Dámaso Pérez Prado
Dámaso Pérez Prado (December 11, 1916 – September 14, 1989) was a Cuban bandleader, pianist, composer and arranger who popularized the mambo in the 1950s. His big band adaptation of the danzón-mambo proved to be a worldwide success with hits such as "Mambo No. 5", earning him the nickname "King of the Mambo". In 1955, 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. Pérez Prado began his career as pianist and arranger for the Sonora Matancera, an internationally successful dance music ensemble from his hometown of Matanzas. He later established his own group and made several recordings in Havana in 1946, including "Trompetiana", a self-penned mambo and one of the first examples arranged for big band. He then moved to Mexico where he developed this particular genre in multiple forms, including bolero-mambo (with María Luisa Landín), guaracha-mambo (with Benny Moré) 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 in the US, which led to a prolific career in the 1950s. His number 1 hit "Cherry Pink" was followed by other charting singles, such as a cover of "Guaglione" and his own "Patricia", both released in 1958. In the 1960s, Pérez Prado's popularity waned with the advent of other Latin dance rhythms such as pachanga and, later, boogaloo. Despite several innovative albums and a new form of mambo he called "dengue", Pérez Prado moved back to Mexico in the 1970s, where he became a naturalized citizen in 1980. He died there in 1989. His son, Pérez Jr., continues to direct the Pérez Prado Orchestra in Mexico City to this day. |
Birth and Death Data: Born December 11, 1917 (Matanzas), Died September 14, 1989 (Mexico City)
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1946 - 1953
Roles Represented in DAHR: leader, composer, piano, performer, arranger, songwriter, vocalist, lyricist
Notes: Name sometimes appears as Dámaso Pérez Prado, D. P. Prado, D. Pérez Prado, Prado, or Perez. Also known by nickname "El Rey del Mambo."
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 1-25 of 133 records)
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Victor | MBS-091227 | 10-in. | before 5/25/1949 | El manicero | Pérez Prado | Piano solo, with percussion | instrumentalist, piano | |
Victor | MBS-091229 | 10-in. | before 5/25/1949 | Tacuba | Pérez Prado | Piano solo, with percussion | instrumentalist, piano, composer | |
Victor | MBS-091231 | 10-in. | before 4/5/1949 | Macóme | Pérez Prado Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | composer, leader | |
Victor | MBS-091232 | 10-in. | 4/5/1949 | José | Pérez Prado Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | leader, composer | |
Victor | MBS-091233 | 10-in. | before 5/31/1949 | Mangolele | Beny Moré ; Pérez Prado Orchestra | Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | leader | |
Victor | MBS-091234 | 10-in. | before 5/31/1949 | Sera la negra | Beny Moré ; Pérez Prado Orchestra | Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | leader | |
Victor | MBS-091572 | 10-in. | before 10/31/1950 | No me digas nada | Maria Luisa Landin ; Pérez Prado | Female vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | leader | |
Victor | MBS-091574 | 10-in. | before 9/22/1949 | No me mires | Maria Luisa Landin ; Pérez Prado | Female vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | leader | |
Victor | MBS-091701 | 10-in. | before December 1949 | Oh caballo | Pérez Prado Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | leader, composer, instrumentalist, piano | |
Victor | MBS-091704 | 10-in. | 12/6/1949 | Mambo en sax | Roberto Pacheco ; Pérez Prado Orchestra | Jazz/dance, with saxophone solo | leader, composer, instrumentalist, piano | |
Victor | MBS-091705 | 10-in. | before 1/5/1950 | Bongó bongó | Silvestre Méndez ; Pérez Prado Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with tumba | leader, composer | |
Victor | MBS-091706 | 10-in. | before 3/7/1950 | Mambo no. 5 | Pérez Prado Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal. | leader, composer, instrumentalist, piano | |
Victor | MBS-091707 | 10-in. | before 1/5/1950 | Mambo a la Kenton | Pérez Prado Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | leader, composer | |
Victor | MBS-091792 | 10-in. | before 4/26/1950 | La múcura | Beny Moré ; Pérez Prado Orchestra | Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | leader | |
Victor | MBS-091823 | 10-in. | before 2/23/1950 | Babarabatiri | Beny Moré ; Pérez Prado Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | leader | |
Victor | MBS-091824 | 10-in. | before 3/7/1950 | Qué rico el mambo | Pérez Prado Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | leader, composer | |
Victor | MBS-091825 | 10-in. | before 3/17/1950 | Tocineta | Beny Moré ; Pérez Prado Orchestra | Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | leader | |
Victor | MBS-091826 | 10-in. | before 2/23/1950 | Dolor karabaly | Hermanas Gaona ; Beny Moré ; Pérez Prado Orchestra | Male vocal solo, with female vocal trio and jazz/dance band | leader | |
Victor | MBS-091847 | 10-in. | before 3/17/1950 | Ana María | Beny Moré ; Pérez Prado Orchestra | Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | composer, leader | |
Victor | MBS-091850 | 10-in. | before 7/19/1950 | Guajiro | Hermanas Gaona ; Beny Moré ; Pérez Prado Orchestra | Male vocal solo, with female vocal trio and jazz/dance band | leader, composer | |
Victor | MBS-091852 | 10-in. | before 6/1/1950 | Locas por el mambo | Beny Moré ; Pérez Prado Orchestra | Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | leader | |
Victor | MBS-091858 | 10-in. | before 3/17/1950 | Eres exactamente | Fernando Fernández ; Pérez Prado Orchestra | Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | leader | |
Victor | MBS-091963 | 10-in. | before 4/22/1952 | Malagueña | Pérez Prado Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | leader | |
Victor | MBS-091964 | 10-in. | before 10/2/1950 | María Cristina | Beny Moré ; Pérez Prado Orchestra | Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | composer, leader | |
Victor | MBS-091966 | 10-in. | before 2/10/1950 | Pachito e-ché | Beny Moré ; Pérez Prado Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | leader |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Pérez Prado, Dámaso," accessed November 2, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/116415.
Pérez Prado, Dámaso. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 2, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/116415.
"Pérez Prado, Dámaso." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 2 November 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Pérez Prado
Discogs: Dámaso Pérez Prado
Allmusic: Dámaso Pérez Prado
Grove: Dámaso Pérez Prado
IMDb: Dámaso Pérez Prado
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Pérez Prado, 1916-1989 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/nr90012422
Wikidata: Pérez Prado - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q154809
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/22419561
MusicBrainz: Pérez Prado - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/9b97150f-f131-4339-921e-8e5d8425f737
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