The Mavericks Sing for Raul Malo at Emotional Nashville Tribute Show

An eclectic cast of country, roots, and Latin artists turned out to tribute Raul Malo at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium Friday night, Dec. 5, lifting up an ahead-of-his-time trailblazer as he battles cancer.

Diagnosed with an incurable form of brain cancer in September, the golden-voiced frontman of the Mavericks was honored with a joyful, yet deeply bittersweet three-hour sendup, as more than a dozen friends took the stage for the first of two sold-out nights. Dubbed Dance the Night Away: A 35-Year Musical Legacy Celebrating the Mavericks & Honoring Raul Malo, the show both highlighted the band’s unique contribution to country — infusing it with Latin influence — and awarded the American Eagle Award from the National Music Council of the United States to Malo.

Presented by chairman Charlie Saunders halfway through the night, the honor went to Malo for his “lifelong commitment to the preservation of the multilingual American music repertoire,” and for his work as a steadfast champion of music education. Previous winners include icons like Stephen Sondheim, Quincy Jones, Dizzy Gillispe, and Kris Kristofferson.

“The American Eagle Award is given to not only celebrate excellence, because a lot of people are excellent, especially in this business,” Saunders said onstage. “It goes to the people who were excellent and then went way beyond that in terms of making us proud to be Americans and representatives of the American culture.”

A Florida-born singer, songwriter, and guitarist with Cuban roots, Malo co-founded and led the Mavericks through their commercial heyday in the 1990s, evolving to fuse neo-traditional country, classic pop, and rock with Latin elements of Tex-Mex, afro-Cuban, and more — often with brassy horns and strutting, syncopated rhythms. The band’s sound foreshadowed the growing popularity of Latin influence in the American mainstream. Meanwhile, Malo’s vibrato vocal and magnetic stage presence won the band critical acclaim and fans across the world — plus the respect of their peers, many of whom were present at the Ryman Friday night.

Unfortunately, Malo was not. Rushed to a Nashville emergency room on Thursday, Malo sent a letter to fans. Longtime champion and label head Scott Borchetta read it for the crowd after praising a band who refused to follow any creative north star but their own.

“Music has been the guiding force of my entire life,” Malo wrote in part. “In these past months, I’ve had to fight battles I’ve never imagined. But on the hardest of days, music remained my companion. Your 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 band, the National Music Council, my musical collaborators, and every fan around the world: Thank you for giving my voice a place to live, even when my body cannot be the one delivering it. I accept this award with profound gratitude and with the hope that the music we create continues to inspire, to heal and bring people together.”

The Mavericks accepted the award on Malo’s behalf. During the show, veteran artists like Jeff Hanna (of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band), Jim Lauderdale, and Steve Earle took turns on stage, performing alongside the band in Malo’s absence. Each held him up as a friend.

“Raul, I love to make you laugh,” Lauderdale said after a performance of “There Goes My Heart.” “I can’t think of anything funny right now, but I am grateful to you. You’ve created one of the greatest bands ever. You’ve created one of the greatest batch of songs that’s ever been sung.”

Younger artists and admirers like Maggie Rose and JD McPherson were also on hand, and each honored Malo as a creative powerhouse while praising “one of the greatest live bands in the world.” All through the night the Mavericks put everything they had into each song – 10 members matching deep, hard grooves and dusky border-town twang with crisp horns and smooth swagger. People danced in the wings of the stage while fans roared in the Ryman’s pews, offering credence to the band’s title.

“In my humble opinion Raul Malo is the best singer Nashville has ever seen,” noted Rose. “So, if I’m shaking up here trying to cover his songs, you know why.”

Others like Asleep at the Wheel founder Ray Benson highlighted Malo’s rebellious side, sharing a hazy memory of a joint shared in a Grammy Awards bathroom. The band won one Grammy in its time (in 1995, Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for “Here Comes the Rain”), along with CMA and ACM Awards.

Meanwhile, Rodney Crowell delivered a personal message in tribute to Malo and the band, comparing their spirit to that of Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings. Malo was “willing to tell the powers that be … they could kiss his ass,” Crowell said.

Joyful musical highlights included Seth Walker kicking off the night with “Back in Your Arms Again,” while James Otto summoned Malo’s baritone with a soulful run through “Come Unto Me.” It culminated in a fiery accordion duel between current band member Percy Cardona and longtime Mavericks associate Michael Guerra. Jaime Hanna found a hard-rocking pocket on “Every Little Thing About You,” the solo song he and Malo co-wrote for Malo’s 2001 Today album, and Chuck Mead celebrated the Mavericks’ “hillbilly” side with Hank Williams’ “Hey Good Lookin’.”

Emily West, Jesse Dayton, Jimmie Vaughan, Joshua Ray Walker, and Javier Mendoza also appeared – all using Malo’s personal microphone.

“It’s everything I can do to keep this together,” guitarist Eddie Perez said of the emotional moment.

Founding bassist Robert Reynolds echoed that sentiment. He appeared during the award presentation to retell the story of meeting Malo in Miami, and starting the Mavericks. Reynolds said Malo’s vibrant energy changed the course of his life.

“I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Raul. And I never thought I’d have to be here doing it this way. That’s the hard part,” he said, nearly choking up. “We were kids thumbing through the history … of American music. And I meet this simpatico guy with a huge smile hair down to his [back], curly hair with a cowboy hat driving a Mercedes-Benz.”

In June of 2024, just after the release of the Mavericks’s Moon & Stars album, Malo was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer. He also underwent chemotherapy and surgery to remove a liver tumor, but insisted the Mavericks return to the road. They did so until September of 2025, when Malo shared news that his condition had worsened.

Known as LMD (or leptomeningeal disease, which he quipped on Instagram stands for “get this shit out of my head”), the cancer had spread to the membranes surrounding Malo’s brain and spinal cord. It’s a condition for which there is currently no cure, and the Mavericks canceled all concert dates — except these two at the Ryman.

After Reynolds learned of Malo’s illness, he traveled to Nashville to meet his old friend.

“I came down, I was not ready for this,” Reynolds said onstage. “But I walked in and I was greeted by that smile I had met 35 years earlier. He was still on fire for it. And he said, ‘I may not sing again, but I can produce records and write songs.’ That’s what we talked about.”

For the first time in years, Reynolds rejoined the Mavericks to finish the show. Grooving at center stage, back in his element, Reynolds tapped out the thumping rhythm to “All You Ever Do Is Bring Me Down.

The two-night stand is dubbed “Dance the Night Away” for a track off the band’s 1998 album, Trampoline, and Friday took on the song’s message as its mantra. It never became a hit on the U.S. charts but is now the Mavericks’ best streamer, and a prime example of their singular style. With a shuffling samba rhythm and brassy blasts of joy, its lyrics lay out a dive-bar oasis filled with “senoritas who can sway,” calling on listeners to let their worries go. Performed as an ensemble, it became the show’s emotional climax, and a fitting send-off.

Perez capped the night as the band gathered, arm in arm. “Thank you so much. We are and always will be the Mavericks,” he said.

A portion of the night’s proceeds will benefit Stand Up to Cancer. Night two of the Mavericks’ Dance the Night Away will continue at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium on Saturday and, like Friday’s show, will stream on Nugs.net.