Dámaso Pérez Prado (December 11, 1916 – September 14, 1989) was a Cuban bandleader, pianist, composer and arranger who popularized the

mambo Mambo most often refers to: *Mambo (music), a Cuban musical form *Mambo (dance), a dance corresponding to mambo music Mambo may also refer to: Music * Mambo section, a section in arrangements of some types of Afro-Caribbean music, particul ...

in the 1950s.''On Becoming Cuban: Identity, Nationality, and Culture'' Louis A. Pérez Jr. - 2012 "The origins of the new Cuban dance were variously attributed to Orestes López, Antonio Arcaño, Arsenio Rodríguez, and Israel “Cachao” López, but it was pianist Dámaso Pérez Prado's arrangements of the mambo, presented in a big, brassy ..." His

big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s and ...

adaptation of the

danzón-mambo The danzón-mambo (also known as ''danzón de nuevo ritmo'') is a subgenre of Cuban dance music that marked the transition from the classical danzόn to the mambo and the cha-cha-chá. It was also in the context of the danzón-mambo that the Cub ...

proved to be a worldwide success with hits such as " Mambo No. 5", earning him the nickname "The King of the Mambo". In 1955, Pérez Prado and his orchestra topped the charts in the US and UK with a mambo cover of Louiguy's " Cherry Pink (and Apple Blossom White)". He frequently made brief appearances in films, primarily of the rumberas genre, and his music was featured in films such as ''

La Dolce Vita ''La Dolce Vita'' (; Italian for 'the sweet life' or 'the good life'Kezich, 203) is a 1960 satirical comedy-drama film directed by Federico Fellini and written by Fellini, Ennio Flaiano, Tullio Pinelli, and Brunello Rondi. The film stars M ...

''. Pérez Prado began his career as pianist and arranger for the Sonora Matancera, an internationally successful dance music ensemble from his hometown of

Matanzas Matanzas (Cuban ; ) is the capital of the Cuban province of Matanzas Province, Matanzas. Known for its poets, culture, and Afro-American religions, Afro-Cuban folklore, it is located on the northern shore of the island of Cuba, on the Bay of Mat ...

. He later established his own group and made several recordings in

Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.María Luisa Landín), guaracha-mambo (with

Benny Moré Bartolomé Maximiliano Moré Gutiérrez (24 August 1919 – 19 February 1963), better known as Benny Moré (also spelled Beny Moré), was a Cuban singer, bandleader and songwriter. Due to his fluid tenor voice and his great expressivity, he was ...

) and two forms of instrumental mambo he created: mambo batiri and mambo kaen. The success of his 1949 recordings landed him a contract with

RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic ...

in the US, which led to a prolific career during the 1950s. His number 1 hit "Cherry Pink (and Apple Blossom White)" was followed by other charting singles, such as a cover of " Guaglione" and his own " Patricia", both released in 1958. Pérez Prado's popularity in the US began to decline in the 1960s with the advent of other Latin dance rhythms such as pachanga and, later,

boogaloo Boogaloo or bugalú (also: shing-a-ling, Latin boogaloo, Latin R&B) is a music genre, genre of Latin music and dance which was popular in the United States in the 1960s. Boogaloo originated in New York City mainly by stateside Puerto Ricans with ...

. Despite several innovative albums and a new form of mambo he called "dengue", Pérez Prado was never able to duplicate his earlier success and returned to Mexico in the 1970s, where he became a

naturalized citizen Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-national of a country acquires the nationality of that country after birth. The definition of naturalization by the International Organization for Migration of the ...

in 1980. He died in Mexico City in 1989. His son, Pérez Prado Jr., continues to direct the Pérez Prado Orchestra in

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

to this day.

Biography

Early life

Dámaso Pérez Prado was born in

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

, on December 11, 1916; his mother Sara Prado was a school teacher, his father Pablo Pérez a journalist at ''

El Heraldo de Cuba ''El Heraldo de Cuba'' was a national newspaper in Cuba founded by future President of Cuba The president of Cuba (), officially the president of the Republic of Cuba (), is the head of state of Cuba. The office in its current form was estab ...

''. He studied classical

piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...

in his early childhood, and later played

organ Organ and organs may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function * Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body. Musical instruments ...

and piano in local clubs. For a time, he was pianist and arranger for the Sonora Matancera, Cuba's best-known musical group at the time. He also worked with casino orchestras in

Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center. In 1949, Pérez Prado moved to Mexico where he formed his own band and signed a recording contract with the International division of

in Mexico City. He quickly specialized in

s, an upbeat adaptation of the Cuban

danzón Danzón is the official genre and dance of Cuba.Urfé, Odilio 1965. ''El danzón''. La Habana. It is also an active musical form in USA and Puerto Rico. Written in time, the danzón is a slow, formal partner dance, requiring set footwork ...

. Pérez Prado's mambos stood out among the competition, with their fiery brass riffs and strong

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to p ...

counterpoints, and most of all, his trademark grunts (he actually says "''¡Dilo!"'' ("Say it!") in many of the perceived grunts). In 1950, arranger

Sonny Burke Joseph Francis "Sonny" Burke (March 22, 1914 – May 31, 1980) was an American musical arranger, composer, Big Band leader and producer. Early life and career Born in Scranton, Pennsylvania to Francis P. Burke and Rhoda Nihany, Burke grew up in D ...

heard "Qué rico el mambo" while on vacation in Mexico and recorded it back in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. The single was a hit, which led Pérez Prado to launch a US tour. He was to record the song again some years later under the title "Mambo Jambo". Pérez Prado's appearances in 1951 were sell-outs. Producers Herman Diaz Jr. and Ethel Gabriel signed Pérez Prado to RCA Victor in the US and produced his best-selling recording of " Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White. Pérez Prado and his Orchestra performed at the famed tenth Cavalcade of Jazz concert held at

Wrigley Field Wrigley Field is a ballpark on the North Side, Chicago, North Side of Chicago, Illinois. It is the home ballpark of Major League Baseball's Chicago Cubs, one of the city's two MLB franchises. It first opened in 1914 as Weeghman Park for Charl ...

in Los Angeles which was produced by Leon Hefflin, Sr. on June 20, 1954.

Famous pieces

Pérez Prado is the composer of such famous pieces as " Mambo No. 5" (later a UK chart-topper for both

Lou Bega David Lubega Balemezi (born 13 April 1975), better known by his stage name Lou Bega, is a German singer. His 1999 song "Mambo No. 5#Lou Bega version, Mambo No. 5", a remake of Pérez Prado's 1949 instrumental piece, reached no. 1 in many Europe ...

in 1999 and animated character

Bob the Builder ''Bob the Builder'' is a British animated children's television series created by Keith Chapman for HIT Entertainment which ran from to in the United Kingdom through the CBBC strand and later CBeebies. The series centres on the adventures ...

in 2001) and "Mambo No. 8". The mambo craze peaked in the US in 1955, when Pérez Prado hit the American

charts A chart (sometimes known as a graph) is a graphical representation for data visualization, in which "the data is represented by symbols, such as bars in a bar chart, lines in a line chart, or slices in a pie chart". A chart can represent t ...

at number one with a cha-cha-chá version of " Cherry Pink (and Apple Blossom White)" (by French composer Louiguy). This arrangement, featuring trumpeter Billy Regis, held the spot for 10 consecutive weeks, sold over one million copies, and was awarded a

gold disc Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

. The song also went to number one in the UK and in Germany. Pérez Prado had first recorded this title for the movie ''

Underwater! ''Underwater!'' is a 1955 adventure film starring Jane Russell, Richard Egan, and Gilbert Roland, and directed by John Sturges. Plot Johnny and his wife Theresa, along with mercenary Dominic Quesada, priest Father Cannon, and Gloria, the boat ...

'' in 1954, where

Jane Russell Ernestine Jane Geraldine Russell (June 21, 1921 – February 28, 2011) was an American actress, model, and singer. She was one of Hollywood's leading sex symbols in the 1940s and 1950s and starred in more than 20 films throughout her career. R ...

can be seen dancing to "Cherry Pink (and Apple Blossom White)". In 1958, one of Pérez Prado's own compositions, " Patricia", became the last record to ascend to No. 1 on the Jockeys and Top 100 charts, both of which gave way the following week to the then newly introduced ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, where in its first week had the song at #2 behind

Ricky Nelson Eric Hilliard "Ricky" Nelson (May 8, 1940 – December 31, 1985) was an American musician and actor. From age eight, he starred alongside his family in the radio and television series ''The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet''. In 1957, he began a ...

's "

Poor Little Fool "Poor Little Fool" is a song written by Sharon Sheeley and first recorded by Ricky Nelson in 1958. Background Sheeley wrote the song when she was 15 years old. She had met Elvis Presley, and he encouraged her to write. It was based on her disap ...

." The song also went to number one in Germany, and in the UK it reached number eight. The Italian filmmaker

Federico Fellini Federico Fellini (; 20 January 1920 – 31 October 1993) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. He is known for his distinctive style, which blends fantasy and baroque images with earthiness. He is recognized as one of the greatest and ...

chose to feature "Patricia" twice in his 1960 masterpiece, ''

''.

International popularity

Pérez Prado's popularity in the United States matched the peak of the first wave of interest in

Latin music Latin music (Portuguese language, Portuguese and ) is a term used by the music industry as a catch-all category for various styles of music from Ibero-America, which encompasses Music of Latin America, Latin America, Music of Spain, Spain, Mu ...

outside the

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

and Latino communities during the 1940s, 1950s and early 1960s. He also performed in films in the United States and Europe, as well as in Mexican cinema ( Rumberas film), always with his trademark

goatee A goatee is a style of facial hair incorporating hair on the chin entirely. The exact nature of the style has varied according to time and culture. Description Until the late 20th century, the term ''goatee'' was used to refer solely to a bear ...

and turtle-neck sweaters and

vest A waistcoat ( UK and Commonwealth, or ; colloquially called a weskit) or vest ( US and Canada) is a sleeveless upper-body garment. It is usually worn over a dress shirt and necktie and below a coat as a part of most men's formal wear. It ...

s. In 1953, during the height of his popularity in Mexico, Pérez Prado was unexpectedly deported from that country and was not permitted to return until 1964. A popular legend among Mexicans is that he was deported for having done a mambo arrangement of the

Mexican National Anthem The "Mexican National Anthem", also known by its incipit "Mexicans, at the Cry of War", is the official national anthem of the United Mexican States. Its lyrics, composed by poet Francisco González Bocanegra after a Federal contest in 1853, ...

, which would have constituted a crime under

Mexican law The law of Mexico is based upon the Constitution of Mexico and follows the civil law tradition. Sources The hierarchy of sources of law can be viewed as the Constitution, legislation, regulations, and then custom. Alternatively, the hierarchy c ...

. However, according to journalist Iván Restrepo, the actual reason for his exile was that a Mexican businessman who had hired Pérez Prado to work at the ''Margo'' theater in Mexico City became enraged when Pérez Prado decided to work with another businessman who paid him more, prompting the first businessman to report him to the migration authorities as Pérez Prado lacked a work permit. Pérez Prado, who had just finished recording the soundtrack for the movie ''Cantando nace el amor'', was then approached by two migration agents who asked him to show them his work permit; since he did not have the permit, Pérez Prado bribed the officers to let him finish recording the mambo ''Alekum Salem'' before being deported. His eleven-year exile came to an end after Mexican singer and actress

María Victoria María Victoria Gutiérrez Cervantes (born 26 February 1927) is a Mexican actress, singer and comedian. She is best known for starring as maid ‘Inocencia de la Concepción de Lourdes Escarabarzaleta de la Barquera y Dávalos Pandeada Derecha ...

interceded with then-President

Adolfo López Mateos Adolfo López Mateos (; 26 May 1909 – 22 September 1969) was a Mexican politician and lawyer who served as President of Mexico from 1958 to 1964. Previously, he served as Secretariat of Labor and Social Welfare, Secretary of Labor and Social ...

to allow Pérez Prado back into Mexico. By 1960, Pérez Prado's popularity in the United States began to wane, with the new decade giving way to new rhythms, such as

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...

and changing trends in

pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom.S. Frith, W. Straw, and J. Street, eds, ''iarchive:cambridgecompani00frit, The Cambridge Companion to Pop ...

. His association with RCA Victor ended in the mid 1960s, and afterward his recorded output was mainly limited to smaller labels with limited distribution mostly in

Latin America Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...

and recycled Latin-style anthologies. After returning to Mexico, he had a final hit there with the self-penned

"''Norma, la de Guadalajara''", which topped the Mexican charts in 1968. Perez Prado

Later life and death

In the early 1970s, Pérez Prado retired to a spacious apartment off

's grand

Paseo de la Reforma Paseo de la Reforma (literally "Promenade of La Reforma, the Reform") is a wide avenue that runs diagonally across the heart of Mexico City. It was designed at the behest of Maximilian of Mexico, Emperor Maximilian by Ferdinand von Rosenzweig d ...

with his wife and two children, son Dámaso Pérez Salinas (known as Pérez Prado Jr.) and daughter María Engracia. While his career in the US had declined, his popularity in Latin America was still strong. He continued to tour there and he performed regularly on Mexican radio and television. Pérez Prado continued to release recordings in Mexico, Central and South America, as well as Japan, where he was still revered as one of the reigning giants of the music industry. RCA issued a live recording made during his 1973 concert tour in Japan. In 1981, Pérez Prado was featured in a musical revue entitled ''Sun'', which enjoyed a long run in Mexico City. In 1983, his brother Pantaleón Pérez Prado, a musician who was also known professionally as Pérez Prado, died, and the press erroneously reported Dámaso's death. His final appearance in the US was in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

on September 12, 1987, when he played to a packed house. Persistent ill health plagued him for the next two years, and he died of complications from a stroke in

on September 14, 1989, at age 72.

Legacy

Although he did not create the genre— Orestes López and his brother

Cachao Israel López Valdés (September 14, 1918 – March 22, 2008), better known as Cachao ( ), was a Cuban double bassist and composer. Cachao is widely known as the co-creator of the mambo (music), mambo and a master of the descarga (improvised ...

did in 1937—Pérez Prado has been recognized as a key figure in the refinement and popularization of mambo and Cuban dance music in general across the world in the 1950s. His success came from his adaptation of the fast mambo rhythm to the American-style

s of the 1940s and away from the quieter Cuban charanga. He also worked with a variety of musicians who would go on to have successful careers. In 1946, he worked with

guaracha The guaracha () is a genre of music that originated in Cuba, of rapid tempo and comic or picaresque lyrics. The word has been used in this sense at least since the late 18th and early 19th century. Guarachas were played and sung in musical the ...

singer Orlando Guerra " Cascarita", who became one of the leading exponents of the genre. In Mexico, he helped launch the career of Beny Moré in 1949, with hits such as " Anabacoa". In America, he worked with West Coast trumpeters such as

Maynard Ferguson Walter Maynard Ferguson CM (May 4, 1928 – August 23, 2006) was a Canadian jazz trumpeter and bandleader. He came to prominence in Stan Kenton's orchestra before forming his own big band in 1957. He was noted for his bands, which often served ...

, Pete Candoli and Ollie Mitchell (featured on "Flight of the Bumble Bee"), trombonist-vocalist

Ray Vasquez Ray Vasquez (12 February 1924 – 25 January 2019), also known as Ray Victor, was an American singer, musician, trombonist and actor, and a significant influence on the Latin jazz scene from 1940 through 2019. Early life Ray Moreno Vasquez w ...

, and a variety of percussionists, including

Armando Peraza Armando Peraza (May 30, 1924 – April 14, 2014) was a Cuban Latin jazz percussionist and a member of the rock band Santana. Peraza played congas, bongos, and timbales. Biography Early life Born in Lawton Batista, Havana, Cuba in 1924 (althou ...

, Mongo Santamaría and

Alex Acuña Alejandro Neciosup Acuña (born December 12, 1944), known professionally as Alex Acuña, is a Peruvian–American jazz drummer and percussionist. He has also worked as an educator at University of California, Los Angeles, and Berklee College of ...

. In 1999, Pérez Prado was posthumously 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 ...

Discography

Singles

*" April in Portugal" *"Ballin' The Jack" *" Cherry Pink (and Apple Blossom White)" *"Chicago Dengue" *"La Chula Linda" *"Claudia" *"Concierto para Bongó" *"Fantasia" *"A Go Go Mambo" *" Guaglione" *"The High and Mighty" *"Lupita" *" Mambo No. 5" *"Mambo No. 8" *"Mambo a la Kenton" *"Mambo del Politécnico" *"Mambo del Ruletero" *"Mambo en Sax" *"Mambo del Taconazo" *"Mambo en trompeta" *"Mambo Universitario" *"Marilyn Monroe Mambo" *"La Niña Popoff" * "Paris" *" Patricia" *"Que Rico el Mambo" (aka ''Mambo Jambo'') * "St. Louis Blues Mambo" *"Tico, Tico, Tico" *"Tomando Café"

Albums

All albums were issued by

. *''Pérez Prado Plays Mucho Mambo For Dancing'' (1951) *''Voodoo Suite'' (1955) *''Mambo By The King'' (1955) *''Mambo Mania'' (1955) *''Havana 3 A.M.'' (1956) *''Latin Satin'' (1957) *''Cha Cha Cha'' (1958) *''Mambo Happy!'' (1958) *''Dilo (Ugh!)'' (1958) *''"Prez"'' (1958) (Pérez Prado's only US Top 40 album, reached #22 in May 1959)Joel Whitburn, "The Billboard Book of Top 40 Albums" (1991), p. 208. *''Pops and Prado'' (1959) *'' A Touch of Tabasco'' with

Rosemary Clooney Rosemary Clooney (May 23, 1928 – June 29, 2002) was an American singer and actress. She came to prominence in the early 1950s with the song "Come On-a My House", which was followed by other pop numbers such as "Botch-a-Me (Ba-Ba-Baciami Piccin ...

(1959) *''Big Hits By Prado'' (1960) *''Perez Prado's Rockambo'' (1961) *''Latino! (1961) *''La Chunga'' (1961) *''Exotic Suite of the Americas'' (1962) *''Now! Twist Goes Latin'' (1962) *''Our Man In Latin America'' (1963) *''Dance Latino'' (1965) *''The Best Of Perez Prado'' (1967) (reissue of ''Big Hits By Prado'') *''This Is Perez Prado'' (1971) *''Perez Prado - Pure Gold'' (1976) (another reissue of ''Big Hits By Prado'')

Filmography

* '' It's a Sin to Be Poor'' (1950) * '' To the Sound of the Mambo'' (1950) * '' Lost Love'' (1951) * '' Serenade in Acapulco'' (1951) * ''

From the Can-Can to the Mambo ''From the Can-Can to the Mambo'' (Spanish: ''Del can-can al mambo'') is a 1951 Mexican musical comedy film directed by Chano Urueta and starring Joaquín Pardavé, Abel Salazar and Rosita Fornés. Riera p.92 It was shot at the Churubusco St ...

'' (1951) * ''

'' (1955) * '' Cha-Cha-Cha Boom!'' (1956) * '' Girls for the Mambo-Bar'' (1959)

Notes

References

External links

Pérez Prado
– complete discography * * *

{{DEFAULTSORT:Perez Prado, Damaso 1916 births 1989 deaths Bell Records artists Cuban big band bandleaders Cuban jazz bandleaders Cuban jazz pianists Cuban emigrants to Mexico Cuban male composers Cuban male musicians Mambo musicians Musicians from Mexico City Naturalized citizens of Mexico Orfeón Records artists People from Matanzas RCA Victor artists 20th-century Cuban composers 20th-century Cuban pianists