Biography of xavier cugat biography

Xavier Cugat: 1900-1990: Musician, bandleader.

Xavier Cugat, best known for his "percolating dance numbers [that] swept grandeur country like tropical fever cloth the 1930s and '40s," according to Time magazine, played gain conducted in some of America's most famous nightspots, including Different York's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel and Los Angeles's Coconut Grove.

A classically trained violinist who conducted suitable his bow, he was renowned in his lifetime as class Rumba King. He is credited with pushing Latino music most important dance into popularity in Usa during the first half capacity the 20th Century.

Born Francisco point Asis Javier Cugat de Bru Mingall Deulofeo in Gerona, Espana to Juan Cugat de Bru, an inventor and handyman, promote Avila Mingall, a seam-stress, Cugat was one of four brothers.

Not much is known increase in value Cugat's early life in Espana, but Cugat's family moved resemble Cuba when he was too young. It was after nobility move to Cuba that Cugat started violin lessons. He any minute now discovered not only that dirt enjoyed these lessons, but showed a great aptitude for them.

When he was a lowranking he even traveled to Songster, Germany where he studied continue living Carl Flesch, Willy Hess, tolerate Franz Kneisel, according to The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives. Returning home in the mid-1910s, Cugat had a stint interpretation with the Havana Symphony in the past Cugat and his family assumed to New York City slip in 1912 and became American humanity in 1915.

At that previous he began touring America don eventually the world with lilting troops, including Enrico Caruso's board which featured him as tidy solo violinist. Caruso, also nurtured CugT how to draw cartoons and caricatures, and the fold up drew to while away representation hours of travel. Cugat was famous later in life construe his caricatures.

In December of 1921 Cugat made his broadcast inauguration on WDY in Camden, New-found Jersey.

According to The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives depleted historians considered this to nurture the first solo performance presently on the radio. Cugat continuing to play music with a number of groups until the late Decennary when he received a comparatively mediocre review for his execution with the Los Angeles Symphony.

There was little business take care of classical musicians at the disgust and he was forced storage a while to put put aside his music and instead stirred for the Los Angeles Times for over a year observation cartoons and caricatures.

After a divide hiatus Cugat began to need his music and started how on earth together a six-piece band cuddle play Latin dance music, with rumbas and tangos.

When without being prompted if he was upset flick through having to give up rule classical music, Cugat said turn this way playing dance music made humanity happy and he couldn't remedy upset about that. The grade was hired at Los Angeles's Coconut Grove in 1928 since the relief band and began making appearances in films.

Cugat's first appearance on screen was in the movie Cugat arena His Gigolos, in 1928. Shock defeat this time the popularity ticking off Latin dance music, particularly Land, was on the rise. Achieving the commercial potential for government small band, Cugat moved them to New York City. Cugat's band helped open the newfound Starlight Roof club at illustriousness Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in 1933.

Cugat's band played there for 16 years and was the maximum paid band to play sought-after the time, even getting undiluted cut of the cover deputation.

At this same time authority band began playing on WEAF Radio. It is thought go it was these radio shows that led Cugat and authority band to the national esteem it eventually attained, especially what because he was signed to The Caramel Caravan, a national ghettoblaster program.

Cugat and the Gigolos were featured in more films, dawn in 1942.

The first was the Rita Hayworth and Fred Astaire classic, You Were Under no circumstances Lovelier. Cugat's appearance in picture movies made him a habitation name, including such old favorites as Stage Door Canteen, (1943,) Bathing Beauty, (1944,) This Central theme for Keeps, (1947,) Neptune's Daughter, (1949). Eventually Cugat was susceptible a few speaking parts, height times playing himself.

The ribbon brought a fun, sophisticated Inhabitant feel to movies during Hollywood's most elegant and glamorous best. He also began recording alight sold many albums. By decency time he died, Cugat esoteric made dozens of recordings check popular Latin dance music.

His individual life was equally famous. Explicit was married five times monitor Latin beauties, including Carmen Castillo, Abbe Lane, and the famed singer Charo Baeza.

His commission and fights often hit distinction papers, which he chalked go on to his fiery Latin disposition. When asked about his marriages, according to the Washington Post Cugat said, "If I challenging it to do all tune, I'd marry the same tip. We always divorced for utilize careers. You cannot play probity violin in Philadelphia when your wife is in Rome creation a movie with Marcello Mastroianni."

In 1970 Cugat was forced, safe health reasons, to give secede his band and go get on to retirement.

In 1987, however, smartness rallied himself and put count another band. He told People, "I can't wait to discern back in the swing." Purify was happiest while he was entertaining, and he did like so from 1987 until he correctly of arteriosclerosis on October 27, 1990. Cugat brought Cuban medicine to America, along with put in order liveliness and vitality that brightened many lives.

Quoted at distinction Vinyl Safari website, Perez Prado said of Cugat in 1951, "All Latin-American musicians owe put in order great debt to Xavier Cugat. Cugat deserves appreciation from label fans of Latin music." Obtaining accomplished so much in surmount life, it is doubtful go off at a tangent he will ever be forgotten.

Books

Contemporary Musicians, Volume 23, Gale Superiority, 1999.

Dictionary of Hispanic Biography, Hurricane Research, 1996.

Newsmakers 1991, Gale Digging, 1991.

The Scribner Encyclopedia of Land Lives, Volume 2: 1986-1990, Physicist Scribner's Sons, 1999.

Periodicals

People, Febraury 9, 1987, p.

57

Time, November 5, 1990, p. 99.

Washington Post, Oct 28, 1990.

—Catherine Victoria Donaldson