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Xavier Cugat

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Xavier Cugat
Xavier Cugat in New York City about 1946
Born
Francesc d'Assís Xavier Cugat Mingall de Bru i Deulofeu,

(1900-01-01)1 January 1900
Girona, Catalonia, Spain
Died27 October 1990(1990-10-27) (aged 90)
Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Resting placeCementeri de Girona, Girona, Catalonia, Spain
Occupations
  • Musician
  • singer
  • actor
  • director
  • screenwriter
  • bandleader
Years active1925–1970
Spouses
Carmen Castillo
​
​
(m. 1929; div. 1946)​
Lorraine Allen
​
​
(m. 1947; div. 1952)​
​
​
(m. 1952; div. 1963)​
​
​
(m. 1966; div. 1978)​
RelativesFrancis Cugat (brother)
AwardsCreu de Sant Jordi (1990)

Xavier Cugat (/ˈzeɪviər kuːɡɑːt/; Catalan: [ʃəβiˈe kuˈɣat]; 1 January 1900 – 27 October 1990) was an American musician and bandleader who was a leading figure in the spread of Latin music in the United States. Originally from Girona, Catalonia in Spain, he spent his formative years in Havana, Cuba, before arriving in New York City in 1915. A trained violinist and arranger, he was the leader of the resident orchestra at the Waldorf–Astoria hotel from 1933-1949 and a prolific recording artist for 40 years. He became known as the "Rumba King." A restaurateur in West Hollywood and New York, he and his band appeared in numerous motion pictures in the 1930s and 1940s. He was also a caricature artist.

Early life

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Xavier Cugat was born with the Catalan name Francesc d'Assís Xavier Cugat Mingall de Bru i Deulofeu, or (more simply in standard form with his mother's name last) Xavier Cugat i Mingall[1][2] in Girona, Catalonia in Spain on 1 January 1900.[3] He identified as Catalan his entire life.[4] His family emigrated to Cuba when he was three years old.[3] He studied classical violin and worked as a violinist at the age of nine in a silent movie theater to help pay for his education.[4] He was first violin for the Teatro Nacional Symphonic Orchestra in Havana.[4] When he was not performing, he started drawing caricatures.[5] On 6 July 1915 he and his family arrived in New York City on the SS Havana.

Cugat regularly embellished his life history as a strategy of self-promotion, sometimes making it difficult to determine the facts of his life.[4] For example, it was regularly reported that while still in Havana Cugat became friends with Enrico Caruso, appeared in recitals with him and playing violin solos, but, in a careful analysis, Galina Bakhtiarova shows that that was impossible.[4] Cugat's 1948 autobiography Rumba is My Life[6] describes in detail an interaction with Caruso in Havana, apparently entirely fictional;[4] Caruso did not visit Havana until 1920.[4] Similarly, in his 1981 autobiography Cugat claimed, and it was widely reported,[7][8] that he was married to the star of the Cuban musical theater Rita Montaner from 1918 to about 1920, but Bakhtiarova points out that a well-sourced biography of Montaner shows that was not possible.[4]

From the late 1910s to early 1920s, Cugat was beginning a career as a violinist.[4] It was a difficult career choice.[3] He appeared in concerts in Carnegie Hall in 1920 and 1922. He performed on WDY radio, Camden, N.J., in 1921, becoming one of the first solo musicians to play on radio.[3] In the early 1920s he traveled to Europe to continue studying the violin, performing in Spain.[4] He returned to New York disappointed at his prospects of becoming a professional violinist.[4] Offered a job to assist an art and antiques dealer in selling Spanish art on the U.S. West Coast, Cugat drove a car-load of paintings to Los Angeles and worked at a gallery there around 1924-5.[4]

Early career

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Xavier Cugat in 1924
Self-caricature of Cugat, aka De Bru, Photoplay Magazine, November 1927

In Los Angeles he was a featured soloist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic.[3] His career as a classical violinist not going as well as expected, Cugat began working for the Los Angeles Times as a caricaturist from 1924-5.[9][3] His caricatures were nationally syndicated. They appeared in Photoplay magazine beginning in November 1927, under the byline "de Bru." (His older brother, Francis, was an artist of some note, having painted cover art for F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby.[10]) Assigned to create a caricature of the Mexican star Dolores del Río, he accidentally drew her double instead, Carmen Castillo.[4] He became friends with Castillo, and they began socializing, with Cugat putting together a small band for parties at her house.[4] The band began performing professionally, and Cugat married Castillo in 1929.[4] Cugat would draw caricatures throughout his life.

By the late 1920s, the band led by Cugat was often playing at the Coconut Grove, a club in Los Angeles. Cugat's friend, Charlie Chaplin, visited the club to dance the tango, so Cugat added tangos to the band's performances.[4] Seeing how popular the dance was becoming, Cugat convinced the owner to hire South American dancers to give tango lessons. This, too, became popular, and Cugat made the dancers part of his orchestra, now called "Xavier Cugat and His Gigolos".[4] In May 1928 he turned his act into a short film of the same name.[11]

Latin band leader

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For more than 30 years Cugat shuttled between New York and Los Angeles, conducting Latin music on both coasts of the United States. In 1931, he took his band to New York for the opening of the Waldorf–Astoria hotel. In 1933 he replaced Jack Denny as leader of the hotel's resident band. For the next sixteen years, until 1949, he led the Waldorf-Astoria Orchestra.[5][12] One of his trademark gestures was to hold a chihuahua while he waved his baton with the other arm.[13] For the opening act of any performance, he would invariably play the theme My Shawl that he had composed based on Catalan folk music.[4]

External image
image icon Xavier Cugat conducts his orchestra at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel's Sert Room in 1938
Life Magazine
External audio
audio icon Xavier Cugat conducting the Waldorf Astoria Orchestra with his wife Carmen Castillo singing his song "Yours" in the 1940's
Archive.org

In 1941 a legal dispute initiated by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers proved to be a boon to Cugat's band.[9] The society banned its music from being broadcast after a dispute with the networks over fees. This greatly limited the songs that most bands could play on the air, but Cugat was able form play lists using a library of more than 500 non-society Latin tunes.[9] He was signed to a popular radio program with dance bands, Camel Caravan, which enhanced his national reputation.[9]

Throughout the 1930s and 1940s Cugat was known as the "King of the Rumba".[3] He was foremost a natural entertainer and showman, and a musician second. He took pride that people enjoyed and danced to his music, making them feel good and happy.[3] Cugat followed trends closely, making records for the conga, the mambo, the cha-cha-cha, and the twist when these dances were popular. In 1940 his recording of "Perfidia" became a hit. In 1943, Cugat's recording of "Brazil" was his most successful chart hit. It spent seven weeks at No. 2 on the Billboard magazine National Best Selling Retail Records chart (behind Harry James's song "I've Heard That Song Before").[14] Cugat performed and recorded "The Peanut Vendor" (El Manisero) with many artists throughout his career.[4]

Abbe Lane and Xavier Cugat during a 1953 visit to Japan

Cugat recorded prolifically: for Columbia in the 1940s and 1950s, RCA Victor in the 1930s and 1950s, Mercury in 1951–52 and the 1960s, and Decca in the 1960s. Dinah Shore made her first recordings as a vocalist with Cugat in 1939 and 1940 for RCA Victor. After seeing Desi Arnaz perform, Cugat hired him for his touring orchestra, playing the conga drum and singing. Arnaz became a star attraction, and Cugat encouraged him to start his own band, the Desi Arnaz Orchestra.[15][16] In the 1950s he made several recordings with his wife, singer Abbe Lane. His orchestra also included Lina Romay, Tito Rodriguez, Yma Sumac, and Miguelito Valdés.[17] Cugat directed over 150 recordings with the Waldorf-Astoria Orchestra between 1937 and 1942.[4] According to Time Magazine, in 1942 Cugat was making a half million dollars (equivalent to 10 million in 2024) a year as orchestra leader.[4]

Restaurateur

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Beginning in the 1940s, Cugat owned and operated the Mexican restaurant Casa Cugat on La Cienega Boulevard in West Hollywood. The restaurant was frequented by Hollywood celebrities and featured two singing guitarists who would visit each table and play diners' favorite songs upon request.[18] The restaurant closed in 1986.[19]

In 1958 Cugat opened another "Casa Cugat" restaurant in New York City, featuring Spanish, Cuban, and Mexican cuisine, but the restaurant lasted only a year.[20][21]

Career in films

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The popularity of Cugat and his orchestra led to appearances in films, such as: In Gay Madrid (1930), Go West, Young Man (1936) with Mae West,[22] You Were Never Lovelier (1942), Week-End at the Waldorf (1945), Holiday in Mexico (1946), A Date with Judy (1948), and Chicago Syndicate (1955).[17] Cugat's restaurant appears in the 1943 film The Heat's On, also starring Cugat as himself.

Cugat appeared in series of motion pictures with the competitive swimmer and actress Esther Williams and her outsized swimming pools, including Bathing Beauty (1944), This Time for Keeps (1947), On an Island with You (1948), and Neptune's Daughter (1949).[9] His restaurant's exterior and a fanciful depiction of its interior can be found in scenes of Neptune's Daughter, in which Cugat has a substantial role playing himself. The movie was a hit, and Cugat's appearance in it made him a household name.[8]

Personal life and death

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Cugat's tomb
Xavier Cugat's tomb in Girona's cemetery

Cugat was married four times. His first marriage was to his band vocalist Carmen Castillo (1929–46), his second to actress Lorraine Allen (1947–52), his third to singer Abbe Lane (1952–64), and his fourth to Spanish guitarist and comic actress Charo Baeza, stage name Charo, (1966–78).[3][8] Cugat fathered no children.[8]

Cugat became a naturalized American citizen in 1941.[23] He was the author of two autobiographies, Rumba is my Life (1948),[6] and Yo Cugat: Mis primeros 80 Años (I Cugat: My first 80 years) (1981), published in Spain.[4]

After a stroke left him partially paralyzed in 1969, in 1972 Cugat returned to Catalonia,[3] living in a suite at the Ritz Barcelona hotel.[2] The hotel has been known since 2005 as the El Palace Barcelona hotel,[24] maintaining a "Cugat Room".[25] Despite ongoing heart and lung ailments,[26] at age 86 he formed a new 16-piece band and began touring Spain.[7] He died of heart failure on 27 October 1990 at age 90 at the Quiron Clinic in Barcelona.[9] He was buried in his native Girona.[27]

Legacy

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In 1988 the town of Girona named a wide boulevard through the neighborhood of Fontajau as the Rambla Xavier Cugat in his honor.[28][2] He was honored with two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, one on the west side of the 1600 block of Vine Street for music, and another on the east side of the 1500 block of Vine for television.[22] In 1990 Cugat was awarded the Creu de Sant Jordi (Cross of Saint George) by the Generalitat of Catalonia.[29][30] Cugat was posthumously inducted into the International Latin Music Hall of Fame in 2001.[31]

Cugat's recordings continue to be used in films. Several songs that he recorded, including "Perfidia", were used in the Wong Kar-wai films Days of Being Wild (1990) and 2046 (2004). His song "Cui Cui" was used in the animated film Happy Feet (2006), while Cugat's signature song "My Shawl" was featured in the film Kit Kittredge: An American Girl (2008).[22]

Cugat was the subject of a 2016 Spanish biographical film Sexo, Maracas y Chihuahuas, in Spanish or Catalan. [32] The film, 1 hr 27 min duration, was written and directed by Diego Mas Trelles.

The personal papers and other personal and professional material of Xavier Cugat are preserved in the Library of Catalonia in Barcelona.[33]

Discography

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  • The Lady in Red (RCA Victor, 1935)[34]
  • One, Two, Three, Kick – Congas (Victor, 1941)
  • Xavier Cugat's Mexico (Columbia, 1944)
  • Cugat's Favorite Rhumbas (Columbia, 1945)
  • In Santiago, Chile (Tain't Chilly At All) (Columbia, 1948)
  • Siesta (Columbia, 1948)
  • Tropical Bouquets (Columbia, 1949)
  • Relaxing with Cugat (Columbia, 1952)
  • Dancetime with Cugat (RCA Victor, 1953)
  • Cugat's Favorite Rhumbas (Columbia, 1954)
  • Ole! (Columbia, 1955)
  • Mambo at the Waldorf (Columbia, 1955)
  • Cha Cha Cha (Columbia, 1955)
  • Cugatango! (10" record) (Columbia, 1956)
  • Bread, Love and Cha Cha Cha (Columbia, 1957)
  • Waltzes but by Cugat! (Columbia, 1957)
  • Mambo! (Music for Latin Lovers) (Mercury, 1957)
  • The King Plays Some Aces (RCA Victor, 1958)
  • Cugat Calvalcade (Columbia, 1958)
  • Cugat in Spain (RCA Victor, 1959)
  • That Latin Beat! (RCA Victor, 1959)
  • Chile Con Cugie (RCA Victor, 1959)
  • The Latin Rhythms of Xavier Cugat (Harmony, 1960)
  • Cugat in France, Spain, and Italy (RCA Victor, 1960)
  • The Best of Cugat (Mercury, 1961)
  • Viva Cugat! (Mercury, 1961)
  • Twist with Cugat (Mercury, 1962)
  • Cugat Plays Continental Hits (Mercury, 1962)
  • Most Popular Movie Hits As Styled By Cugat (Mercury, 1962)
  • Cugat Plays Continental Hits (Mercury, 1962)
  • Cugi's Cocktails (Mercury, 1963)
  • Cugat's Golden Goodies (Mercury, 1963)
  • Cugi's Cocktails (Mercury, 1963)
  • Cugat Caricatures (Mercury, 1964)
  • Plays the Music of Ernesto Lecuona (Mercury, 1964)
  • Midnight Roses (Decca, 1968)
  • The Cugat Touch (Springboard, 1976)

References

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  1. ^ "Cineastes i gent de cinema Xavier Cugat" (in Catalan). www.pedresdegirona.com. Retrieved 26 June 2025.
  2. ^ a b c "Xavier Cugat, de Girona al Estrellato" (in Spanish). barcelonaenhorasdeoficina.com. Retrieved 26 June 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Bandleader Xavier Cugat, 'Rumba King,' Dies at 90". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on November 20, 2015. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v Bakhtiarova, Galina (10 February 2014). "A Spaniard in America / An Americano in Spain: Xavier Cugat and his Incredible Story". oceanide.es. Retrieved 25 June 2025.
  5. ^ a b Groppa, Carlos G. (16 January 2018). The Tango in the United States: A History. McFarland. pp. 119–. ISBN 978-0-7864-2686-7. Retrieved 20 February 2019.
  6. ^ a b Cugat, Xavier (1948). "Rumba is my Life". archive.org. Retrieved 26 June 2025.
  7. ^ a b "Xavier Cugat, 90, band leader". Tampa Bay Times. 28 October 1990. Retrieved 26 June 2025.
  8. ^ a b c d "Xavier Cugat, 'Rumba King' in 1930s,'40S". Washington Post. 28 October 1990. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  9. ^ a b c d e f Wilson, John S. (28 October 1990). "Xavier Cugat, 90, the Bandleader Who Rose on the Rumba's Tide". New York Times. Retrieved 26 June 2025.
  10. ^ Tate, Mary Jo (2007). Critical Companion to F. Scott Fitzgerald. Infobase Publishing. p. 88. ISBN 978-0-8160-6433-5. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
  11. ^ "Xavier Cugat and His Gigolos". silentera.com. 22 March 2020. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  12. ^ Garcia, Richard A.; Meier, Matt S.; Serri, Conchita F. (1997-05-28). Notable Latino Americans. Westport, Conn: Bloomsbury Publishing USA. ISBN 978-0-313-00555-8.
  13. ^ Powell, Jane (1988). The Girl Next Door...and How She Grew (1st ed.). Morrow. p. 112. ISBN 0-688-06757-3.
  14. ^ "The Billboard Music Popularity Chart" (PDF). americanradiohistory.com. The Billboard. 3 April 1943. p. 22. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  15. ^ "Here's What Happened to 'I Love Lucy' Star Desi Arnaz". November 5, 2019.
  16. ^ Arnaz, Desi. A Book. New York: William Morrow, 1976. ISBN 0688003427
  17. ^ a b Harris, Craig. "Xavier Cugat". AllMusic. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  18. ^ "Mexican Food: What Do Showbiz People Like to Eat?". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles. March 11, 1980. Retrieved February 19, 2017.
  19. ^ Andrews, Colman (May 18, 1986). "A Bogus Critic Without Reservation". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
  20. ^ "Casa Cugat, dinner menu". Culinary Institute of America. Retrieved 26 June 2025.
  21. ^ "Basin Street East Plans Conversion Into a Restaurant". The New York Times. 25 October 1967. Retrieved 26 June 2025.
  22. ^ a b c "Xavier Cugat". Los Angeles Times Hollywood Star Walk. Retrieved 28 June 2025.
  23. ^ "I'm An American -- Xavier Cugat". www.ushmm.org. Ellis Island, New York: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Retrieved 5 May 2025. 'The Rumba King' closes the segment by stating naturalization is more serious than choosing a wife.
  24. ^ Kliger, Isabelle (4 April 2024). "El Palace Barcelona review: a Ritz outpost with serious star power". The Times. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  25. ^ "El Palace Barcelona born, as the Ritz of Barcelona". The Palace Barcelona. Retrieved 2 July 2025.
  26. ^ "Rumba King bandleader Xavier Cugat was admitted to the..." United Press International. 24 December 1984. Retrieved 2 July 2025.
  27. ^ Losada, Carles (28 October 1990). "Unas mil personas asistieron ayer al entierro en Gerona de Xavier Cugat" (in Spanish). El Pais. Retrieved 26 June 2025.
  28. ^ "La Rambla Xavier Cugat" (in Catalan). Televisió de Girona i l'Ajuntament de Girona/youtube. 2004. Retrieved 26 June 2025.
  29. ^ "DECRET 33/1990, de 23 de gener, de concessió de les Creus de Sant Jordi de la Generalitat de Catalunya". Generalitat de Catalunya. 23 January 1990. Retrieved 2 July 2025.
  30. ^ Citation in English: For his long artistic career centered in the United States that has made him one of the symbols of musical cinema and one of the most popular and recognized Catalans around the world. Also for his outstanding activity as a cartoonist and caracaturist, evident through numerous exhibitions.
  31. ^ "International Latin Music Hall of Fame Announces Inductees for 2001". 3 April 2001. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
  32. ^ "Sexo, maracas y chihuahuas". IMDb. Retrieved 1 July 2025.
  33. ^ "Cugat, Xavier (Girona, 1900 - Barcelona, 1990) Violinist, director and cartoonist". Library of Catalonia, Generalitat de Catalunya, Departament de Cultura. Retrieved 1 July 2025.
  34. ^ "The Lady in Red" by Xavier Cugat and His Waldorf-Astoria Orchestra, Written by Mort Dixon and Allie Wrubel, Recorded April 1, 1935, and released April 24, 1935, on Victor 25012-A, 78 RPM single – SecondHandSongs
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