US musician
Tito Puente – the king of mambo actually wanted to be something completely different
Tito Puente on drums. The undated recording shows the legendary musician at a jazz festival in Monterey, California.
© Agefotostock / Imago Images
Growing up in Spanish Harlem, New York, Tito Puente actually had a career in dance in mind. He decided differently – and wrote music history.
Tito Puente was not only the “King of Mambo” in his time, but also the “King of the Timbales”, he mastered the typical Cuban drums of Creole origin like no other. Google is honoring the mambo, salsa and jazz musician this Tuesday with a lavish doodle, which mainly consists of an animated video with Puente’s music and comic drawings about his life – and spreads a lot of good mood early in the morning. The clip evokes associations with Cuba or Puerto Rico. Tito Puente was a real American.
In fact, he was a Nuyorican, as the New York-born children of Puerto Rican parents are known colloquially. Tito Puente was born on April 20, 1923. He grew up in the part of Manhattan called Spanish Harlem. At first he wanted to be a mambo dancer, but then decided on a career in music.
Tito Puente, the “living legend”
With his incredible repertoire of musical instruments – in addition to the timbales he also played the piano, saxophone, vibraphone, congas and bongos – his career lasted more than half a century. He has received many major awards, including five Grammys and being named a Living Legend of the Library of Congress.
Tito Puente died on May 31, 2000 at the age of 77. So this Tuesday’s Google Doodle doesn’t refer to the life dates of this legendary musician.
According to the “Google Watch Blog”, the background is the “National Hispanic Heritage Month” in the USA, which runs until October 15th. This honors the influence of Hispanics in the culture and history of the United States and their achievements in the United States. These attributes undoubtedly apply to Tito Puente.
Sources: “Google watch blog“, “Nau.ch“