Pérez was actually his surname, he became known by the paternal and maternal surnames "Pérez Prado."
His orchestra was the most popular in mambo. His son, Pérez Prado, Jr., continues to direct the Pérez Prado Orchestra in Mexico City to this day.
Perez was born in Matanzas, Cuba, his mother Sara Prado was a school teacher, his father Pablo Pérez a journalist at El Heraldo de Cuba. He studied classical piano in his early childhood, and later played organ and piano in local clubs. For a time, he was pianist and arranger for the Sonora Matancera, Cuba's best-known musical group. He also worked with casino orchestras in Havana for most of the 1940s, and gained a reputation for being an imaginative (his solo playing style predated bebop by at least five years), loud player. He was nicknamed "El Cara de Foca" ("Seal Face") by his peers at the time.
In 1948 he moved to Mexico to form his own band and record for RCA Victor. He quickly specialized in mambos, an upbeat adaptation of the Cuban danzón. Perez's mambos stood out among the competition, with their fiery brass riffs and strong saxophone counterpoints, and most of all, Pérez's trademark grunts (he actually says "¡Dilo!", or "Say it!", in many of the perceived grunts). In 1950 arranger Sonny Burke heard "Que rico el mambo" while on vacation in Mexico and recorded it back in the United States as "Mambo Jambo". The single was a hit, which caused Perez to launch a US tour. His appearances in 1951 were sell-outs and he began recording US releases for RCA Victor.
Perez is the composer of such famous pieces as "Mambo No. 5" and "Mambo No. 8". At the height of the mambo movement, in 1955, Perez hit the American charts at number one with a cha-cha version of "Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White" (composed by French composer Louiguy). This arrangement, featuring trumpeter Billy Regis, held the spot for 10 consecutive weeks. The song also went to number one in the UK and in Germany. Perez had first covered this title for the movie Underwater! in 1954, where Jane Russell can be seen dancing to "Cherry Pink". In 1958 one of Perez's own compositions, "Patricia", became the last record to ascend to #1 on the Jockeys and Top 100 charts, both of which gave way the following week to the then newly-introduced Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song also went to number one in Germany, and in the UK it reached number eight.
His popularity in the United States matched the peak of the first wave of interest in Latin music outside the Latino communities during the 1940s, 1950s and early 1960s.[7][8] He also performed in films in the United States and Europe, as well as in Mexican cinema (Rumberas film), always with his trademark goatee and turtle-neck sweaters and vests. With the end of the 1950s, his success waned, and the years gave way to new rhythms, like rock 'n roll and then pop music. His association with RCA Victor ended in the 1960s, and his recorded output was mainly limited to smaller labels and recycled Latin-style anthologies. In the United States he was referred to as "Prez" Prado.
[edit]Later life
In the early 1970s Perez permanently returned to his apartment off Mexico City's grand Paseo de la Reforma to live with his wife and two children, son Dámaso Pérez Salinas (known as Perez Prado, Jr.) and daughter María Engracia. His career in Latin America was still strong. He toured and continued to record material which was released in Mexico, South America, and Japan. He was revered as one of the reigning giants of the music industry and was a regular performer on Mexican television. In Japan, a live concert recording of his 1973 tour was released on LP in an early 4-channel format known as Quadraphonic.
In 1981 Perez was featured in a musical revue entitled Sun which enjoyed a long run in the Mexican capital. In 1983 his brother Pantaleón Pérez Prado died, and the press erroneously reported the death of bandleader Pérez Prado.[citation needed] His last United States appearance was in Hollywood on September 12, 1987, when he played to a packed house. This was also the year of his last recording. Persistent ill health plagued him for the next two years, and he died of a stroke in Mexico City on September 14, 1989, aged 72.
During his lifetime, a cast of musical luminaries passed through his orchestra, including:
Alex Acuña, percussion
Pete Candoli, trumpet
Beny Moré, vocals
Johnny Pacheco, percussion [later flute]
Armando Peraza, percussion
Mongo Santamaría, percussion
"Patricia" was later featured in
the striptease scene in Federico Fellini's 1960 film La Dolce Vita
background music for a pool party in the 1969 film Goodbye, Columbus
the episode "Some Enchanted Evening" of the animated sitcom The Simpsons, first aired on May 13, 1990.
a long-running series of famous TV commercials for the Royal Mail in the UK (using the slogan "I Saw This and Thought of You") between 1996 and 2003
the closing credits of HBO's Real Sex series
the 2000 Clint Eastwood movie Space Cowboys
His mambo records and the joyous dancing they caused are described in a late chapter of Jack Kerouac's seminal novel, On the Road (1957).
His songs "Caballo Negro", "Lupita", and "Mambo n.8" are featured in the film Santa Sangre (1989) by Alejandro Jodorowsky.
His recording of "Cherry Pink (and Apple Blossom White)" features in the films Deal of the Century (1983), Cookie (1989) and Parents (1989).
In the decade after his death, the popularity of Perez's music was on the rise again. CD reissues of his RCA recordings continue to sell steadily. "Guaglione" peaked at number 2 in the UK Singles Chart in 1995,[6] following its use in the Guinness television commercial Anticipation.
"Mambo No. 5" was featured in another Guinness commercial in 1999, the same year Lou Bega took his sampled cover version of that same song to the top of the UK chart,
The soundtrack to the 1999 movie Office Space features two of his performances, "Mambo No. 8" and "The Peanut Vendor."
The soundtrack to the 2004 movie Diarios de Motocicleta features Perez's "Qué rico el mambo", more commonly known as "Mambo Jambo".
Avant-garde musician Nurse With Wound released a compilation entitled Funeral Music for Perez Prado in 2001. The album's title track exceeds 30 minutes.
Caballo Negro
Pérez Prado Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
¡Arre!
Caballo
¡Arre!
¡Uh!
Caballo
¡Arre!
Caballo
¡Arre!
¡Uh!
Caballo negro
Caballo negro
Caballo
¡Arre!
¡Ah!
Caballo negro
Caballo negro
Caballo, ¡uh!
¡Arre!
¡Ah!
Caballo negro
Tú tienes la cola blanca
Tú tienes la cola, cola
Caballo negro
Tú tienes la cola blanca
Tú tienes la cola, cola (¡uh!)
¡Uh!
¡Dale, dale, dale, eso!
¡Allá doy!
¡Uh, ah!
The lyrics of Pérez Prado's "Caballo Negro" song convey a message of excitement and enthusiasm not just for the horse but also for life in general. The first two lines of the song "Caballo, Arre!" are a common command that horse riders use to put the horse in motion; this can be interpreted as a metaphor for getting things started or setting things in motion. The song also uses the phrase "¡Uh!", which means excitement and the feeling of being alive.
The first verse of the song is dedicated to the horse itself: "Caballo negro, tú tienes la cola blanca." The black horse with a white tail is the central symbol of the song that represents freedom, wildness, and strength. The horse's black color represents power and mystery, while the white tail represents purity and hope. This contrast between black and white is a common theme in literature and art, symbolizing the polarity between good and evil, light and darkness.
The refrain "Caballo negro, caballo negro" is repeated several times throughout the song, emphasizing the importance of this symbol. The song emphasizes the strength and beauty of the horse and how it inspires people to let loose, be wild and free, and enjoy the ride that is life. The song conveys the message that life is a continuous journey that can be challenging, but with determination, anyone can make it through.
Line by Line Meaning
Caballo
A command given to the horse to move forward.
¡Arre!
An additional command given to horses to make them go faster or move with more energy.
¡Uh!
An expression of excitement and enthusiasm.
Caballo negro
Referring to the black horse in question.
Tú tienes la cola blanca
The observation that the horse has a white tail.
Tú tienes la cola, cola
Further emphasis on the fact that the horse has a tail.
¡Dale, dale, dale, eso!
A chant in support of the black horse, urging it to keep going.
¡Allá doy!
A cheer for the horse, indicating that it has performed well.
¡Ah!
An expression of excitement and enthusiasm, similar to 'Uh!'
Writer(s): Damaso Perez Prado
Contributed by Owen G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.