Who is xavier cugat

During his eight-decade-long career, Cugat helped to popularize the tango, the cha-cha, the mambo, and the rhumba. His hits included "El Manicero" in the s, "Perfidia" in , and the original recording of "Babalu" in A native of Girona, Spain, Cugat emigrated with his family to Cuba in Trained as a classical violinist, he played with the Orchestra of the Teatro Nacional in Havana at the age of Emigrating to the United States, sometime between and , he quickly found work accompanying an opera singer.

At the height of the tango craze, in , Cugat joined a popular dance band, the Gigolos. His involvement with the group, however, was brief.

As the popularity of the tango faded, he took a job as a cartoonist for The Los Angeles Times. Cugat returned to music in , forming his own group, the Latin American Band.

Although they played regularly at the Coconut Grove in Los Angeles and supplied the soundtracks for several musical shorts, the group had its greatest success after moving to New York and became the house band for the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. Despite being criticized for their middle-of-the-road approach, Cugat remained committed to his commercial-minded sound.

He later explained, "I would rather play 'Chiquita Banana' and have my swimming pool than play Bach and starve. Beautiful women were consistently featured in Cugat 's band. Volume Two, , pages New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, In the mids, he gained notoriety and increased public exposure when he married his fifth, and final wife, a young Spanish entertainer known as Charo aka "The Cuchi-Cuchi Girl" who was about 40 years his junior her actual age is still a matter of speculation.

Her extroverted personality and limited command of English made them popular guests on various television talk shows. View agent, publicist, legal and company contact details on IMDbPro. Getting Started Contributor Zone ». Edit page. Create a list ». Holiday in Mexico Premiere.

How much of Xavier Cugat's work have you seen? User Polls Love Is Back to Back! See more awards ». Known For. Two Weeks Notice Soundtrack. Radio Days Soundtrack. The Matador Soundtrack. Show all Hide all Show by Hide Show Actor 29 credits.

President of South American Country. Cugat and His Gigolos. Hide Show Music department 6 credits. Hide Show Composer 5 credits. Hide Show Soundtrack 53 credits. Hide Show Director 2 credits. Hide Show Writer 1 credit. Hide Show Self 64 credits. Self - Guest. Self uncredited. Self - Panelist. Self - Bandleader voice. Self - Bandleader.