Ros was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad. His mother was an Afro-Venezuelan and his father was of Scottish descent. He was the eldest of four children, having two sisters, Ruby and Eleanor, followed by a half-brother, Hugo. His parents separated after Hugo was born, and after various false steps Edmundo was enrolled in a military academy. There he became interested in music and learned to play the euphonium. From 1927-37 his family lived in Caracas, Venezuela. He played in the Venezuelan Military Academy Band as well as being a tympanist in the Venezuela Symphony Orchestra. Later he received a music scholarship from the government, and, from 1937–42, studied harmony, composition and orchestration at the Royal Academy of Music. At the same time he was the vocalist and percussionist in Don Marino Baretto's band at the Embassy Club, and also recorded several sides as a sideman to Fats Waller, who was visiting London in 1938.
In the 2000 New Year's Honours List, Ros (then aged 90), was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). He turned 100 on 7 December 2010.
Ros was a Freeman of the City of London, having been admitted to the Freedom of the Worshipful Company of Poulters on 5 January 1965 and subsequently clothed with the Livery of the Poulters' Company on 22 June 1965. He was a Mason, a member of Sprig of Acacia Lodge No 41, Javea, Spain.
Ros married twice: first to Britt Johansen in 1950. The first marriage produced two children, Douglas and Louisa. He designed and built a large house in Page Street, Mill Hill, London NW7, which he named Edritt House, after himself and his first wife. The house still stands, next to Copthall Girls' School. He remarried in 1971.
In August 1940, Ros formed his own rumba band, performing as Edmundo Ros and His Rumba Band. In 1941 he cut his first tracks with Parlophone, the first number being "Los Hijos de Buda". The band played regularly at the Coconut Grove club in Regent Street, attracting members of high society. Ros's bands were always based in London nightclubs or restaurants. The first was the Cosmo Club in Wardour Street; then followed the St Regis Hotel, Cork Street, the Coconut Grove and the Bagatelle Restaurant. At the Bagatelle a visit from Princess Elizabeth and party made his name. The future queen danced in public for the first time to Edmundo's music. In later years his orchestra was often invited to play at Buckingham Palace.
By 1946 Ros owned a club, a dance school, a record company and an artistes' agency. His band grew to 16 musicians and was renamed Edmundo Ros and His Orchestra. His number "The Wedding Samba", 1949, sold three million 78s. His album Rhythms of The South (1958) was one of the first high-quality LP stereo records: it sold a million copies. He was with Decca Records from 1944 to 1974, and altogether he made more than 800 recordings.
In 1951 Ros bought the Coconut Grove on Regent Street and in 1964 renamed it Edmundo Ros's Dinner and Supper Club. The club became popular for its atmosphere and music, but it closed in 1965, when legalised casino gambling had drawn away many of its best customers. During the 1950s and 1960s the Ros orchestra appeared frequently on BBC Radio, continuing into the early 1970s on Radio Two Ballroom.
In 1975, during Ros's seventh tour of Japan, his band's Musicians' Union shop steward tried to usurp Ros's authority by making arrangements with venues behind his back. Upon their return to the UK Ros organised a celebratory dinner after a BBC recording session and announced the disbanding of the orchestra. He destroyed almost all the charts (arrangement sheets), which conclusively ended the orchestra's existence.
Ros retired and moved to Jávea, Alicante, Spain. He gave his last public performance on 8 January 1994.
Donna
Edmundo Ros Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Once upon a looking-for-Donna-time
There was a sixteen year old virgin
Oh Donna oh oh Donna oh oh oh
Looking for my Donna
I just got back from looking for Donna
San Francisco
Oh Donna oh oh Donna oh oh oh
Looking for my Donna
Have you seen
My sixteen year old tattooed woman
Heard a story
She got busted for her beauty oh oh oh
Oh oh!
Once upon a looking-for-Donna-time
There was a sixteen year old virgin
Oh Donna oh oh Donna oh oh oh
Looking for my Donna
I've been to India and saw the yogi light (lie?)
In South America the Indian smoke glows bright
I'm reincarnated and so are we all
And in this lifetime we'll rise
Before we fall
Before we fall
Once upon a looking-for-Donna-time
There was a sixteen year old virgin
Oh Donna oh oh Donna oh oh oh
Looking for my Donna
And I'm going to show her
Life on earth can be sweet
Gonna lay my mutated head (self) at her feet
And I'm gonna love her make love to her
Till the sky turns brown
I'm evolving I'm evolving
Through the drugs
That you put down
Once upon a looking-for-Donna-time
There was a sixteen year old virgin
Oh Donna oh oh Donna oh oh oh
Looking for my Donna
Looking for my Donna
Donna!
The lyrics to Edmundo Ros's song Donna describe a 16-year-old boy who is looking for a girl named Donna. He claims to have just returned from San Francisco, where he was searching for her. The boy describes Donna as a "tattooed woman," and he's heard rumors that she "got busted for her beauty." He believes that he will find her, and when he does, he will show her how sweet life on earth can be. The song also mentions the boy's previous adventures traveling to India and South America, where he was exposed to new experiences and cultures. The final lines of the song suggest that he is evolving through drugs.
The song seems to be about a young man's journey to find his soulmate, his "Donna." Throughout the song, he describes his travels and experiences. It's unclear who Donna is or why the boy is so intent on finding her. The song does not provide any backstory about their relationship, leaving it open to interpretation. Some interpret the song as a love letter to a woman the singer once met, but others see it as a metaphor for the search for meaning in life.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh
Introduces the beginning of the story
Once upon a looking-for-Donna-time
Sets the story in a certain time period
There was a sixteen year old virgin
Introduces Donna's character as a young and inexperienced girl
Oh Donna oh oh Donna oh oh oh
Represents the artist's longing for Donna
Looking for my Donna
Reinforces the main plot of the story
I just got back from looking for Donna
The singer has been actively searching for Donna
San Francisco
The location where the singer visited while searching for Donna
Psychedelic urchin
Describes San Francisco's free-spirited culture
Have you seen
Asking for information about Donna's whereabouts
My sixteen year old tattooed woman
Another description of Donna's physical appearance
Heard a story
The singer has heard rumors about Donna
She got busted for her beauty oh oh oh
Donna's beauty has caused consequences for her
Oh oh!
Expressing shock and/or surprise
I've been to India and saw the yogi light (lie?)
The singer has traveled and gained new experiences/knowledge
In South America the Indian smoke glows bright
Mentions another location the singer has visited
I'm reincarnated and so are we all
The artist believes in reincarnation
And in this lifetime we'll rise
The artist is hopeful for the present life
Before we fall
Acknowledges that everything has its end
And I'm going to show her
The singer wants to show Donna new experiences
Life on earth can be sweet
Suggesting a positive outlook on life
Gonna lay my mutated head (self) at her feet
The artist is willing to be vulnerable around Donna
And I'm gonna love her make love to her
The artist is romantically interested in Donna
Till the sky turns brown
Expresses the notion of infinity and/or timelessness
I'm evolving I'm evolving
The artist feels like they are growing and changing
Through the drugs
Suggests that the singer's experiences may be influenced by drug usage
That you put down
The drugs may have been introduced to the singer through Donna or someone else
Donna!
Directly addressing and calling for Donna
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JACKIE MC LEAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind