Dámaso Pérez Prado
Biography
Dámaso Pérez Prado was a Cuban bandleader, pianist, and composer known as the King of the Mambo, who popularized the genre in the 1950s with hits like "Mambo No. 5" and "Cherry Pink (and Apple Blossom White)". He began his career as a pianist and arranger for the Sonora Matancera, then established his own group and developed various mambo styles. Pérez Prado's music was featured in films and he made brief appearances in the rumberas genre.