| 1 min read

Cuban bandleader, pianist, composer, and arranger, celebrated as the 'King of the Mambo' for popularizing the energetic dance rhythm globally.Born in Matanzas, Cuba, Pérez Prado rose from playing piano in Havana nightclubs to international stardom. He developed his distinctive big-band mambo sound in Mexico in the late 1940s and early 1950s, characterized by driving rhythms, powerful brass sections (especially trumpets and saxophones), sophisticated arrangements, and his own trademark vocal g...