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.
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.
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