| Latin Music In The United States |
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Information AboutLatin Music In The United States |
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Latin Music has long influenced American popular music, Jazz , Rhythm And Blues , Rock and even Country Music . For an early example ( 1914 ), the bridge to " Saint Louis Blues "--"Saint Louie woman, with her diamond rings"--has a habanera beat, prompting Jelly Roll Morton to comment, "You've got to have that Spanish tinge." Many an American band has added a Conga player, Maracas , or other Latin Percussion for just that reason. The Argentine Tango was a worldwide success in the 1930s . Tango dancers and records could be found from Los Angeles to Beijing . In more recent times, artists such as Carmen Miranda , Desi Arnaz , Xavier Cugat , and Pérez Prado ("The Mambo King") were popular with audiences of all cultures. Judy Garland 's first hit, as a member of the "Gumm Sisters", was " La Cucaracha ", right down to the line about Marijuana . It was common in dance halls in the 30s and 40s for a Latin orchestra, such as that of Vincent Lopez , to alternate with a Big Band because dancers insisted on it. Latin music was extremely popular with dancers, not only the Samba , Paso Doble , Rumba , and Mambo , but even the Conga . In the 50s , Perez Prado made the Cha-cha-cha famous, and the Afro-Cuban Jazz of Dizzy Gillespie opened many ears to the harmonic, melodic, and rhythmic possibilities of Latin music and is still influential in Salsa . The "Spanish tinge" was also a common feature of Rhythm And Blues in the 50s . The monster hit "Little Darling" was driven by the Clave beat and Chuck Berry 's "Havana Moon" was a great success. Richie Valens , born Ricardo Valenzuela, blew the roof off the Hit Parade with " La Bamba ", originally a Mexican Wedding Song . Likewise, Tex-Mex And Tejano style featured the Conjunto sound, resulting in such important music as "Tequila" by The Champs , "96 Tears" by Question Mark And The Mysterians , Sam The Sham & The Pharaohs , Thee Midniters , and the many combinations led by Doug Sahm , including the Sir Douglas Quintet and the Texas Tornadoes . The Texas Tornadoes featured Freddy Fender , who brought Latin soul to Country Music . And the Tornadoes' Flaco Jiménez is a genuine conjunto hero, a third-generation Accordionist whose grandfather learned the instrument from German settlers in Texas . Johnny Rodriguez is another Latin country star. In the modern Rock And Roll era, Carlos Santana featured a full-blown Latin approach. Joe King Carrasco Y Las Coronas play Punk Rock Tex-Mex style. See also Rock En Español . During the second part of the decade of the 1990s , Latin music exploded into the mainstream thanks to popular artists like Ricky Martin , Christina Aguilera and Jennifer Lopez . While Latin music has been popular for many years, its current popularity in the mainstream may have come only after the untimely death of the popular Tex Mex singer Selena . Many attribute Jennifer Lopez's discovery as a talented actress and artist as a result of her title role as Selena in the biographical movie of the same name. Selena was murdered by her fan-club president. PRESENT DAY LATIN MUSIC Nowadays, Latin music encompasses a broad spectrum of sounds, artists, genres, and tastes--from Rock En Espanol (with groups like Mana and artists like Shakira ) to new Latin Hip-hop artists like J Lo (otherwise known as Jennifer Lopez) and Big Pun , to Banda music played in Los Angeles, to salsa and Merengue crossover artists such as Marc Anthony . Another important Latin American singer is Pilar Montenegro . Major Record Companies have branches specialized in the Spanish American market. |
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