The band that recorded the 1973 funk hit “The Cisco Kid” was War.
The song appeared first on War’s 1972 album The World Is a Ghetto and became the group’s highest-charting Billboard Hot 100 single. It peaked at No. 2 in the United States in 1973, while reaching No. 1 in Canada and No. 5 on the U.S. R&B chart. Jerry Goldstein produced the recording, which was released by United Artists.
Its story follows Cisco and Pancho, characters from the 1950s television series The Cisco Kid. War turned that subject into a loose, groove-heavy funk-rock track, using recurring instrumental hooks played by combinations of saxophone, harmonica, flute, guitar, and rhythm section. Those changing phrases are a major part of the song’s distinctive sound.
A common mix-up is treating “The Cisco Kid” as a traditional Western theme or a solo recording. It was an original War performance, written by members of the band, and it became one of their signature songs alongside “Low Rider” and “Why Can’t We Be Friends?”