LàTeen Online - The History of Lowriders

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The History of Lowriders

While lowriders are a very popular obsession across the U.S. today, not many people know where or when the lowrider culture originated. This is the lowdown on how the lowrider culture has evolved since the 1930s.

The History of Lowriders

The lowdown on how the lowrider culture has evolved since the 1930s

While lowriders and lowrider shows are a very popular obsession across the U.S. today, not many people know where or when the lowrider culture originated. Many people believe that lowriders didn’t become popular until the 1970s and 1980s, but a more in-depth look into history reveals that lowriders have been around a lot longer than most people think.

Where it all Began

According to Lowrider Magazine, custom car historians trace the roots of lowriding way back to the 1930s, when you could find decked out Chevrolets lowered to a pavement-scraping heights throughout Mexican-American neighborhoods from L.A. to El Paso. Historians believe that these early types of custom car modifications, which were sometimes only temporarily done using sandbags, were actually an offshoot of the “zoot suit” fashion trend that originated in Harlem Jazz clubs and was popularized around the country in the 1930s and 1940s.

The zoot suit fashion trend not only inspired U.S.-born teenagers growing up in the burgeoning California car culture, it was also very popular among teenage immigrants growing up in the barrios and Mexican-American cultura. The slicked-back hair, sleek suits and custom cars that defined the zoot suit trend, helped these cultures converge into what one day would become the lowrider culture of today – a culture that’s expanded to include its own lowrider music, lowrider tattoos and new clothing trends for lowrider girls and boys.

After the economy picked up following World War II, interest in customizing cars continued to grow and shift from improving both their style and speed to primarily improving their style. The term “lowrider” finally took off in the 1950s and 1960s and the Mexican culture has continued to be on the forefront of lowrider car and lifestyle trends to this day.

Lowrider Shows and Tours

The best place to learn more about lowriders and see some of the most impressive first-hand is at the lowrider shows, tours and competitions that take place year round. Lowrider Magazine has a tour of their own that can be seen at selected cities across the U.S., and there are several other lowrider car and truck shows that take place all over the country from Salem, Oregon to Rockingham, North Carolina.

To see a detailed listing of upcoming lowrider shows for trucks, you can visit www.SportTruck.com. To see a full listing of lowrider shows featuring cars, trucks, motorcycles and more, visit www.lowridermagazine.com/events/index.html.

Lowrider Music & Lowrider Tattoos

Just like it was in the 1930s, the lowrider culture is not solely based on car, truck, motorcycle and even bicycle modifications – it has inspired a whole style of dress, lowrider music and lowrider tattoos. While a lot of lowrider art depicts actual cars and trucks, lowrider tattoos and clothing feature many other themes commonly associated with their culture, including lowrider show models, lowrider girls, pictures of saints and famous artists, roses and Aztec art. To see some examples of lowrider art and tattoos, you can visit www.LowRiderArte.com.

Lowrider music, which can be broadly defined as any music that is about the lowrider culture, is not only popular among lowriders themselves, but also among many other people who enjoy listening to rap and hip hop music. Some of the most popular lowrider music artists include Mr. Criminal, Mr. Capone-E and Malow Mac. You can even buy CDs that only feature lowrider songs, like “Lowrider Music” from Thump records.