Editing Los Lobos (section)

===1980–88: ''How Will the Wolf Survive?'' and commercial success===
The band's first noteworthy public appearance occurred in 1980 at the [[Olympic Auditorium]] in [[Los Angeles]], when they were hired by [[David Ferguson (impresario)|David Ferguson]] and CD Presents to open for [[Public Image Ltd.]] On September 28, 1983, the band released an [[extended play]] entitled ''[[...And a Time to Dance]]'', which was well received by critics but sold only about 50,000 copies. Slash Records/Warner Bros Records was not confident enough in Los Lobos to release a standard 10-song LP. So they released a 7-song debut LP. Seven months after the release, the group won a Grammy Award for Best Mexican American Song in 1984<ref name="Wolfrolling">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-best-albums-of-the-eighties-20110418/los-lobos-how-will-the-wolf-survive-19691231|title=100 Best Albums of the Eighties - Los Lobos: How Will the Wolf Survive?|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=November 16, 1989|access-date=April 1, 2012}}</ref> However, the sales of the EP earned the group enough money to purchase a [[Dodge]] van, enabling the band to tour throughout the United States for the first time.<ref name="Wolfrolling"/> Los Lobos returned to the studio in the summer of 1984 to record its first major-label album, ''[[How Will the Wolf Survive?]]''<ref name="Allmusic">{{cite web|url=http://allmusic.com/artist/los-lobos-p99039/biography|title=Los Lobos - Biography|last=Erlewine|first=Stephen Thomas|work=[[AllMusic]]|publisher=Rovi Corporation|access-date=April 1, 2012}}</ref> The album's title and the title song were inspired by a ''[[National Geographic (magazine)|National Geographic]]'' article entitled "Where Can the Wolf Survive," which the band members related to their own struggle to gain success in the United States while maintaining their Mexican roots.<ref name="Wolfrolling"/>

Los Lobos were exposed to Rock and Roll audiences when they opened for [[The Clash]], a punk group, and they later opened for a Los Angeles band [[the Blasters]], with influences in rhythm and blues and rockabilly.<ref name="Lipsitz">{{Cite journal|last=Lipsitz|first=George|date=1986|title=Cruising around the Historical Bloc: Postmodernism and Popular Music in East Los Angeles|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1354360|journal=Cultural Critique|issue=5|pages=157–177|doi=10.2307/1354360|jstor=1354360|issn=0882-4371}}</ref> Steve Berlin, who was born in Philadelphia, played saxophone for the Blasters then left the group to join Los Lobos. When he joined the band, Berlin spoke about his similar record collection to the other members of Los Lobos, where they shared loves for [[George Jones]] and [[Hank Williams]].<ref name="Lipsitz" />

The film ''[[Colors (film)|Colors]]'' includes "One Time, One Night" in the opening credits, although the song was not included on the soundtrack album. In 1986, members of Los Lobos appeared alongside [[Tomata du Plenty]] in the punk rock musical ''[[Population: 1]]''. In 1987, they released a second album, ''[[By the Light of the Moon (album)|By the Light of the Moon]]''. In the same year, they recorded some [[Ritchie Valens]] covers for the soundtrack of the film ''[[La Bamba (film)|La Bamba]]'', including the [[La Bamba (song)|title track]], which became a number one single for the band plus "Come On Let's Go" and "Donna" which also charted.
In 1988, they followed with another album, ''[[La pistola y el corazón]]'', featuring original and traditional Mexican songs. The album never peaked above #189 in the pop charts, but it did garner Los Lobos their second Grammy Award for Best Mexican American Album in 1990. Also in 1988 they contributed their cover of "[[I Wan'na Be Like You (The Monkey Song)]]", to the Disney tribute album ''[[Stay Awake: Various Interpretations of Music from Vintage Disney Films]]''.