INTRODUCTION
Latin entertainers… like Ricky Martin and Marc Anthony… have achieved superstar status here in the U.S… and are helping Latin music gain a worldwide audience.

But for most Latin musicians in the United States, it's still tough to make it in the music business.

Brian Padden has the story of one Latin band in Miami, Florida that is taking a different approach to "making it big" in the USA.

NATURAL SOUND - BAND MUSIC

NARRATOR
Jorge Villamizar and his group, Los Bacilos, have a Latin sound that was born in the U.S.A.

NATURAL SOUND - BAND MUSIC

JORGE VILLAMIZAR
"It's Miami. It's the U.S. The United States right now has all these Latin people mixing together."

NATURAL SOUND - BAND MUSIC

NARRATOR
With a Colombian lead singer, a Brazilian bass player, and a Puerto Rican drummer, Los Bacilos' music reflects the mix of Latin culture in America. Last year, the band's unique sound attracted little attention outside of the Miami Beach club scene.

JORGE VILLAMIZAR
"We play a little bit too ethnically for the taste of the Latin mass of the United States.

Two years ago when Ricky Martin exploded on that, there was a boom in Latin music. American music sang in Spanish. Jennifer Lopez, who doesn't even speak Spanish properly…. The Hispanic is a very -- there's too many things. We are a mess."

NARRATOR
But their strategy for success was about to change.

JORGE VILLAMIZAR
"This is the number one girl-watching spot in the world according to Playboy magazine."

NARRATOR
News of Los Bacilos' growing popularity on the local scene came to the attention of one of the top Latin music managers in Miami, Rosa LaGarrigue with RLM International.

ROSA LAGARRIGUE
"The boys are great. I think they have a great future and we are going to work with them."

NARRATOR
Under Rosa's guidance, the band began to learn the promotional side of the business, including posing for publicity pictures.

NATURAL SOUND - BAND MUSIC

PHOTOGRAPHER
"Jorge, work with me just a little bit."

JORGE VILLAMIZAR
"I've learned a lesson that I think anyone can apply. When someone takes a picture of you, put away your humbleness or modesty. Just for that second of the picture, think you are Rudolfo Valentino, smile for the camera, look nice."

NARRATOR
And rather than wait for the U.S. market to take notice, Los Bacilos went on a long road trip to Latin America, where they played to huge crowds. A year later, Los Bacilos are back in Miami. Another international tour is planned for this summer. For Jorge, the demanding schedule and the extended travel are taking a personal toll.

JORGE VILLAMIZAR
"My wife isn't so thrilled when I tell her, 'Hey I got, I just got a two month tour of Spain in the summer.' I mean anyone who knows Spain in the summer, knows that any wife wouldn't be too happy to have her husband go there."

NARRATOR
Despite the personal sacrifice, Los Bacilos are finding success by exporting their talents. In Colombia, the band has become one of the most popular musical groups on the radio. And if Los Bacilos' international fame continues to grow, the U.S. music industry just might take notice, and this Miami band could become the next hot Latin "import" on the American music scene.

In Miami, Florida, Brian Padden, VOA-TV.

For more information on Los Bacilos, see:
Los Bacilos - http://www.bacilos.com/