Raul Malo, the frontman and co-founder of the mavericks, died Monday at 60 following a battle with cancer. The golden-voiced singer was revered by fans and fellow artists for both his songwriting and extraordinary pipes, and he was honored, in absentia, with the American Eagle Award from the National Music Council of the United States during a tribute show on Friday in Nashville.
At the midpoint of the concert, which featured Malo’s band the Mavericks and guest vocalists like Jim Lauderdale, Rodney Crowell, and Maggie Rose, Malo was presented with the American Eagle Award, which recognized his “lifelong commitment to the preservation of the multilingual American music repertoire.” (Past recipients include Stephen Sondheim, Quincy Jones, and Kris Kristofferson.)
Malo was unable to attend but sent the following letter to be read to the audience at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium:
Music has been the guiding force of my entire life. it carried me from my Cuban American childhood in miami to stages across the world. It introduced me to my brothers, the Mavericks. It gave me a home in Nashville, Tennessee. It allowed me to raise my three amazing sons, Dino, Vincent, and Max, who are my greatest pride and joy.And it connected me to you fans whose love has sustained me through every chapter of this journey. This award is not just about accomplishments, it is about commitment. the commitment to creativity, to education, to keeping music alive in the hearts of people everywhere.
I’ve always believed that music is one of the most powerful bridges we have. It crosses cultures, politics, (and God, don’t we need that right now?) languages, and sometimes pain. In these past months, I’ve had to fight battles I’ve never imagined. But on the hardest of days,music remained my companion. Yoru letters, your stories of how a song helped you through loss, heartbreak, joy, those became our songs. You all carried me more than you know. To my family