Active from 1942 Albums Guaracha-Son | Genre World | |
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Record labels Discos Musart, Orfeón, EGREM Nominations Latin Grammy Award for Best Traditional Tropical Album Similar Enrique Jorrín, Orquesta Aragón, Abelardo Barroso, Richard Egües, Orquesta Riverside | ||
Orquesta América is a Cuban charanga orchestra founded in Havana in 1942, and later based in Mexico City and California. The band pioneered the cha-cha-chá in 1953.
Contents
History
The band was founded in 1942 by singer Ninón Mondéjar with Alex Sosa (piano), Enrique Jorrín, Antonio Sánchez, and Félix Guerra (violins), Juan Ramos (flute) and others. Mondéjar and Sosa went to Mexico, then later revived Orquesta América in California. Success, in Cuba, came in 1953 with Orquesta America's recording of Jorrín's "La engañadora." However the success of the band led to Mondéjar and Jorrín over whether the bandleader or songwriter should take the credit for the invention of the cha-cha-chá. The band split during a tour of Mexico in December 1954 and Ramos returned to Havana with half of the band to form Orquesta América del '55 in 1955. In the 1990s leadership of the California-based band passed to Jorge Machado Durán. Ninón Mondéjar died in Havana in 2006.
Singles
Compilations
Songs
Poco Pelo2004
Los MarcianosLo Mejor Del Chachacha · 2000
La EngañadoraLo Mejor Del Chachacha · 2000