40 Facts About Cachao

Israel Lopez Valdes, better known as Cachao, was a Cuban double bassist and composer.

Cachao is widely known as the co-creator of the mambo and a master of the descarga.

Cachao emigrated to Spain in 1962, and moved to the United States in 1963, starting a career as a session and live musician for a variety of bands in New York during the rise of boogaloo, and later, salsa.

Cachao is ranked number 24 on Bass Player magazine's list of "The 100 Greatest Bass Players of All Time".

Cachao was born and raised in the same house in which Jose Marti was born.

Cachao began his musical career in 1926, taught by his father, Pedro Lopez, and his older brother, multi-instrumentalist Orestes Lopez, nicknamed "Macho".

Cachao's parents made sure he was classically trained, first at home and then at a conservatory.

The need to constantly write music sheets for each member of the band was one of the reasons why Cachao left the group in 1949.

Cachao then joined Blanquita Theater orchestra, whose fifty members played in Broadway-style revues.

One day in 1957, Cachao gathered a group of musicians in the early hours of the morning, energized from playing gigs at Havana's popular nightclubs, to jam in front of the mics of a recording studio.

Cachao recorded descargas with Tojo's orchestra and Chico O'Farrill's All-Stars Cubano amongst other ensembles.

Cachao worked alongside Peruchin, Tata Guines and Alejandro "El Negro" Vivar.

In 1958, at the height of the Cuban Revolution, Cachao's wife left Cuba for New Jersey, and in 1962, three years into Fidel Castro's communist regime, Cachao crossed the Atlantic on a ship along with 13 other musicians.

Cachao settled in Madrid, where he joined Ernesto Duarte as a member of his orchestra, Orquesta Sabor Cubano.

In Madrid, Cachao performed with other artists such as Perez Prado.

One year later, in 1963, Cachao reunited with his wife in New York, where he played with Charlie Palmieri, Jose Fajardo, Tito Rodriguez, Tito Puente and Machito, among others.

Cachao was one of the most in-demand bassists in New York, along with Alfonso "El Panameno" Joseph and Bobby "Big Daddy" Rodriguez.

Joseph and Cachao substituted for each other over a span of five years, performing at nightclubs and venues such as the Palladium Ballroom, the Roseland, the Birdland, Havana San Juan and Havana Madrid.

When Joseph left Candido's band to work with Charlie Rodriguez and Johnny Pacheco, it was Cachao who took his place in Candido's band.

In 1977, Cachao recorded with drummers Louis Bellson and Walfredo de los Reyes the experimental album Ecue, where he played piano on the title track.

In 1978, Cachao moved to Miami, where he played at events such as baptisms, comuniones, quinceaneras and weddings.

Cachao made his last studio recordings as a sideman for Gloria Estefan on 90 Millas.

In February 2008, Cachao signed a contract with Penguin Books to write a book about his life, which never materialized due to his passing one month later.

At the time, Cachao was preparing to record another album and had eight concerts in Europe scheduled for 2008.

Cachao died on the morning of March 22,2008, in Coral Gables, Florida, at the age of 89.

Cachao was part of a large musical family which at one time had "35 bassists" across multiple generations, although many played other instruments as well.

Cachao's sister Coralia was a bassist and bandleader, but is perhaps best known as a songwriter for her danzon "Isora Club", a standard of the genre.

Cachao was a prolific bassist as well and one of the mainstays of the famed Buena Vista Social Club group, named after one of Cachao's danzones, "Social Club Buenavista".

Cachao was married to Ester Buenaventura from 1946 until her death in May 2005.

In 1994, Cachao was inducted into Billboard's Latin Music Hall of Fame.

Cachao was a recipient of a 1995 National Heritage Fellowship awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts, which is the highest honor in the folk and traditional arts in the United States.

In 1999, Cachao was inducted into the International Latin Music Hall of Fame.

In 2003, Cachao was awarded the 2,219th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

On November 7,2006, Cachao received an Honorary Doctorate of Music from Berklee College of Music during Berklee's Latin Culture Celebration.

Cachao has won several Grammy Awards for both his own work and his contributions on albums by Latin music stars, including Gloria Estefan.

Cachao has received numerous tributes in the form of dedicated concerts, compositions and recordings from other musicians.

The first notable tribute concert to Cachao was organized by musicologist Rene Lopez and held at Avery Fisher Hall in New York City in 1976.

In November 2005, a tribute performance dedicated to Cachao took place during the 6th Annual Latin Grammy Awards.

On March 15,2019, a concert titled Mambo: 100 Years of the Master - Cachao was held in Miami, 100 years after Cachao's birth.

The latter arranged some of the songs Cachao was preparing to record in 2008 at the time of his passing, which were performed for the first time 11 years later at the concert.