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.
Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White
Pérez Prado Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When your true lover comes your way
It's cherry pink and apple blossom white
The poets say
The story goes that once a cherry tree
Beside an apple tree did grow
And there a boy once met his bride to be Long long ago
The boy looked into her eyes, it was a sight to enthrall
The breezes joined in their sighs, the blossoms started to fall
And as they gently carressed, the lovers looked up to find
The branches of the two trees were intertwined,
And that is why the poets always write
If there's a new moon bright above
It's cherry pink and apple blossom white
When you're in love
The lyrics to Pérez Prado's song Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White express the euphoria of falling in love. The opening line "It's cherry pink and apple blossom white," creates a vivid image of two symbols of spring blooming in unison. Cherry blossoms are a symbol of the transience of life, while apple blossoms represent purity, and their combination is said to represent the power of love to overcome all obstacles. When the true lover comes your way, everything becomes enchanting, and the world takes on a rosy hue. The lyrics suggest that this is not an uncommon concept, as poets have been articulating it for centuries.
The song tells a story of a boy and a girl who met long ago under a cherry and an apple tree. The line "The boy looked into her eyes, it was a sight to enthrall" illustrates the intensity of the connection between them. The wind probably intensified the moment as the breeze joined in their sighs, causing the blossoms to fall gently around them. The two trees became intertwined, symbolizing the entwining of the couple's hearts. In the end, the lyrics suggest that "If there's a new moon bright above," it represents an auspicious time for love. And when two people are in love, cherry-pink and apple blossom-white beauty is revealed all around.
Line by Line Meaning
It's cherry pink and apple blossom white
Love is a beautiful thing that fills one's heart with joy and happiness
When your true lover comes your way
True love is a rare occurrence that brings immense pleasure and fulfilment
The poets say
Poets write about love and beauty because it is an inexhaustible source of inspiration
The story goes that once a cherry tree
There is a tale about a cherry tree that grew alongside an apple tree
Beside an apple tree did grow
Both trees were situated side by side, close enough to touch
And there a boy once met his bride to be
There, a young man met the woman who was to be his future wife
Long long ago
This story took place a long time ago
The boy looked into her eyes, it was a sight to enthrall
The young man was captivated by the beauty of the girl's eyes
The breezes joined in their sighs, the blossoms started to fall
As the couple fell in love, the wind rustled through the trees and the flowers began to shed their petals
And as they gently carressed, the lovers looked up to find
As they touched and embraced each other, they glanced upwards and saw
The branches of the two trees were intertwined
That the branches of the cherry and apple trees had intertwined, symbolizing the union of the two lovers
And that is why the poets always write
This is why poets often write about love and nature, as they are intrinsically linked
If there's a new moon bright above
When there is a clear and bright new moon shining in the sky
It's cherry pink and apple blossom white
That is when the colors of nature (cherry pink and apple blossom white) are most vibrant and beautiful, as they symbolize the magic of love
When you're in love
Love has the power to transform the world around us and make everything more beautiful
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: LARUE, JACQUES/LOUIGUY, -/DAVID, MACK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@johnnolan6777
I had an older brother who passed away 6 weeks after he was born on May 3rd 1955, this was the number one song on that date. I never knew him but I was named after him and feel he is my guardian angle. He would have been 68 today
@philipnorris6542
He is in a better place; keep on rocking, my friend.
@ElisandroSaenz
GOD IS ALWAYS WONDERFUL. HE SOMETIMES GIVES US A LITTLE TASTE OF GOODNESS TO LET US KNOW, WHAT'S AWAITING FOR US ON THE OTHER END OF THE FIELD GOAL. CHEER UP!❤🙏
@ElisandroSaenz
@@philipnorris6542 WHAT A BLESSING! HE DIDN'T HAVE TO DEAL WITH SIN, OR FACE THE DANGER OF BECOMING AN ENEMY OF GOD .
@armybeef68
@@ElisandroSaenz
Darkness, absolutely nothing, like how you were 100 years before you were born, and 100 years after you're dead.
@swrennie
I had acute on guardian angle, but he was kind of obtuse.
@danilorodriguez2596
What a beautiful theme. I remember 1957, I was a child and my dad listen it every night. It bring to me a lot of homesickness.
@johncater7861
It was around that time and we went to the pictures and as we climbed the stairs, holding my Daddy's hand, this music was playing.
@aleksandrtraynin8165
И мне тоже!
@locadisa
When I was a kid I remember that my mother would play this song over and over. In my mind I could see the smile on her face each time she repeated the song.
RIP Mommy. I love and miss you so much.