Coming Soon Archives

April 2009: The Sound of Bugalu

This month Global Village features the sound of bugalu (or boogaloo) - a heady mix of Latin and R&B that appeared for an all-too-brief time in the ‘60s.During the ‘50s and early ‘60s as rhythm ‘n’ blues and early rock ‘n’ roll began to attract the attention of young listeners, Latin artists on the East Coast began to combine those sounds with what was then the equally popular mambo music. Early hits like “Watermelon Man” and “El Watusi” inspired both young players starting new bands and older artists looking for new audiences, as the mambo craze began to wane. Joe Cuba had the biggest hit with the quintessential bugalu tune, “Bang Bang,” in 1966. But within a few years, bugalu was being squeezed out, some said deliberately, by the new salsa machinery. Despite its brief history, bugalu continued an underground life, resurfacing again more recently with a bevy of reissues and in artists like Poncho Sanchez and Pucho & the Latin Soul Brothers who are keeping that powerful blend of Latin and soul sounds alive. Throughout the month, Global Village highlights the sounds of bugalu, from popular and rare original recordings to today’s new Latin soul sounds.