Wikipedia says - “Edmund William Ross was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad. His mother Luisa Urquart was a teacher, thought to be descended from indigenous Caribs, and his father, William Hope-Ross, was of Scottish descent. He was the eldest of four children, having two sisters, Ruby and Eleanor, followed by a half-brother, Hugo. His parents separated after Hugo was born, and after various false steps Edmund was enrolled in a military academy. There he became interested in music and learned to play the euphonium. From 1927 to 1937 his family lived in Caracas, Venezuela.
He played in the Venezuelan Military Academy Band as well as
being a tympanist in the Venezuela Symphony Orchestra. As Sue Steward noted in
his obituary: "His local name, 'Edmundo Ros', launched a lasting myth that
he was Venezuelan." Later he received a music scholarship from the
government, and, from 1937 to 1942, studied harmony, composition and
orchestration at the Royal Academy of Music. At the same time he was the
vocalist and percussionist in Don Marino Baretto's band at the Embassy Club,
and also recorded several sides as a sideman to Fats Waller, who was visiting
London in 1938.
In August 1940, Ros formed his own rumba band, performing as
Edmundo Ros and His Rumba Band. In 1941 he cut his first tracks with
Parlophone, the first number being "Los Hijos de Buda". The band
played regularly at the Coconut Grove club in Regent Street, attracting members
of high society.
Ros's bands were always based in London nightclubs or restaurants.
The first was the Cosmo Club in Wardour Street; then followed the St Regis
Hotel, Cork Street, the Coconut Grove and the Bagatelle Restaurant. At the
Bagatelle a visit from Princess Elizabeth and party made his name. The future
queen danced in public for the first time to Edmundo's music. In later years
his orchestra was often invited to play at Buckingham Palace.
By 1946 Ros owned a club, a dance school, a record company
and an artistes' agency. His band grew to 16 musicians and was renamed Edmundo
Ros and His Orchestra. Among his percussionists was Ginger Johnson. His number
"The Wedding Samba", 1949, sold three million 78s. His album Rhythms
of The South (1958) was one of the first high-quality LP stereo records: it
sold a million copies. He was with Decca Records from 1944 to 1974, and
altogether he made more than 800 recordings.
In 1951 Ros bought the Coconut Grove on Regent Street and in
1964 renamed it Edmundo Ros's Dinner and Supper Club. The club became popular
for its atmosphere and music, but it closed in 1965, when legalised casino
gambling had drawn away many of its best customers. During the 1950s and 1960s
the Ros orchestra appeared frequently on BBC Radio, continuing into the early
1970s on Radio Two Ballroom.
In 1975, during Ros's seventh tour of Japan, his band's
Musicians' Union shop steward tried to usurp Ros's authority by making
arrangements with venues behind his back. Upon their return to the UK Ros
organised a celebratory dinner after a BBC recording session and announced the
disbanding of the orchestra. He destroyed almost all the charts (arrangement
sheets), which conclusively ended the orchestra's existence.”
Tracks are as follows - 1. Saturday Night 2. Panther's Going To The Moon 3. All Night Tonight 4. Granpa's Advice 5. The Sky Jackers ( Calling Habana ) 6. Simple Calypso
Edmundo Ros - Side One
Tracks are as follows - 1. Saturday Night 2. Panther's Going To The Moon 3. All Night Tonight 4. Granpa's Advice 5. The Sky Jackers ( Calling Habana ) 6. Simple Calypso
Edmundo Ros - Side One
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