Xavier Cugat

Xavier Cugat was a Catalan-born bandleader who grew up in Havana, Cuba, and spent most of his career bringing Latin American dance music to mainstream American audiences. He trained as a classical violinist before pivoting to lead his own orchestra, playing rumbas, mambos, merengues, and related styles. For decades he was one of the most visible figures in Latin popular music in the United States, with a long residency at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York and regular appearances in Hollywood films.