A Brief Mambo History

Mambo history takes us back to Cuba. It is a Latin dance of Cuban origin and music was created during the 1930s in Havana by Cachao. Though mambo is a distinctly Cuban style, its roots can be traced back to the European. Read on to know more on the mambo music history.

The very first mambo music was rarely intended for dancing and was a great deal based heavily on English and French ballroom dancing music. Early mambo was music for the sake of music, as mambo history reveals. It did carry inherent dance ability, but no dance had been doled out to it at that point of time and thrived as a piece of music alone.

It was in the 1940s when Damaso Perez Prado, a Cuban bandleader, began to specialize in the form. His version of the mambo music soon brought people to their feet and thus the famous mambo dance was born. Prado also introduced mambo music and dance to the United States. He made certain alterations to it so as to make it more commercial. By 1950’s, as the brief mambo history reflects, Americans were all ready to embrace Mambo. The dance soon became a big craze and Prado’s soon got famous as “Mambo King”.

Mambo music was heavily influenced by the Jazz musicians that the Italian-American gangsters, who ruled the Havana's casinos. They entertained their American customers with Mambo music and dance. Prado also moved his music to Mexico, where the original mambo dance was characterized by freedom and complicated foot-steps. Some well known Mexican entertainers often accompanied Prado in live presentations or were seen in Mexican films.

The original style of the mambo dance and music is still alive Cuba. Several dance studios in Mexico City teach the authentic Mambo dance and music. We hope you enjoyed the brief mambo music history.