Mongo Santamaria
Ramón "Mongo" Santamaría Rodríguez (April 7, 1917 – February 1, 2003) was a Cuban percussionist and bandleader who spent most of his career in the United States. Primarily a conga drummer, Santamaría was a leading figure in the pachanga and boogaloo dance crazes of the 1960s. His biggest hit was his rendition of Herbie Hancock's "Watermelon Man", which was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998. From the 1970s, he recorded mainly salsa and Latin jazz, before retiring in the late 1990s. Mongo learned to play the congas as an amateur rumba musician in the streets of Havana. He then learned the bongos from Clemente "Chicho" Piquero and toured with various successful bands such as the Lecuona Cuban Boys and Sonora Matancera. In 1950, he moved to New York City, where he became Tito Puente's conguero and in 1957 he joined Cal Tjader's band. He then formed his own charanga, while at the same time recording some of the first rumba and Santería music albums. By the end of the decade, he had his first pachanga hit, "Para ti". He then became a pioneer of boogaloo with "Watermelon Man" and later signed record deals with Columbia, Atlantic and Fania. He collaborated with salsa artists and became a member of the Fania All-Stars, often showcasing his conga solos against Ray Barretto. In his later years, Santamaría recorded mostly Latin jazz for Concord Jazz and Chesky Records. |
Birth and Death Data: Born April 7, 1917 (Havana), Died February 1, 2003 (Miami)
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1951 - 1955
Roles Represented in DAHR: conga, drums, bongos
Notes: Mongo Santamaría also known as Ray Santamaría, Ramon Santamaría (and Santa María), Raymon Santamaría, and Ramón Santamaría Rodríguez.
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Victor | E1FB-1345 | 10-in. | 3/5/1951 | Dengozo | Orquesta Alberto Iznaga | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal duet | instrumentalist, conga | |
Victor | E1FB-1346 | 10-in. | 3/5/1951 | Papirimi | Orquesta Alberto Iznaga | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal duet | instrumentalist, conga | |
Victor | E1FB-1347 | 10-in. | 3/5/1951 | La bomba | Orquesta Alberto Iznaga | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal duet | instrumentalist, conga | |
Victor | E1FB-1348 | 10-in. | 3/5/1951 | Dos besitos | Orquesta Alberto Iznaga | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal duet | instrumentalist, conga | |
Victor | E1FB-1349 | 10-in. | 3/5/1951 | Afrorriqueño | Orquesta Alberto Iznaga | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal duet | instrumentalist, conga | |
Victor | E1FB-1350 | 10-in. | 3/5/1951 | La tolibamba | Orquesta Alberto Iznaga | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal duet | instrumentalist, conga | |
Victor | E1FB-1351 | 10-in. | 3/5/1951 | Pescando | Orquesta Alberto Iznaga | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal duet | instrumentalist, conga | |
Victor | E1FB-1352 | 10-in. | 3/5/1951 | Candela | Orquesta Alberto Iznaga | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal duet | instrumentalist, conga | |
Victor | F2TB-8074 | 10-in. | 11/28/1955 | Everlasting love | Tito Puente Orchestra | Instrumental ensemble | instrumentalist, conga | |
Victor | F2TB-8075 | 10-in. | 11/28/1955 | Vibe cha-cha | Tito Puente Orchestra | Instrumental ensemble | instrumentalist, conga | |
Victor | F2TB-8076 | 10-in. | 11/28/1955 | Cuban nightmare | Tito Puente Orchestra | Instrumental ensemble | instrumentalist, conga | |
Victor | F2TB-8077 | 10-in. | 11/28/1955 | Mambo buda | Tito Puente Orchestra | Instrumental ensemble | instrumentalist, conga | |
Victor | E3FB-1276 | 10-in. | 5/7/1953 | Ven lulu | Los Mendoza ; Octavio Mendoza | Instrumental ensemble, with male vocal duet | instrumentalist, conga | |
Victor | E3FB-1279 | 10-in. | 5/7/1953 | Te va a gustar | Los Mendoza ; Octavio Mendoza | Instrumental ensemble, with male vocal duet | instrumentalist, conga | |
Victor | E4FB-3557 | 10-in. | 2/16/1954 | Te ofrezco mi amor | Damiron y su Ritmo | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, conga | |
Victor | E4FB-3558 | 10-in. | 2/16/1954 | Latin jam session | Damiron y su Ritmo | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, conga | |
Decca | 86982 | 10/29/1954 | [Unknown title(s)] | George Williams Orchestra | instrumentalist, drums | |||
Decca | 86983 | 10/29/1954 | Song from Desiree (We meet again) | George Williams Orchestra | instrumentalist, drums | |||
Decca | 86984 | 10/29/1954 | Tiger rag mambo | George Williams Orchestra | instrumentalist, drums | |||
Decca | 86985 | 10/29/1954 | [Unknown title(s)] | George Williams Orchestra | instrumentalist, drums |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Santamaria, Mongo," accessed November 24, 2024, https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/342225.
Santamaria, Mongo. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 24, 2024, from https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/342225.
"Santamaria, Mongo." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 24 November 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Mongo Santamaría
Discogs: Mongo Santamaria
Allmusic: Mongo Santamaria
Apple Music: Mongo Santamaria
IMDb: Mongo Santamaria
Britannica: Mongo Santamaria
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Santamaria, Mongo - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n83189403
Wikidata: Mongo Santamaría - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q472644
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/49409306
MusicBrainz: Mongo Santamaría - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/915f84de-eac2-4e78-99ad-9ab6e2c50af6
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