April 20

This Day in History

Also on This Day

Lead Story
Castro announces Mariel Boatlift, 1980
American Revolution
New York adopts state constitution, 1777
Automotive
Danica Patrick becomes first woman to win Indy race, 2008
Civil War
Lee resigns from U.S. Army, 1861
Cold War
Korean Air Lines jet forced down over Soviet Union, 1978
Crime
A massacre at Columbine High School, 1999
Disaster
Massive oil spill begins in Gulf of Mexico, 2010
General Interest
Siege of Londonderry begins, 1689
Ku Klux Act passed by Congress, 1871
Curies isolate radium, 1902
Columbine High School massacre, 1999
Hollywood
New sound process for films announced, 1926
Literary
First detective story is published, 1841
Music
"Mambo King" Tito Puente is born, 1923
Old West
Militia slaughters strikers at Ludlow, Colorado, 1914
Presidential
McKinley asks for declaration of war with Spain, 1898
Sports
Jordan scores 63 points in playoff game, 1986
Vietnam War
Nixon announces more troop withdrawals, 1970
"Fragging" on the rise in U.S. units, 1971
World War I
Nivelle Offensive ends in failure, 1917
World War II
Operation Corncob is launched while Hitler celebrates his birthday, 1945

Music

Apr 20, 1923:

"Mambo King" Tito Puente is born

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Tito Puente, the bandleader and percussionist who helped popularize Latin dance music and jazz in America, is born on this day in 1923 in New York City. During a career that spanned six decades, the dynamic showman nicknamed “El Rey” (The King), recorded over 100 albums, won five Grammy Awards and was referred to by The New York Times as “the most important Latin musician of the last half century” upon his death in 2000.

Ernest “Tito” Puente, the son of Puerto Rican immigrants, grew up in the Manhattan neighborhood then known as Spanish Harlem. As a child, he learned to play various instruments, including the timbales, a type of drum that would later become his signature. During World War II (1939-45), Puente served in the Navy. Following the war, he studied music at the Juilliard School on the GI Bill. In the late 1940s, he formed his own musical group, which eventually became known as the Tito Puente Orchestra.

In the 1950s, Puente’s career took off as his blend of dance rhythms and jazz arrangements earned him a following at nightclubs and ballrooms across New York City and beyond. Puente, who performed a variety of Latin music styles, received the title “King of Mambo” for his role in popularizing the fast-paced, rhythmic form of Cuban music. (Puente later played himself in the 1992 movie “The Mambo Kings,” based on Oscar Hijuelos’ novel “The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love.”) In 1958, Puente released the album “Dance Mania,” which went on to become an international best-seller. In 1963, he recorded “Oye Como Va,” a song that would be a huge hit for rock guitarist Carlos Santana (1947-) and his band in the 1970s, and was later covered by other musicians.

Puente, who during his career often gave several hundred performances each year, continued to perform until shortly before his death at age 77 on May 31, 2000, after undergoing heart surgery in New York City. Crowds of fans waited in line for hours to attend his wake in Manhattan, and the Puerto Rican government declared three days of official mourning.

In its obituary for the internationally acclaimed musician, The New York Times said of Puente: “…with his distinctive cherubic mug, [he] was an ebullient and wild performer who often clowned and laughed as he whapped away on his timbales.”

“What else have I got to sell?” he once said when asked about this style. “I'm not Ricky Martin, to wave my hips around and show my belly button. I don't have a girl in front of the band singing. I need the people to see I'm having a good time.”

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This Week in History, Apr 20 - Apr 26

Apr 20, 1923
"Mambo King" Tito Puente is born
Apr 21, 1973
"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Old Oak Tree" tops the U.S. pop charts and creates a cultural phenomenon.
Apr 22, 1978
The Blues Brothers make their world premiere on Saturday Night Live
Apr 23, 1961
Judy Garland plays Carnegie Hall
Apr 24, 1962
Patti LaBelle makes her debut on the pop charts, sort of
Apr 25, 1917
Ella Fitzgerald is born
Apr 26, 1977
Studio 54 opens

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