Luis Cardenas is an iconic Latin-American drummer who achieved considerable popularity in the late 1980s with both solo work and as a member of the rock band Renegade. Luis/Renegade History edit: Cardenas "jammed" with his first band at the age of six in East Los Angeles, replicating War's "Low Rider" with uncanny accuracy. A drive-by shooting is rumored to have ended the jam, a fact Cardenas has neither confirmed nor denied. He could be found at family owned clubs sitting in with bands thrice his age, stunning audiences with amazing talent for such a young boy. Cardenas was the highlight of several talent shows through his elementary and junior high school years. Luis later played with a local band called The Bit at parties and school dances. Renegade was formed by Cardenas and the band's manager/producer Kim Richards and were unusual in being ethnic Hispanics playing rock music. Deney Terrio, host of Dance Fever introduced Renegade in what is believed to be their first national television appearance as being from "Whittier, California". Building a local following and subsequently winning a record contract, the band released the albums "Rock n' Roll Crazy", "Renegade II - On The Run", "Nuns On Wheels" and "Renegade Live". The band sold well in Mexico, Canada, Japan, United Kingdom and locally in California, but did not enjoy the same level of success throughout the USA as they did internationally. In the United States, the band was widely viewed as teen idols, appearing in Tiger Beat, 16 Magazine, BOP Magazine and television programs, such as Dance Fever, which often overshadowed their musical prowess. The band was successful enough in the United States, to headline music festivals with bands such as 38 Special, Foreigner, Journey and Night Ranger. Renegade toured throughout the world in their own Learjet, and was popular enough in the late 1980s to be asked by Kenny Rogers to appear on the Texas-New Mexico Border with Lionel Richie and Lee Greenwood to support Rogers' Hands Across America effort. Renegade was the Saturday night headline attraction for the Los Angeles Street Scene Festival in both 1985 and 1986, with audiences of 150,000 in attendance. In 1990, the band was featured in a 98 minute television special aired on MTV internationally, entitled "Renegade MTV Special." Cardenas reprises his original Let It Out drum solo during the MTV Special, finally committing his masterful performance to a visual experience. The band was honored in August 2001 at a David Hasselhoff hosted event at the Conga Room, in Los Angeles for record sales in excess of 30 million units worldwide. Luis Cardenas Solo Projects edit: Cardenas personally achieved additional fame in the U.S., Japan, Canada, Mexico, and especially throughout Europe, where he participated in a TV show resulting from his having broken the world record for having the world's largest drumkit, which had previously landed him in the Guinness Book of World Records. Ironically, Cardenas's solo efforts have helped overcome Renegade's original teen idol image in the U.S. for that of a highly regarded musical unit. Unlike many drummers of the 1980s, Cardenas proved his drumming ability with the band's debut live track "Let It Out" in which he performs an intricate drum solo that comprises nearly a quarter of the song, ala Iron Butterfly's In Gadda Da Vida. After being inducted into the Guinness Book of World Records, Cardenas intentionally reduced the size of his drum kit to avoid being known for its size, rather than his personal skills as a drummer. Cardenas however released a solo album entitled "Animal Instinct," and the first single "Runaway," a cover of a Del Shannon original, became a worldwide hit. This was mainly due to a video that included cameos by Del Shannon and Donny Osmond, which received heavy rotation on MTV for many weeks, and ultimately became the most added video in history, with rotation as diverse as BET. Cardenas won a National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) Best Rock Video Grammy Nomination for his Runaway Video and it's documentary, The Making of Runaway. The Runaway video was an instant MTV favorite, propelling Cardenas into the Top Ten worldwide and added to the international cache of Renegade as a result of Cardenas's personal success. Further singles and unique videos followed, such as the Cardenas penned Hungry For Your Love, which included another captivating video with Phyllis Diller and Cardenas's pet tiger, Bundi. Although Hungry For Your Love shot up the charts worldwide, it did not match the initial success enjoyed by Runaway. Cardenas took time off from personal appearances between 1990 and 1993, but recorded two albums during that time that have not yet been released. On February 11, 2012, Cardenas's record label, Allied Artists Music Group announced the re-release of his Animal Instinct album on March 6, 2012. Renegade Hits The Studio Again edit: In 2000 Cardenas was once again with Renegade and the band was hopeful of regaining past glories. Renegade's past success, caused Ritmo Beat Magazine to refer to the band as the first Latin rock band, hailing them as Chicano rock-gods. However, the effort to rekindle the Renegade machine was hampered by differences between band members, ultimately sidelining Danny David Flores and moving Tony De La Rosa back to bass guitar. The band went on to perform as a three piece, now consisting of the original three core members. Activity on the band's official website appears to point to yet another re-emergence, announcing the release of a brand new DVD concert, entitled Renegade Live @ The House of Blues, that contains some older material, brand new material and a jam session with legendary guitarist Mike Pinera. According to the Internet Movie Database (IMDb), Allied Artists Pictures, a sister company of their record label, Allied Artists Music Group, scheduled release of Renegade Live @ The House of Blues for September 2009 in the United States, with worldwide distribution occurring later in the year. New Solo Projects for Luis Cardenas edit: Luis Cardenas has signed a new recording contract and is now working on a new album to be released in 2012. Cardenas's longtime record label, Allied Artists Music Group announced the March 6, 2012 re-release of his Animal Instinct CD as a collector's edition. The re-release of Animal Instinct is in anticipation of the release of a new double CD entitled "Generations" to be released later in 2012. The Generations CD will include Cardenas's two sons Nick and Zach Cardenas. When both sons were born, Cardenas put Pro-Mark drumsticks in their hands so they would be the first thing the boys felt. Whether a Renegade album will precede or follow the new Cardenas album is unknown at this time. Luis also recorded with Latter Reign and has three albums that will probably be released in the near future. Being well regarded as a singer, musician and drummer, Cardenas is a sought after studio musician and has produced several local bands, as well as writing material for various artists. Luis Cardenas Endorsements edit: Cardenas is an avowed Ludwig Drums endorser, having played Ludwig Drums since he received his first Ludwig Black Beauty snare drum at the age of two. In addition to Ludwig, Cardenas plays and endorses Paiste Cymbals and Pro-Mark Drum Sticks.

Source: Wikipedia

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