Xavier Cugat

Xavier Cugat
Born Francisco de Asís Javier Cugat Mingall de Bru y Deulofeu
(1900-01-01)1 January 1900[1]
Girona, Catalonia, Spain
Died 27 October 1990(1990-10-27) (aged 90)
Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Occupation Singer, songwriter, actor, director. screenwriter
Years active 1925–1990
Spouse(s) Rita Montaner
(m.1918–1920; divorced)
Carmen Castillo
(m.1929–1946; divorced)
Lorraine Allen
(m.1947–1952; divorced)
Abbe Lane
(m.1952–1963; divorced)
Charo
(m.1966–1978; divorced)
Website Xavier Cugat official webpage

Xavier Cugat (English:; Catalan: [ʃəβiˈe kuˈɣat]; 1 January 1900[1] – 27 October 1990) was a Spanish-American bandleader and native of Spain who spent his formative years in Havana, Cuba. A trained violinist and arranger, he was a leading figure in the spread of Latin music in United States popular music. He was also a cartoonist. In New York, he was the leader of the resident orchestra at the Waldorf-Astoria before and after World War II. The personal papers of Xavier Cugat are preserved in the Biblioteca de Catalunya.

Life and career

Cugat was born as Francisco de Asís Javier Cugat Mingall de Bru y Deulofeu[2][3] (Catalan: Francesc d'Assís Xavier Cugat i Mingall de Bru i Deulofeu) in Girona, Catalonia, Spain.[2][3] His family immigrated to Cuba when Xavier was five. He was trained as a classical violinist and played with the Orchestra of the Teatro Nacional in Havana. On 6 July 1915, he and his family arrived in New York City as immigrant passengers on board the S.S. Havana. Cugat appeared in recitals with Enrico Caruso, playing violin solos.[3]

Marriages

Cugat was married five times. His first marriage was to Rita Montaner (1918–1920); his second was to Carmen Castillo (1929–1944); his third to Lorraine Allen (1947–52); his fourth to singer Abbe Lane (1952–64); and his fifth to Spanish guitarist and comic actress Charo Baeza (1966–78).[2]

Entering the world of show business, he played with a band called The Gigolos during the tango craze.[4] Later, he went to work for the Los Angeles Times as a cartoonist. Cugat's caricatures were later nationally syndicated. His older brother, Francis, was an artist of some note, having painted the famous cover art for F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel, The Great Gatsby.[5]

Hollywood and New York

In the late 1920s, as sound began to be used in films, Cugat put together another tango band that had some success in early short musical films. And by the early 1930s, he began appearing with his group in feature films. His first notable appearance occurred in 1942, in the Columbia production You Were Never Lovelier with Rita Hayworth, Fred Astaire, and Adolphe Menjou. Most of his subsequent movies were made at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios, including Week-End at the Waldorf (1945), Holiday in Mexico (1948), A Date with Judy (1948), Luxury Liner (1948), and the Esther Williams musicals Bathing Beauty (1944), This Time for Keeps (1947), On an Island with You (1948), and Neptune's Daughter (1949).[2]

In 1931, Cugat had taken his band to New York for the 1931 opening of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, and he eventually replaced Jack Denny as the leader of the hotel's resident band. For 16 years, Cugat helmed the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel's orchestra, shuttling between New York and Los Angeles for most of the next 30 years. One of his trademark gestures was to hold a chihuahua while he waved his baton with the other arm.[6]

Recordings

Cugat recorded on Columbia Records (1940s and 1950s, also Columbia's Epic label), RCA Victor (1930s and 1950s), Mercury Records (1951–1952, and the 1960s) and Decca Records (1960s). Dinah Shore made her first recordings as a vocalist with Cugat in 1939 and 1940 (RCA Victor). In 1940, his recording of "Perfidia" became a big hit. Cugat followed trends closely, making records for the conga, the mambo, the cha-cha-cha, and the twist when each was in fashion. Several of the songs he recorded, including "Perfidia", were used in the Wong Kar-wai films Days of Being Wild and 2046. In 1943, "Brazil" was a big hit, reaching No. 17 in the Billboard Top 100.

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

Partial discography

Death

Xavier Cugat spent his last years in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, living in a suite at Hotel Ritz. Cugat died of heart failure at age 90 in Barcelona and was buried in his native Girona. He was posthumously inducted into the International Latin Music Hall of Fame in 2001.[12]

References

  1. 1 2 NOTE: Some sources (, ) indicate 1901 as his year of birth; however, the majority of references, including his tombstone and various United States censuses, all clearly support 1900 as the correct year of birth.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Xavier Cugat profile, IMDb.com; accessed 8 November 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 Xavier Cugat official webpage, xaviercugat.com; accessed 8 November 2015.
  4. ↑ Profile Archived November 24, 2006, at the Wayback Machine. LegacyRecordings.com; accessed 8 November 2015.
  5. ↑ Tate, Mary Jo (2007). Critical companion to F. Scott Fitzgerald: a literary reference to his life and work. Infobase Publishing. p. 88. ISBN 978-0-8160-6433-5. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
  6. ↑ Powell, Jane (1988). The Girl Next Door...and How She Grew (1st ed.). p. 112. ISBN 0-688-06757-3.
  7. ↑ "Xavier Cugat And His Orchestra - Cugat Cavalcade".
  8. ↑ "Xavier Cugat And His Orchestra - The King Plays Some Aces".
  9. ↑ "Xavier Cugat And His Orchestra - Viva Cugat!".
  10. ↑ "Xavier Cugat And His Orchestra - The Best Of Cugat".
  11. ↑ "Xavier Cugat And His Orchestra - Cugi's Cocktails".
  12. ↑ "International Latin Music Hall of Fame Announces Inductees for 2001". 3 April 2001. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
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