SAN ANTONIO -- It's official. After months of rumors, La Mafia, one of Tejano music's top groups, is announcing its retirement after a 20-year career highlighted by two Grammys.

But the group is not disappearing overnight. Instead the band is taking a cue from another band that retired two years ago -- Bronco. Like Bronco, La Mafia also plans to record a farewell album and launch a year-long farewell tour.

Details are to be announced at news conference at 2 p.m. Dec. 3 in Houston.

But music industry sources say the breakup comes in part because lead singer Oscar de La Rosa is tired of touring and now considers performing more work that fun. De La Rosa is reportedly also considering moving to Miami and perhaps start a Latin pop career.

According to a group spokesman, the band will play 20-40 dates in the United States and Mexico in 1999.

Ray Martinez, label manager at Sony Discos here, said La Mafia is due by contract, to produce one more album: "I expect it to be recorded and released by September," said Martinez. "All they have is one single so far, and we have no name for it yet."

More details to come in an updated news report Thursday.

WebJefe:
I will like to add that Oscar said on Univision's show "El Gordo y La Flaca", that after 20 yrs of playing with the La Mafia, since the age of 12, he is ready to kick back for awhile with his family. Even though there has been problems with some members of the group, they are all still friends and respect each others decisions for the split up. After completing their last CD required on their contract with Sony Discos, Oscar plans to move to Miami and possibly go solo but with a completely different style of music from La Mafia's.

(Ramiro Burr is a music reporter for the San Antonio Express-News and correspondent for Billboard. Burr is also the author of the forthcoming book "The Billboard Guide to Tejano and regional/Mexican Music," due April 1999 on Billboard Books. Burr can be reached at 1-800-555-1551, ext 3429 or through e- mail at rburr@express-news.net)