SINGER

Mongo Santamaría

1917 - 2003

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Ramón "Mongo" Santamaría Rodríguez (April 7, 1917 – February 1, 2003) was a Cuban percussionist and bandleader who spent most of his career in the United States. Primarily a conga drummer, Santamaría was a leading figure in the pachanga and boogaloo dance crazes of the 1960s. His biggest hit was his rendition of Herbie Hancock's "Watermelon Man", which was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998. From the 1970s, he recorded mainly salsa and Latin jazz, before retiring in the late 1990s. Read more on Wikipedia

His biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. Mongo Santamaría is the 629th most popular singer (up from 647th in 2019), the 58th most popular biography from Cuba (down from 55th in 2019) and the 9th most popular Cuban Singer.

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Among SINGERS

Among singers, Mongo Santamaría ranks 629 out of 4,381. Before him are Haddaway, Anna Vissi, Carlos do Carmo, Jetty Paerl, Geri Halliwell, and George Dalaras. After him are Jorge Ben, Nelly Furtado, Sheryl Crow, Akon, G-Dragon, and Melissa Etheridge.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1917, Mongo Santamaría ranks 146. Before him are Earl Cameron, Katharine Graham, Celeste Holm, Đỗ Mười, Han Suyin, and Sameera Moussa. After him are Robert Conquest, Zoltán Fábri, Justin Ahomadégbé-Tomêtin, Infanta Alicia, Duchess of Calabria, Imre Németh, and Leopoldo Trieste. Among people deceased in 2003, Mongo Santamaría ranks 125. Before him are Rachel Kempson, Jaba Ioseliani, Anita Mui, Rubén González, Paul Janssen, and Harivansh Rai Bachchan. After him are Mario Merz, Bigode, Hans Hermann Groër, Neil Postman, Julinho, and Charles Berlitz.

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In Cuba

Among people born in Cuba, Mongo Santamaría ranks 58 out of 300. Before him are Bebo Valdés (1918), Arnaldo Ochoa (1930), Silvio Rodríguez (1946), Camila Cabello (1997), Jaime Lucas Ortega y Alamino (1936), and Rubén González (1919). After him are Anselmo Alliegro y Milá (1899), María Conchita Alonso (1957), José Ramón Machado Ventura (1930), Salvador Valdés Mesa (1945), José Giral (1879), and José Miguel Gómez (1858).

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Among SINGERS In Cuba

Among singers born in Cuba, Mongo Santamaría ranks 9. Before him are Ibrahim Ferrer (1927), Rita Marley (1946), Omara Portuondo (1930), Pérez Prado (1916), Silvio Rodríguez (1946), and Camila Cabello (1997). After him are Laurel Aitken (1927), Pablo Milanés (1943), Benny Moré (1919), Olga Guillot (1922), Jon Secada (1961), and Addys Mercedes (1985).

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