Zero to 180 – Three Minute Magic

Discoveries of a Pop Music Archaeologist

Pop & Rock’s Latin Roots: “Cerveza”

The Drifters’ original 1961 version of “Sweet for My Sweets” has a distinct Latin feel — which brings to mind a piece of writing by Dave Marsh that I found to be illuminating some years ago, still do.

In his 1984 article for The Boston Phoenix – “Rock and Roll’s Latin Tinge” – Marsh recounts how, in his frustration over failed attempts to convince a colleague that Latin forms were, indeed, a significant factor in the evolution and development of rock and roll, he compiled (with the help of John Storm RobertsThe Latin Tinge) this somewhat detailed list of rock ‘n’ roll’s Latin roots and influences:

click on song titles below for streaming audio

  • Bo Diddley‘s beat (derived from the mambo), as on “Bo Diddley.”

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Chess EP

US

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78

US

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78

Brazil

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45

Norway

  • Ritchie Valens — whose big hit, “La Bamba” was a Mexican folk song

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78

UK

  • 96 Tears” by ? and the Mysterians, a band of Chicano migrant workers

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45

Italy

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EP

Mexico

  • Surf music, whose entire guitar style, the raison d’etre of the form, can be said to derive from “Malagueña” and similar Mexican-American standards

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78

US (1939)

  • The Premiers‘ “Farmer John,” an impeccable frat-rocker written and performed by another East LA band

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EP

France

  • Such doowop groups as The Teenagers and Harptones, all of which had key Latin members

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78

US

  • The Sir Douglas Quintet (e.g., “Michoacan” & “Nuevo Laredo” ) and the rest of the Tex-Mex bands

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45

Germany

  • The boogaloo (based on the Latin bugalu, which was popularized in 1966 by Joe Cuba‘s instrumental version of “Bang Bang“)

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EP

Spain

  • Santana (e.g., “Oye Como Va“; “Samba Pa Ti” and “Guajira“) — Woodstock’s breakout stars who famously fused rock and Latin American music

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45

India

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45

Canada

  • The slick psychedelicized salsa of Earth, Wind & Fire during their “Serpentine Fire” period

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45

Netherlands

  • And finally the disco movement (e.g., “Let’s Do The Latin Hustle” by Eddie Drennon & B.B.S. Unlimited), which continues to adapt Caribbean rhythmic accents and arrangements

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45

Jamaica

Recorded at Silver Spring, MD’s DB Sound Studios

In 1958 one Latin-flavored instrumental went to the top of the pop and R&B charts — “Tequila” by The Champs.  What a long and healthy life that song has lived, as indicated by the number of cover versions released on 7-inch (and sometimes 10-inch) vinyl one can find with a simple search of 45Cat’s database:

  • Xavier Cugat
  • Chet Baker & the Mariachi Brass
  • Wes Montgomery
  • Larry Carlton
  • Stan Kenton And His Orchestra
  • Ralph Marterie And His Orchestra
  • The Arthur Murray Orchestra
  • Ted Heath And His Music
  • Bill Black’s Combo
  • The Ventures
  • The Surfaris
  • Sandy Nelson
  • Santo And Johnny
  • The Piltdown Men
  • Bad Manners
  • Rockin’ Rebels
  • Mungo Jerry
  • Tony Mottola
  • Mason Williams
  • Hot Butter (Moog parts by Stan Free)
  • The Marty Cooper Clan

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45

Denmark

Of course, there were near-covers, too, such as “Cerveza” by trumpeter Shorty Rogers using the alias, Boots Brown.

Cerveza

Boots Brown & His Blockbusters (1958)

Discogs helpfully provides this quote from Blockbusters member Dave Pell:

“The Boots Brown dates were for movies but then RCA released them as singles.  I don’t know why – maybe to make a double profit or to feed the pipeline for its new 45-rpm format.  But you have to remember, at the time it wasn’t cool to play that kind of music if you played jazz.  That’s why Shorty came up with a fake name.  I don’t know why he chose Boots Brown or what it meant.  I know we didn’t want our names on the records.  We were too embarrassed.”

EP – France

(1958)

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The Accidental Hit

Tequila” was written by Dan Flores (the one who also played the “dirty” sax solo), but because he was already under contract with another label, the songwriting credit is attributed to alter ego, Chuck Rio.  “Tequila,” however was originally a fun jam song that was recorded impromptu at the end of a recording session at Hollywood’s Gold Star Studios for Dave Burgess (a rockabilly artist under contract to Gene Autry‘s Challenge label) by his backing musicians.  The song was originally the B-side to Dave Burgess’ “Train to Nowhere” – a single that was (ironically, perhaps) not going anywhere until DJs began playing the flip side, thus making “Tequila” the first pop instrumental to hit number 1 on the Billboard charts (and, according to The Long Beach Press-Telegram, “the first instrumental group to go to the top spot with its first release”).  What’s funny is that “The Champs” didn’t exist until this song unexpectedly blew up large, at which point one had to be created in order to tour off the success of that song’s sales.

Latin-America

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LINK to Latin Sounds on Zero to 180

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