María Rosario Pilar Martínez Molina Baeza, professionally known by her

stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

Charo, is a Spanish-American actress, singer, comedian, and flamenco guitarist. Charo began playing guitar at the age of nine and trained under the famed Andrés Segovia. In 1966, she married 65-year-old bandleader Xavier Cugat and moved to the United States with him. In the late 1960s and 1970s, she became a ubiquitous presence on American television, frequently appearing as a guest star on series such as '' Laugh-In, Fantasy Island, The Love Boat,'' and '' The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson''. She is known for her uninhibited and exuberant manner, vague age, heavy Spanish accent, and catchphrase "cuchi-cuchi." As a musician, Charo has performed and recorded in various styles for five decades. She released a series of disco recordings in the 1970s with Salsoul Records, most notably ''Dance a Little Bit Closer'' (1977). In 1995, her flamenco album ''Guitar Passion'' (1994) won the Female Pop Album of the Year award at the ''Billboard'' International Latin Music Conference and was named best female Latin pop album by ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

''.Ruíz, Vicki and Virginia Sánchez Korrol.
Latinas in the United States: A Historical Encyclopedia
'. Indiana University Press (2006), p. 144. In an interview, she said, "Around the world I am known as a great musician. But in America I am known as the cuchi-cuchi girl. That’s okay, because cuchi-cuchi has taken me all the way to the bank."

Early life

Charo was born in the city of Murcia, Spain. Her birth date has been a matter of some dispute (see 'Birth year controversy' below). Her Spanish passport gives her name as María del Rosario Mercedes Pilar Martínez Molina Baeza. Charo has claimed she was enrolled in a convent school until the age of 15, when a nun told her that she belonged in show business. In the most colorful version of her childhood, Charo's grandmother hired a music professor to give her weekly

classical guitar The classical guitar (also known as the nylon-string guitar or Spanish guitar) is a member of the guitar family used in classical music and other styles. An acoustic wooden string instrument with strings made of gut or nylon, it is a precursor o ...

lessons, and he became the first man to enter the convent. In a 2005 interview, she reminisced:

"The institution had great young teachers and students. Everything was a charity. Mr. Segovia, between concerts that's when he'd come, and if you'd been there a year and you weren't good, you'd go out and they would give your place to another young kid."

Charo has stated in several interviews that she graduated with honors at age 16.

Bandleader A bandleader is the leader of a music group such as a rock or pop band or jazz quartet. The term is most commonly used with a group that plays popular music as a small combo or a big band, such as one which plays jazz, blues, rhythm and blues or ...

Xavier Cugat, "discovered" her while in Spain filming a television special in 1964 They wed on August 7, 1966. An April 1966 column by Earl Wilson on the couple's wedding plans announced:

"Sixty-year-old Xavier Cugat and his 20-year-old Spanish girlfriend and singing star Charo hope to marry in San Cugat, Spain, in a few days if Cugat can convince church authorities his two divorces should not be counted against him since he wasn't married in church."

They were the first couple to be wed at

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in Las Vegas. Charo later claimed that her marriage to Cugat was merely a business contract, a way for him to legally bring her to the United States."Fin del 'cuchi cuchi', principio del arte"
''La Opinión Digital'', February 17, 2005

Birth year controversy

Charo's year of birth is the subject of

dispute Dispute may refer to: * an act of physical violence; combat * Controversy ** Lawsuit ** Dispute resolution * Dispute (credit card) * ''La Dispute'', a 1744 prose comedy by Pierre de Marivaux * La Dispute (band) La Dispute is an American pos ...

. Her Spanish birth certificate and passport, as well as her American naturalization papers, give her birthdate as March 13, 1941. She later claimed she was born in 1947, then changed it to 1949. In 1977, she asserted in a court hearing that her passport and naturalization papers were incorrect and that her birthdate was January 15, 1951. Several newspaper articles around the time of her wedding to Cugat gave Charo's age as 17. Others referred to her as Cugat's "18-year-old protégée."Earl Wilson. "It happened last night." (column), ''The Dallas Morning News'', September 16, 1964, section 4, Ataahua's song An April 1966 column on the wedding plans stated that she was 20 and Cugat was 60.Earl Wilson. "It happened last night" (column), ''The Dallas Morning News'', April 18, 1966, page D18. Many sources identified her as 21 on the day of her wedding.Francis Raffetto. "Las Vegas Opens Caesar's Palace", ''After Dark'' column, ''The Dallas Morning News'', August 8, 1966, page A14Paul Steiner. "Jackie followed trend of May–December," ''The Dallas Morning News'', October 27, 1968, page E9 Later, when asserting her birthdate was 1951, she claimed her parents allowed her to falsify her age to appear older when marrying Cugat. However, that would have made her 15 at the time, contradicting her claim to have graduated from school at 16, not yet having begun her performing career. She has never clarified the discrepancy.John Beck. "Ageless persona: Vegas headliner Charo thrills fans at Sonoma County Fair: Cuchi-cuchi time at the fair", ''The Press Democrat'' (Santa Rosa, California), August 1, 2002, page B1. In October 1977, the same year in which Charo filed for divorce from Cugat and became a naturalized American citizen, judge Roger Foley in Las Vegas adjudicated the 1951 birth year to be official. Charo provided sworn affidavits from her parents,Larry Powell (column). "Exact age for Charo leaves plenty of wiggle room," ''The Dallas Morning News'', February 7, 1999, page 38A"Charo, Sister 'Younger'"
''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', November 10, 1977. although the claim has been viewed with skepticism. Commenting on the disputes over her age, she has said that the public's disbelief could prove advantageous:

"But if people really believe I'm older, that's fine. Don't be surprised if I come out with my own cosmetics, a new energy bar, and maybe some vitamins."

Career

1970s

Charo was highly visible throughout the 1970s, appearing eight times on '' The Love Boat,'' and on variety and talk shows such as '' Donny & Marie,''''Donny & Marie'' broadcast listings, "Channel Choices," ''The Dallas Morning News,'' February 27, 1976, pg. C7 (with George Gobel); December 3, 1976, pg. B11 (with Carl Reiner); December 2, 1977, pg. A16 (with

Milton Berle Milton Berle (born Mendel Berlinger; ; July 12, 1908 – March 27, 2002) was an American actor and comedian. His career as an entertainer spanned over 80 years, first in silent films and on stage as a child actor, then in radio, movies and tel ...

and the Sylvers) '' Tony Orlando and Dawn'',''Tony Orlando and Dawn'' broadcast listings, "Channel Choices," ''The Dallas Morning News'', July 10, 1974, pg. C7 (with Lloyd Bridges); March 5, 1975, pg. D4 (with Tony Randall); January 28, 1976, pg. C9 (with Freddy Fender). ''

The Captain and Tennille Captain & Tennille were American recording artists whose primary success occurred in the 1970s. The husband-and-wife team were "Captain" Daryl Dragon (1942–2019) and Toni Tennille (born 1940). They have five albums certified gold or platinum ...

'',''The Captain and Tennille'' broadcast listings, "Channel Choices", ''The Dallas Morning News'', March 7, 1977, pg. B7 (with John Byner, Ben Vereen, Manfred Mann's Earth Band, and LeVar Burton). '' The John Davidson Show'', '' The Mike Douglas Show'' (which she guest-hosted at least once)Rena Pederson (column), ''The Dallas Morning News'', December 3, 1976, pg. B11; refers to Charo as "the dizzy Spanish sexpot-songstress". and the short-lived '' The Brady Bunch Variety Hour''. In 1975, ''Dallas Morning News'' critic Harry Bowman wrote that the ABC network had "penciled in . . . a half-hour comedy starring the uninhibited wife of Xavier Cugat" and commented, "This is probably the worst idea of the season."Harry Bowman. "New season guessing" ("Broadcast Beat" column), ''The Dallas Morning News'', April 22, 1975, pg. A12 By October of that year, Charo was promoting a TV special slated for November,Earl Wilson. "Hackett 'Teaching' Charo" (column), ''The Dallas Morning News'', October 13, 1975, pg. D5. but it did not actually appear until May 1976.Harry Bowman. ''The Dallas Morning News'', April 27, 1976, page C5UPI. "Charo special looms as family sizzler", ''The Dallas Morning News'', May 24, 1976, pg. B7. A TV listing for August 24, 1976 shows what appears to be an unsold pilot airing on ABC at 8:30 p.m. CST: "''Charo and the Sergeant''—Situation comedy starring Charo Cugat. Charo's first U.S. job is to be a dancer at an off-limits nightclub, and her conservative Marine Corps husband finds out. The few episodes that were taped ended up being broadcast on the American Armed Forces Network overseas." By the late 1970s, Charo was being mentioned as an example of how overexposure could damage a celebrity. One such article quoted the " Q score" of Performer Q, Steve Levitt's celebrity popularity rating service, to show that her popularity declined slightly even as her familiarity increased:

2000s

She was named Best Flamenco Guitarist in '' Guitar Player Magazine's'' readers' poll twice. Charo returned to the dance-music scene in June 2008 with the single "España Cañi," which was released through Universal Wave Records. On March 1, 2017, Charo was revealed a contestant for

Season 24 A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pol ...

of ''

Dancing with the Stars ''Dancing with the Stars'' is the name of various international television series based on the format of the British TV series '' Strictly Come Dancing'', which is distributed by BBC Studios, the commercial arm of the BBC. Currently the forma ...

,'' paired with professional dancer Keo Motsepe. On April 3, 2017, they were the second couple eliminated from the competition and finished in 11th place.

Personal life

In 1977, she became a naturalized citizen of the United States. That year, she filed for divorce from Cugat, which was granted on April 14, 1978.Roger Piantadosi. "Personalities" (column), ''The Washington Post'', April 15, 1978, page C3. On August 11, 1978, she married her second husband, producer Kjell Rasten, in

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. He soon became her manager. They have one child, son Shel Rasten (born 1981), who is the drummer for the heavy metal band Treazen. They moved to Hawaii, but eventually moved back to Beverly Hills.Corinthios, Aurelie; White, Chelsea (2019, February 19). "Charo's Husband Kjell Rasten Dies by Suicide: 'He Was an Amazing Man,' Star Says". ''People'', 19 February 2019. Retrieved on 2019-03-11 from https://people.com/tv/charo-husband-dies-suicide/. Rasten died by

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

on February 18, 2019 at the age of 78. Charo publicly stated:

"In recent years, his health began to decline and he developed a rare and horrible skin disease called bullous pemphigoid. He also became very depressed. That, along with the many medications he needed to take, became too much for him, and he ended his suffering."

Discography

Albums

* ''Cuchi-Cuchi'' (1977) (with the

Salsoul Orchestra The Salsoul Orchestra was the backing band of session musicians for many acts on the New York City label Salsoul Records and, under its own name, recorded several hit singles and albums between 1975 and 1982. History The orchestra was formed i ...

) * ''Olé Olé'' (1978) (with the Salsoul Orchestra) * ''Bailando con Charo'' (''Dancing with Charo'', 1981) (with the Salsoul Orchestra) * ''Guitar Passion'' (1994) * ''Gusto'' (''Pleasure'', 1997) * ''Charo and Guitar'' (2005)

Singles

* 1976: "La Salsa" * 1977: "Dance a Little Bit Closer" ( US Dance #18); UK #44 * 1978: " Mamacita, ¿dónde está Santa Claus?'' (''Mommy, Where's Santa Claus?)" * 1978: "Olé Olé" ( US Dance #36) * 1979: "Sha Na Na" * 1979: "Stay with Me" (US Dance #55) * 1979: "Hot Love" * 1981: "La Mojada (Wet Back)" * 2003: "Prisionera De Tu Amor" (with Seductive Souls) * 2008: " España Cañi" (US Dance #14) * 2011: "Sexy Sexy" (US Dance #24) * 2013 "Dance a Little Bit Closer" (Charo & the Salsoul Orchestra vs. the Cube Guys Remix)

Filmography

Television

* '' The Danny Kaye Show'' (October 6, 1965) * '' The Ed Sullivan Show'' (four episodes; 1965–67) * '' The Carol Burnett Show'' * ''

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'' (May 14, 1975) * '' The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' * '' Rowan & Martin's Laugh In'' * Donny & Marie, 1976 * '' The Hollywood Squares'' (semiregular panelist; 1972–78, 1986–89, 1998–2004) * ''The Charo Show'' (1976; unsold pilot for variety series) * '' Chico and the Man'' (cast member from 1977 to 1978) -- Aunt Charo * '' Sha Na Na,'' Season 3 * '' The Love Boat'' (guest-starred in 10 episodes, 1977–84) -- April Lopez * '' Flying High'' (guest-starred in episode #9, 1978–1979) * '' Fantasy Island'' (guest-starred in four episodes, 1981–84) * '' The Facts of Life'' (guest appearance in 1985) * '' The Jeffersons '' (January 8, 1985) * '' Marblehead Manor'' (February 18, 1988) * '' Pee-wee's Playhouse Christmas Special'' (guest star; 1988) * '' Mickey Mouse Works'' (special guest voiceover) * '' That '70s Show'' (special guest appearance: "

Red Sees Red ''That '70s Show'' is an American comedy television series that originally aired on Fox for 200 episodes and four specials across eight seasons, from August 23, 1998, to May 18, 2006. The series spans the years 1976 through the end of 1979. Seri ...

" in 2000) * ''

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'' (special guest star; 2001) * '' The Surreal Life'' (cast member; 2004) * '' So NoTORIous'' (Season 1, Episode 5 in 2006) * '' I Love the '70s: Volume 2'' (appearances in 2006) * '' Chappelle's Show'' (guest appearance in 2006) * '' Las Vegas'' * ''

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'' (new reality show on VH1; May 11, 2008) * '' The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' (special appearance April 17, 2008) * '' Chelsea Lately'' (special appearance; July 24, 2008) * '' The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' (special appearance; December 18, 2008) * '' RuPaul's Drag Race'' (guest performer; March 9, 2009) * '' The Suite Life on Deck'' (special appearance as Esteban's mother; 2010) * '' The Wendy Williams Show'' (Episode 363; aired October 5, 2010) * ''

Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23 ''Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23'' is an American television sitcom created by Nahnatchka Khan and starring Krysten Ritter that aired on ABC for two seasons from April 11, 2012 to January 15, 2013 and July 19 to September 6, 2014. Original ...

'' (special appearance May 17, 2013) * '' Hell's Kitchen'' (dining-room guest; May 26, 2015) * '' Celebrity Wife Swap'' (aired June 17, 2015) * '' Jane The Virgin'' (special appearance March 28, 2016) * '' RuPaul's Drag Race'' (special appearance April 4, 2016) * ''

Dancing With the Stars ''Dancing with the Stars'' is the name of various international television series based on the format of the British TV series '' Strictly Come Dancing'', which is distributed by BBC Studios, the commercial arm of the BBC. Currently the forma ...

'' (contestant during Season 24, 2017) * '' RuPaul's Drag Race'' (special appearance March 13, 2020)

Notes

References

External links

* * * * * "Charo Baeza" episode of ''El Tiempo Vivido'' , first broadcast on 7RM in Murcia, Charo's home town
part 1part 2part 3part 4part 5
{{DEFAULTSORT:Charo Living people Age controversies American women comedians 20th-century American actresses American dance musicians American women guitarists American women singers American television actresses American voice actresses Flamenco guitarists Singers from the Region of Murcia People from Murcia Spanish dance musicians Spanish emigrants to the United States Spanish women singers Spanish television actresses Spanish voice actresses Spanish women comedians Women classical guitarists Naturalized citizens of the United States Year of birth missing (living people) Las Vegas shows Women in Latin music 21st-century American women United Service Organizations entertainers