Joe Cuba (April 22, 1931 – February 15, 2009), was an American

conga drum The conga, also known as tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed drum from Cuba. Congas are staved like barrels and classified into three types: quinto (lead drum, highest), tres dos or tres golpes (middle), and tumba or salidor (lowest). ...

mer of Puerto Rican descent widely regarded as the "Father of

Latin Boogaloo Boogaloo or bugalú (also: shing-a-ling, Latin boogaloo, Latin R&B) is a genre of Latin music and dance which was popular in the United States in the 1960s. Boogaloo originated in New York City mainly among teenage African Americans and Latinos ...

Early years

Joe Cuba (birth name: Gilberto Miguel Calderón) was born in

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater Ha ...

, New York, United States. Cuba's parents moved from

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...

to New York City in the late 1920s, and settled in

Spanish Harlem East Harlem, also known as Spanish Harlem or and historically known as Italian Harlem, is a neighborhood of Upper Manhattan, New York City, roughly encompassing the area north of the Upper East Side and bounded by 96th Street to the south, F ...

, a Latino community located in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

. Cuba was raised in an apartment building, where his father had become the owner of a

candy store A confectionery store (more commonly referred to as a sweet shop in the United Kingdom, a candy shop or candy store in North America, or a lolly shop in Australia and New Zealand) sells confectionery and the intended market is usually children. M ...

, located on the ground floor (street level floor). His father had organized a

stickball Stickball is a street game similar to baseball, usually formed as a pick-up game played in large cities in the Northeastern United States, especially New York City and Philadelphia. The equipment consists of a broom handle and a rubber ball, ...

club called the Young Devils. Stickball was the main sport activity of the neighborhood. After Cuba broke a leg he took up playing the conga and continued to practice with the conga between school and his free time. Eventually, he graduated from high school and joined a band.

Musical career

In 1950, when he was 19 years old, he played for Joe Panama and also for a group called La Alfarona X. The group soon disbanded and Cuba enrolled in college to study law. While at college he attended a concert in which

Tito Puente Ernest Anthony Puente Jr. (April 20, 1923 – June 1, 2000), commonly known as Tito Puente, was an American musician, songwriter, bandleader, and record producer of Puerto Rican descent. He is best known for dance-oriented mambo and Latin jazz ...

performed "Abaniquito". He went up to Puente and introduced himself as a student and fan, and soon they developed what was to become a lifetime friendship. This event motivated Cuba to organize his own band. In 1954, his agent recommended that he change the band's name from the José Calderón Sextet to the Joe Cuba Sextet, and the newly named Joe Cuba Sextet made their debut at the Stardust Ballroom. In 1962, after recording three albums for Mardi Gras Records, Cuba recorded his first album with the Joe Cuba Sextet called ''Steppin' Out'' featuring the hit "To Be With You", featuring the vocals of

Cheo Feliciano Cheo Feliciano (3 July 1935 – 17 April 2014) was a Puerto Rican singer and composer of salsa and bolero music. Feliciano was the owner of a recording company called "Coche Records". He was the first tropical singer to perform at the "Amira de ...

and Jimmy Sabater Sr. The band became popular in the New York Latin community. The lyrics to Cuba's music used a mixture of

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

and

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, becoming an important part of the Nuyorican Movement. In 1965, the Sextet got their first crossover hit with the Latin and soul fusion of " El Pito (I'll Never Go Back to Georgia)". The "I'll Never Go Back to Georgia" chant was taken from Dizzy Gillespie's intro to the seminal

Afro-Cuban Afro-Cubans or Black Cubans are Cubans of West African ancestry. The term ''Afro-Cuban'' can also refer to historical or cultural elements in Cuba thought to emanate from this community and the combining of native African and other cultural el ...

tune " Manteca." Sabater later revealed that "None of us had ever been to

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

." Along with fellow Nuyorican artists such as Ray Barretto and

Richie Ray Ricardo "Richie" Ray (born February 15, 1945) is a Nuyorican (a New York-born Puerto Rican) virtuoso pianist, singer, music arranger, composer and religious minister known for his success beginning in 1965 as part of the duo Richie Ray & Bobby ...

, Cuba was at the forefront of the developing Latin soul sound in New York, merging American R&B styles with Afro-Cuban instrumentation. Cuba was one of the key architects behind the emerging

Latin boogaloo Boogaloo or bugalú (also: shing-a-ling, Latin boogaloo, Latin R&B) is a genre of Latin music and dance which was popular in the United States in the 1960s. Boogaloo originated in New York City mainly among teenage African Americans and Latinos ...

sound, which became a popular and influential Latin style in the latter half of the 1960s. In 1966, his band scored a hit on the United States

Billboard Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streamin ...

with the song "Bang! Bang!". The record peaked at No. 63 on the Hot 100, and No. 21 on the R&B chart. The follow-up, "Oh Yeah", peaked at No. 62 on the Hot 100.

Later years and death

In April 1999, Joe Cuba was inducted into the

International Latin Music Hall of Fame The International Latin Music Hall of Fame (ILMHF) was an annual event established in 1999 and held in New York City to honor artists who have largely contributed to the Latin music genre. In addition to the induction into the Hall of Fame, the a ...

. In 2004, he was named Grand Marshal of the Puerto Rican Day Parade celebrated in

Yonkers, New York Yonkers () is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. Developed along the Hudson River, it is the third most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City and Buffalo. The population of Yonkers was 211,569 as en ...

. He was also the director of the Museum of La Salsa, located in

, New York. Joe Cuba died on February 15, 2009 in New York City, after being removed from life support. He had been hospitalized for a persistent bacterial infection. Cuba's remains were cremated at Woodhaven Cemetery.Sanchez, Laura N. Perez
"NYC salsa band leader Joe Cuba dies at 78"
USA Today, February 15, 2009 He is survived by his two adult children from his first wife (Nina, married in 1960)

Discography

As leader

* ''I Tried To Dance All Night'' (1956) * ''Mardi Gras Music For Dancing Vol. 1'' (1956) * ''Cha Cha Chá'' (1957) * ''Mardi Gras Music For Dancing Vol. 2'' (1958) * ''Mardi Gras Music For Dancing Vol. 3'' (1959) * ''Brava pachanga'' (1959) * ''Merengue loco'' (1961) * ''Joe Cuba'' (1961) * ''To Be With You'' (1962) * ''Steppin' Out'' (1962) * ''Cha Cha Chás Soothe The Savage Beast'' (1962) * ''Diggin' The Most'' (1963) * ''Vagabundeando (Hangin' Out)'' (1963) * ''Comin' at You'' (1964) * ''El Alma del Barrio: The Soul of Spanish Harlem'' (1964) * ''Breakin' Out'' (1965) * ''Bailadores'' (1965) * ''Red, Hot and Cha Cha Chá'' (1965) * ''We Must Be Doing Something Right!'' (1966) * ''Bang Bang'' (1967) * ''The Velvet Voice of Jimmy Sabater'' (1967) * ''My Man Speedy'' (1968) * ''Recuerdos de mi querido Barrio'' (1971) * ''Bustin' Out'' (1972) * ''Hecho y Derecho (Doing it Right)'' (1973) * ''Cocinando la Salsa (Cookin' The Sauce)'' (1976) * ''El Pirata del Caribe (The Caribbean Pirate)'' (1979) * ''Steppin' Out... Again!'' (1995) * ''Salsa y Bembé'' (1998)

Compilations

*''Greatest Hits'' (2009) *''El Alcalde del Barrio'' (2010) *''The Best of Joe Cuba'' (Lo Mejor de Joe Cuba) - Fania Original (Remastered) (2010) *''Anthology'' (2012)

Notes

References

External links

Living Memories of Joe Cuba
*
The Latin boogaloo’s history, impact and short-lived popularity are explored in the documentary We Like It Like That
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cuba, Joe 1931 births 2009 deaths Infectious disease deaths in New York (state) American people of Puerto Rican descent Musicians from New York City Conga players Salsa percussionists 20th-century American drummers American male drummers 20th-century American male musicians People from East Harlem