Born in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, Ros' mother was an African-Vene… Read Full Bio ↴Born in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, Ros' mother was an African-Venezuelan; his father was Scottish. Ros' parents separated not long after he was born, and he was enrolled into a military school, where he became interested in music and learned to play the euphonium or bombardin. From 1927 to 1937 his family lived in Caracas, Venezuela. He played in a military band for four years. Later, he received a music scholarship from the government. In June 1937, he moved to London, England to study classical music at the Royal Academy of Music. He soon returned to playing popular music and also recorded several sides as a sideman to Fats Waller who was visiting London in 1938.

In 1939, he formed his own rumba band, "Rumba With Ros". In 1941, he gained recognition with the track "Los Hijos de Buda" and was playing regularly at the elegant Coconut Grove club on Regent Street, which attracted members of high society.

In 1946, he owned a club, a dance school, a record company and an artist's agency. His band grew to 16 musicians. His album The Wedding Samba sold three million copies in 1949.

In 1951, he bought the Coconut Grove and renamed it Edmundo Ros' Dinner and Supper Club. The club became popular for its atmosphere and music; it closed in 1965. From 1964 to 1968 he was the owner of the internationally known and very exclusive Edmundo Ros Club on Regent Street.

His album Rhythms of The South (1957) was one of the first high-quality LP stereo records. He was with Decca records from 1944 to 1974.

In 1975 (at the age of 65) he retired and moved to Jávea, Alicante (Spain). On January 8, 1994, he gave his last public performance. Ros was awarded the Order of the British Empire by Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, in the 2000 New Year's Honours List.

Discography

His most famous albums:

Edmundo Ros And His Rumba Band, 1939-1941, LP
Tropical Magic, 1942-1944, LP
Cuban Love Song, 1945, LP
On Broadway, LP
Show Boat/Porgy & Bess, LP
Ros at the Opera
Broadway goes Latin
Rhythms of the South
Latin Carnival
New Rhythms of The South
Latin Boss...Señor Ros
Arriba
Latin Hits I Missed
Hair Goes Latin
Heading South of the Border
The Latin King
This is My World
Caribbean Ros
Sunshine and Olé!
Give My Regards to Broadway
Doin' the Samba, CD
Rhythms of the South/New Rhythms of the South, CD
Good! Good! Good! CD
Strings Latino/Latin Hits I Missed CD
That Latin Sound
Wedding Samba
Cancion Cubana
Mambo Jambo, Naxos, CD
The Wedding Samba (Nayer Sher)
Calypsos (Decca 1956),
Mambos (Decca 1956),
Rhythms Of The South (Decca 1957),
Calypso Man (Decca 1958),
Perfect For Dancing (Decca 1958),
Ros On Broadway (Decca 1959),
Hollywood Cha Cha Cha (Decca 1959),
Bongos From The South (Decca 1961), Dance Again (Decca 1962),
Sing And Dance With Edmundo Ros (Decca 1963), with *Ted Heath Heath Versus Ros (Phase 4 1964),
with Heath Heath Versus Ros, Round Two (Phase 4 1967),
This Is My World (Decca 1972),
Ros Remembers (Decca 1974),
Edmundo Ros Today (Decca 1978),
Latin Favourites (Gold Crown 1979),
Latin Song And Dance Men (Pye 1980),
Music For The Millions (Decca 1983),
Strings Latino (London 1985),
Cuban Love Song (1985),
Latin Magic (London 1987),
Edmundo Ros & His Rumba Band, 1939-1941 (1992),
That Latin Sound (Pulse 1997)

His most famous track was "Melodie d' amour".

Frenesí
Edmundo Ros and His Orchestra Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Some time ago
I wandered down into old Mexico
While I was there
I felt romance everywhere

Moon was shining bright
And I could hear laughing voices in the night
Everyone was gay

This was the start of their holiday

It was fiesta down in Mexico
And so I stopped a while to see the show
I knew that frenesiÂ meant "Please love me"
And I could say frenesiÂ

A lovely senorita caught my eye
I stood enchanted as she wandered by
And never knowing that it come from me
I gently sighed frenesiÂ

She stopped and raised her eyes to mine
Her lips just pleaded to be kissed
Her eyes were soft as candle-shine
So how was I to resist?

And now without a heart to call my own
A greater happiness I've never known

Because her kisses are for me alone
Who wouldn't say frenesi?

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of the song Frenesi by Edmundo Ros and His Orchestra depict an experience of the singer in Mexico, where he felt the air of love and romance all around him. As he wandered around the streets of old Mexico, he witnessed a fiesta where everyone was happy and lively. It was during this time that he met a lovely senorita who caught his attention, and he found himself enchanted by her beauty. The word "frenesi" which means "please love me" was on his mind as he sighed, and he found himself irresistibly drawn to the senorita. As he approached her and looked into her eyes, he knew that he had found love, and her kisses will now be only reserved for him.

Line by Line Meaning

Some time ago
In the past

I wandered down into old Mexico
I traveled to Mexico

While I was there
During my visit

I felt romance everywhere
I sensed romance throughout the area

Moon was shining bright
The moon was illuminating the night sky

And I could hear laughing voices in the night
I could hear people laughing at night

Everyone was gay
Everyone was happy and festive

This was the start of their holiday
It was the beginning of their celebration

It was fiesta down in Mexico
There was a festival happening in Mexico

And so I stopped a while to see the show
I paused to watch the festivities

I knew that frenesi meant 'Please love me'
I understood that frenesi was a plea for love