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| Charo Charo Charo Charo |
| After Carmen Miranda and before Shakkira there was Charo! Long before Gloria Estefan supposedly brought latin music to the mainstream Charo was already an icon.
Born January 15, 1951 in Murcia Spain. Christened MARIA ROSARIO PILAR MARTINEZ MOLINA BAEZA, she was nicknamed Charo as a child. Her father was a lawyer who was exiled to Casablanca during the FRANCO regime, and her mother grew vegetables to pay for her daughter's guitar lessons. Those who only know the "Cuchi-Cuchi" side of Charo will be surprised to learn that as a child she studied with ANDRÉS SEGOVIA, the father of modern classical guitar music. But when she first came to America, no one took her seriously. "For many years, it was horrible," Charo states. "I'd ask, 'Excuse me, can I play my guitar?' They'd tell me, 'Shut up and move your hips.' That's what it was, but now I do both." She came to the U.S. in the 1970's and married the much older Spanish band leader Xavier Cugat. A regular on television talk shows of the era, she appeared frequently in nightclubs and occasionally as a television actress on shows like "Fantasy Island" and "The Love Boat" (she holds the record for the most appearances on "The Love Boat"). By the mid to late 1970's Charo was already a household name. "Cuchi-Cuchi" had become a 1970's catch phrase and she had already dabbled with recording. The earliest recording I have of Charo is a 7" 45 rpm on the Capitol Records label. The song, "La Salsa" was her first attempt at establishing a recording career while bringing her brand of humor and latin sensibilites into the mainstream. Needless to say she didn't rock the world with it. But after all it was the 1970's and anything seemed to go. Charo, like many other female stars, had already attracted a largely gay following. She seemed to epitomize all that gay men liked in the 1970's. After all she wore skimpy tight fitting costumes. She oozed sexuality. She had big hair and seemed more like a drag queen than a real female. While straight males panted and longed for her, gay males were dressing up at Halloween as Charo. This only proved to cement her into mainstream Americana and enhance her career. Another thing happened in the early 1970's. Disco was born. Disco grew largely out of gay bars and it's music was a fusion of R&B and latin rhythms. Now one can see how Charo's career veered towards disco music. Gay audience + predominantly gay music + a longing to finally succeed in the recording industry = Charo! Vincent Montana was already a superstar having taken the tiny Salsoul label and it's orchestra to the top of the club charts when he caught a Charo show. When he went backstage to meet the lively entertainer he was surprised at her eagerness to record. Vince gathered his Salsoul Orchestra, the Sweethearts Of Sigma Sound and set about to produce the album that would catapult Charo into music history. |
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| "Cuchi-Cuchi" was a bright mix of tunes mainly composed by Montana. The ten tracks were as diverse as Charo herself. A cover of the Rolling Stones hit "Let's Spend The Night Together" puts Charo in a rock-vein while "Speedy Gonzalez" has her firmly planting her tongue in her cheek. The album included a remake of The Salsoul Orchestra hit "You're Just The Right Size" which had already been a club hit. The first and only 12" single culled from the album was "Dance A Little Bit Closer." The promo-only single shot to the top of the club charts and helped propell the album to gold status Eventually the album would go Platinum with it's compact disc reissue. The other club favorites off the album were the rousing "Cuchi-Cuchi" and the lively sing-along "Borriquito," a song I continued to play into the 1980's. It was always a floor favorite. The album was rounded out with "El Reloj (The Clock)," "More Of You," "Only You" and "Cookie Jar." All were typical Montana/Salsoul fare and in context work well. |
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| After her first album for Salsoul Records, producer Montana had begun having issues with the Cayre Brothers. Vince started outside projects, most notably for Atlantic Records. This left Charo under contract to Salsoul but without a producer. Enter Tom Moulton who had been friends with the Cayre brothers since his earlier work remixing 12" singles for them. The first project that they tested the waters with was a holiday 12" single. Producer Moulton brought in John (Monster Orchestra) Davis to arrange and conduct the festive "(Mamacita) Donde Esta Santa Claus." The record was a 1978 holiday smash. This is considered one of Charo's most highly sought-after releases as it has never appeared on any album. |
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| "Ole Ole" was a high priority for Salsoul Records. It was given the royal promotion, colored vinyl album and 12", gatefold sleeved jacket and posters flooded the disco market. The title track was the first 12" single released. The pink vinyl "Ole Ole" was a high energy castaneted number that saw mediocre success with it's intial release. A remixed second 12" single brought the hit home. The second single was a promo-only release that is extremely rare. The second track to be released on 12" single was the heavy thumping "Stay With Me." The track is similar to other releases associated with John Davis at the time. Listen to First Choice, Ruth "Silky" Waters, Grace Jones and even his own Monster Orchestra for comparisons.
The album was rounded out with "Concierto De Aranjuez," which featured Charo on guitar, "Hot Love," which was written by Pamela Neal before she scored her on "Charlie Hustle" hit in 1979 and "Love Boat Theme." The latter as sort of an in-joke for all her appearances on the show. |
| By this point in her life Charo had ditched the aging band leader Cugat and remarried the dashingly good looking Kjell Rasten. Their marriage produced one child, a son, and the happy couple are still together today. During the next few years Charo dropped out of showbiz to give birth to her son. She resurfaced in 1981 with a Caytronics album aimed at a broader market than disco. "Bailando Con Charo" featured many of the songs Charo performed in her live shows. Her stunning versions of "Eres Tu" and "Guantanamera" are classic. The album produced one single: "La Mojada/Wet Back." and both album and single are very rare. "When my baby turned five, we didn't have any children to invite for his birthday," Charo recalls. "And I made a decision. I didn't want my son to become a typical show business kid who grows up and writes a book called "Cuchi-Cuchi Dearest." So we canceled everything -- Las Vegas, Atlantic City, New York. We even canceled Broadway -- I was supposed to do the life of CARMEN MIRANDA. And we up and moved to Hawaii" While in Hawaii, Charo and her husband ran a Mexican restaurant. Charo entertained at clubs around the island until the Hilton Hawaiian Village built her a showroom. She entertained international audiences every night while playing mamacita during the day. The family moved to Beverly Hills when son Shel graduated from high school and got accepted at U.S.C. In the 1990's Charo reinvented herself as a serious guitarist. In 1994, she released the flamenco-inspired compact disc "Guitar Passion," which went platinum and earned her the "Female Pop Album of the Year Award" at the 1995 Billboard International Latin Music Conference. She was also voted "Best Flamenco Guitarist" two years in a row in Guitar Player magazine's readers poll. The album brings Charo home to her roots both with her guitar and the selection of songs. Tracks like: "Romance De Amour," "La Segadora y El Carretero," "Caliente," and "Suenos De Espana" are all reminiscent of her earlier childhood days growing up in Spain. While "Burbujas," "Fantasia" and "Luna Clara" are just plain stunning. Her vocals are crisp and clear while her guitar playing is phenomenal...hard to believe that the "cuchi-cuchi girl" could put out such an impressive body of work. In 1997 she released her followup compact disc "Gusto." The album falls into the lightweight pop domain that Gloria Estefan and Ricky Martin rule. The album is a serious attempt at legitimate music. Once again Charo's fantastic guitar work is predominant on the instrumental "Caliente." Her rendition of "Besame Mucho" is an artistic endeavor. She takes on her own previous hit, "Dance A Little Bit Closer" with a big brassy beat reminiscent of The Miami Sound Machine. She turns in Spanish and English versions of three different tracks: "Give Me Cuchi/Dame Cuchi," "El Amor" "Serian Los Dos." And the final cut is "Me Gusta." All in all an impressive package of latin pop work post Gloria Estefan and pre-Ricky Martin. Both of her 1990's compact disc releases are still in print as is her debut release with The Salsoul Orchestra. In 1996 Charo entered the home video market with "Blame It On The Macarena." Shot in South Beach, Florida this fun-filled video will show you how the Macarena has become an international dance craze. So get up, get ready, and let Charo be your personal Macarena instructor as she teaches you step by step this contagious dance in her own inimitable way. Charo does the Macarena over and over and over again, the video features a portion of her concert, including her guitar performance of "Caliente" and also some bloopers from the video shoot! The video is definitely an overview of a forgotten craze and is long out of print. If you happen across a copy buy it just for the kitsch value! Early in 2002 the Vegas News Headlines read: "Spanish spitfire Charo takes over the Sahara Hotel and Casino’s Congo Room on May 6, 2002." Charo currently appears in the fast-paced spectacular, “Bravo.” An international variety show with contemporary Latin music, flamenco, salsa and samba dancing packed with humor and passion. “For me, this is like a homecoming,” said Charo. “To perform again at the Sahara is a thrill for me and I know the audiences from all over the world will enjoy all the many exciting elements that make up ‘Bravo’.” Recently, she was introduced to a whole new generation of fans in a nationwide cellular phone commercial for Sprint PCS. We're happy to feature Charo in The DiscoMuseum and honor her for her contribution to the 1970's Disco Craze! Charo...Muy Amour! |
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