Xavier Cugat, Spanish-American violinist, bandleader, and actor (born 1900)

Xavier Cugat

Catalan-American musician and bandleader (1900–1990)

Xavier Cugat was an American musician and bandleader who was a leading figure in the spread of Latin music in the United States. Originally from Girona, Catalonia in Spain, he spent his formative years in Havana, Cuba, before arriving in New York City in 1915. A trained…