Pérez Prado, Dámaso (1916–1989)

Dámaso Pérez Prado was one of the great popularizers of the mambo in the 1940s and 1950s. Born in Matanzas, Cuba, on December 11, 1916, he moved to Havana in 1942. A pianist, he played with a number of bands including the Orquesta Casino de la Playa. He relocated to Mexico City in 1948 and remained based there for the rest of his career. In a series of recordings he made there for RCA, he became known for a style that was less demanding though not unsophisticated musically, good for dancing, with a heavy emphasis on brass instruments. Rare are the recordings that do not include his trademark, energetic grunts. Future stars such as singer Beny Moré got their start with him. RCA promoted Pérez Prado heavily, particularly after "Mambo Number Five" became a hit in 1950. Other recordings such as "Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White" crossed over from the Latin audience and made him popular around the world. Although much maligned by critics then and since, his bands had an influence throughout the Americas and in Europe and Africa as well. He died in Mexico City on September 14, 1989.

See alsoMambo; Moré, Beny.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Loza, Steven. Tito Puente and the Making of Latin Music. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1999.

Orovio, Helio. Cuban Music from A to Z. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2004.

Roberts, John Storm. The Latin Tinge: The Impact of Latin American Music on the United States, 2nd edition. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.

                                 Andrew J. Kirkendall