The 1950s dance crazes: mambo & cha-cha-cha

Cuban dance genres of the 1950s, specifically mambo and cha-cha-cha, were hugely popular in the U.S. and all over Latin America. Both were outgrowths of the danzón, but each had its own distinct sound. Different styles of mambo are discussed, including the original style that emerged in Antonio Arcaño's band in the late 1930s and the vastly more well-known style of the "King of Mambo," Pérez Prado, who partnered with Benny Moré and popularized the mambo globally. In New York, it was Tito Puente's band that reigned supreme.

Songs played:
Mambo, Arcaño y Sus Maravillas
Mambo #5, Pérez Prado
Locas por el mambo, Pérez Prado and Benny Moré
La engañadora, Orquesta América
Mambo gozón, Tito Puente