Album Notes

\"What is this thing they call the mambo, that everybody is raving about?\" asked Ivory Joe Hunter regarding that crazy dance that his baby wanted to do all the time... and we assume not only his baby, but every cool kitten from any of the big cities during the mid 50\'s, all over the USA.

Born as a mixture of jazz-swing and Cuban music; a fantastic blend for a fantastic foot moving music, and often featuring wild acrobatics The Mambo gained big popularity in the USA during the late 40\'s when loads of dancers used to hang around legendary places like New York\'s ParkPlaza Ballroom or the Palladium Ballroom.

Following the great popularity of the new dance other Latin rhythms such as the Cha Cha Cha or Merengue also became popular. Suddenly everything that had a Latin sound was hip and cool; a few Spanish words (Hey Señorita!) and the sound of maracas, bongos or castanets were often used as condiments by the R&B scene cooks.

It\'s often said by band members that their main reason for singing was not to be famous but to attract girls... so man... to attract girls you have to sing well, look sharp, and be on the latest craze... and by the mid 50\'s it was the Mambo!!