicoma ‎– Baile Bacanisimo (Caliente, year unknown)
- Los Orientales de Paramonga (compilation, 2017)

Víctor Ramírez's group
- Con Sabor Tropical (Sono Radio, 1972)
- ¡Tremendo Ritmo! Con Los Orientales De Paramonga (Sono Radio, 1973)
- Lo Fuerte Del Gua Gua (Difa, 1981)