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.
Sweet And Gentle
Edmundo Ros Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(He was sweet and gentle)
Kind of sentimental
(Kind of sentimental)
No one will deny it
(No one will deny it)
I was once so quiet
And then the magic night
And now I'll never be the same
For I have turned into a dancing Cucaracha
And my muchacha is to blame
How can I be gentle
Sweet and sentimental
While the cha cha's playing
And my heart is swaying
I find that I am even dancing
When I'm walking
I'm haunted by that cha cha beat
I hear the rhythm start
When we are talking
I do the cha cha in my sleep
MUSIC BREAK
I was sweet and gentle
(He was sweet and gentle)
Kind of sentimental
(Kind of sentimental)
No one will deny it
(No one will deny it)
I was once so quiet
And then the magic night
I learned to do the cha cha
And now I'll never be the same
For I have turned into a dancing Cucaracha
And my muchacha is to blame
Please be sweet and gentle
(Please be sweet and gentle)
Treat me sentimental
(Treat him sentimental)
For I'm tempermental
(Cha cha cha cha)
When I cha cha with you
Cha cha cha, cha cha cha
Cha cha cha oooooooo
The lyrics of Edmundo Ros's "Sweet and Gentle" are about a man who used to be sweet, gentle, and sentimental but all that changed after he learned how to dance the cha cha. He quickly became a passionate and energetic dancer and can no longer be sweet and gentle. The song talks about how the cha cha beat haunts him even when he's not dancing, and he finds himself dancing in his sleep too.
The singer's transformation from a quiet and demure person to a passionate dancer is attributed to "the magic night" he learned the cha cha. His muchacha (girlfriend) is the one to blame for his transformation, and it seems he is unable to resist the allure of the cha cha beat. He pleads with his partner to treat him sweetly and gently despite his new-found temperament.
One interpretation of this song is that it is a celebration of the joy of dancing and how it can transform a person's personality. The cha cha beat represents the passion and energy that dancing can bring, and the singer's transformation is a metaphor for the power of dance to change a person's demeanor. The lyrics also suggest that dancing can be irresistible and addictive, almost like a drug, and once you start, you can never go back to being the same person.
Line by Line Meaning
Ohhhhhhh I was sweet and gentle
The singer was once sweet and gentle
Kind of sentimental
The singer was also kind of sentimental
No one will deny it
It is undeniable that the singer was sweet, gentle, and sentimental
I was once so quiet
The singer used to be very quiet
And then the magic night
Something magical happened one night
I learned to do the cha cha
The singer learned to dance the cha cha
And now I'll never be the same
The singer was changed by learning the cha cha
For I have turned into a dancing Cucaracha
The singer has transformed into a dancing Cucaracha (a type of cockroach)
And my muchacha is to blame
The singer's partner is responsible for teaching them to dance the cha cha
How can I be gentle
The singer wonders how they can be gentle
Sweet and sentimental
While dancing the cha cha
While the cha cha's playing
When the cha cha music is on
And my heart is swaying
The singer's heart is moved by the music
I find that I am even dancing
The singer finds themselves dancing even when they are not intending to
When I'm walking
Even while walking
I'm haunted by that cha cha beat
The singer is constantly reminded of the cha cha beat
I hear the rhythm start
The singer hears the rhythm and feels compelled to dance
When we are talking
Even while talking with someone
I do the cha cha in my sleep
The singer even dances the cha cha in their sleep
MUSIC BREAK
Interlude in the song with only music playing
Please be sweet and gentle
The singer is asking their partner to be sweet and gentle
Treat me sentimental
And to treat them with sentimentality
For I'm tempermental
Because the singer can be temperamental
When I cha cha with you
When dancing the cha cha with their partner
Cha cha cha, cha cha cha
The repeated refrain of the song
Cha cha cha oooooooo
Another repetition of the refrain
Contributed by Keira M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@amparoospina562
Fabuloso
@othelloo8354
Excellente
@sholihinsholihin3150
Very good
@celesluns1690
Que Grande...Edmundo Ros con la Musica que alegra al Mundo...
Que tiempos aquellos donde se Disfrutaba los Verdaderos ambientes las grandes celebraciones...eran otras Épocas de nuestras Vidas a comparación de ahora...que diferencia.
@celesluns1690
Gracias..gran Amigo Miguel Ángel por difundir la Mejor Musica del Mundo...Saludos de Celes Luna
del PERU.
@angeldearte
gracia por su comentario y siga explorando mi canal , y los que se parecen
@HaditaRoss
EXCELENTE RITMO E INOLVIDABLE LA VOZ DEL MAESTRO!!!
@friskydiskytapes
Esto es espectacular, juraría que la voz masculina es de Frank Sinatra, pero ya investigué eshaustivamente en Discogs y no me figura en ningún crédito de los discos de Edmundo Ros que haya trabajado con Mr. Sinatra. Ustedes no creen que el que canta es él? O será un excelente imitador.
@angeldearte
Puede estar seguro que el que canta es Edmundo Ros
@friskydiskytapes
@@angeldearte Ah, muchas gracias. Pensé que Edmundo Ros sólo hacía la parte instrumental. Gracias nuevamente.