Desi Arnaz

The most famous Cuban entertainer in American popular culture — Desi Arnaz (Desiderio Alberto Arnaz y de Acha III) brought Cuban music into American living rooms through his performances on I Love Lucy and his famous rendering of "Babalú."

About

Arnaz fled Cuba in 1933 and worked his way up in American show business, eventually starring in and co-producing I Love Lucy alongside his wife Lucille Ball. His band performances on the show — particularly his rendition of "Babalú," originally associated with Miguelito Valdés — introduced Cuban music and conga drums to a massive American audience that had no prior exposure to Afro-Cuban musical traditions.

His role in the history of Cuban music's international reach is paradoxical: he became the most recognized symbol of Cuban music in the United States while representing a highly entertainment-industry version of the tradition. But his influence on American awareness of Cuban music is undeniable, and the conga drum's American popularity is substantially his legacy.