"What is this thing they call the mambo, that everybody is raving about?" asked Ivory Joe Hunter regarding that crazy dance that his baby wanted to do all the time... and we assume not only his baby, but every cool kitten from any of the big cities during the mid 50's, all over the USA. Born as a mixture of jazz-swing and Cuban music; a fantastic blend for a fantastic foot moving music, and often featuring wild acrobatics The Mambo gained big popularity in the USA during the late 40's when loads of dancers used to hang around legendary places like New York's ParkPlaza Ballroom or the Palladium Ballroom. Following the great popularity of the new dance other Latin rhythms such as the Cha Cha Cha or Merengue also became popular. Suddenly everything that had a Latin sound was hip and cool; a few Spanish words (Hey Señorita!) and the sound of maracas, bongos or castanets were often used as condiments by the R&B scene cooks. It's often said by band members that their main reason for singing was not to be famous but to attract girls... so man... to attract girls you have to sing well, look sharp, and be on the latest craze... and by the mid 50's it was the Mambo!! Track Listing: 1. I got to learn to do the mambo - Ivory Joe Hunter & the Ivorytones, 1954 Atlantic 1049 2. Mambo Shevitz - The Crows, 1954 Tico 1082 3. Cha cha baby - New Yorker's 5, 1955 Danice 801 4. Ay, si, si - The Dootones, 1955 Dootone 366 5. Mambo fiesta - The Calvaes, 1956 Cobra 5003 6. Lips red as wine - The Colts, 1955 Vita 112 7. Going down to Tia Juana - Andre Williams & the Don Juans, 1955 Fortune 824 8. Caldonia's mambo - The Street Singers, 1955 Tuxedo 899 9. Morocco Chant - The Moroccos, 1955 United Unreleased 10. The mambo - The Charmers, 1954 Timely 1009 11. Mambo Boogie - The Harptones, Alt. Take of 1954 Bruce 104 12. Lonely Lonely Village - The Calvaes, 1957 Cobra 5014 13. Aye Senorita - The Echoes, 1957 Combo 127 14. Mexico Bound - The Champions, 1956 Chart 611 15. Honey love - The Drifters, 1954 Atlantic 1029 16. Lover's Mambo - The Ontarios, 1955 Big Town 121 17. We like mambo - Huey "Piano" Smith, 1955 Ace 515 18. Hey Senorita - The Penguins, 1954 Dootone 348 19. Do be oo be wop wop - The Squires, 1955 Mambo 105 20. Show me the Merengue - Lee Andrews & the Hearts, 1956 Gotham 318 21. Niki Niki Mambo - The Nu-Tones, 1955 Hollywood Star 797 22. Mambo Baby - Ruth Brown & Group, 1954 Atlantic 1044 23. Loop De Loop Mambo - The Robins, 1954 Spark 107 24. Mambo Baby Tonight - Candy Rivers & The Falcons, 1954 Flip 302 25. Shake it up mambo - The Platters, 1954 Federal 12198 26. Mambo Santa Mambo - The Enchanters, 1957 Coral 61916 27. The mambo of love - Nolan Strong & the Diablos, 1957 Fortune 525 Bonus Track: 28. Barcelona Rock - The Moonglows, 1957 Unreleased |
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