Africa and Latin America have moulded American popular music since the beginning of the twentieth century. African influences initially led to the development of jazz, gospel and blues, whose rhythms were further affected by successive waves of dance music from Cuba, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Jamaica.
Many vocal groups and gospel quartets in the pre WWII era borrowed rhythmic riffs derived from ragtime such as the charleston; others used standard tresillo or son clave beats. The son clave is the basic building block of all Latin music: a two-bar pattern consisting of three beats (a tresillo) preceded or followed by two heavy beats. Most musicians preferred a less complex rhythm, however. The tresillo was often used on its own when a Latin feel was required, but then it was given a snappier, sexier name: the rumba.
New Latin influences came into popular music in the forties from New Orleans with that city's distinctive second-line drumming, and from Cuba with the mambo and cha-cha-cha through the medium of bebop jazz.
Atlantic Records dominated the early doo-wop scene and their house-arranger Jesse Stone paved the way for a wider adoption of Latin rhythms through his ground-breaking productions for The Clovers and The Drifters.
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Disc One
1 Help Me - The Aladdins
2 Somebody Changed The Lock - The Empires
3 Zindy Lou - The Chimes
4 Jingle Jangle - The Penguins
5 That's The Way I Like It - The Queens
6 When You Dance - The Turbans
7 Mardi Gras Mambo - The Hawketts
8 Hot Mama - The Chanters
9 You Know I Can't Refuse - The Five Dollars
10 Do-Be-Do-Be-Wop-Wop - The Squires
11 Witchcraft - The Spiders
12 Lips Red As Wine - The Colts
13 Dont Do That - The Five Tinos
14 Day By Day - The Four Freshmen
15 Rollin' Stone - The Marigolds
16 Gumbo Mambo - The Larke Sisters
17 Grand, Nice, Swell - The Ebony Moods
18 Chop Chop Boom - The Danderliers
19 Morocco Chant - The Moroccos
20 Going Down to Tia Juana - The Don Juans
21 Rock It, Davy, Rock It - The Jaguars
22 Cha Cha Baby - The New Yorkers 5
23 Yacka Hoom Boom - The Savoys
24 Cigareetos - The Orioles
25 Laverne - The Earls
26 Ay Si Si - The Dootones
27 Mambo Baby To-Nite - The Falcons
28 Watussi Wussi Wu - The Tenderfoots
29 Cool, Mambo - The Sheppards
30 Red Hots and Chili Mac - The Moroccos
31 Man From Utopia - The Vel-Aires
Disc Two
1 Brazil - The Coasters
2 Goin' Goin' Gone - The Jewels
3 Patricia - The Rhythm Masters
4 Choo Choo - The Cardinals
5 Everybody's Whalin' - The Rhythm Aces
6 Gift O' Gabbin' Woman - The Nutmegs
7 Stranded In The Jungle - The Jayhawks
8 Don't Worry About A Thing - The Sweet Teens
9 Cha Jezabel - The Notes
10 All My Love Belongs To You - The Joytones
11 A Fallen Tear - The El Dorados
12 Shimmy Shimmy Ko Ko Wop - The El Capris
13 A-1 In My Heart - The Spiders
14 Mambo Fiesta - The Calvaes
15 Watusi - The Pharaohs
16 Gotta Have You Baby - The Combonettes
17 Let's Do The Razzle-Dazzle - The Rip Chords
18 I'm Yours - The Mellows
19 Last Night - The Starlighters
20 Cotton Pickin' Hands - The Dukes
21 Show Me The Merengue - The Hearts
22 It Was a Night Like This - The Turbans
23 So Good - The Playboys
24 Tonight - The Supremes
25 Mexico Bound - The Champions
26 Out Of The Picture - The Robins
27 Smooth, Slow And Easy - The Drivers
28 Ain't She Got Nerve - The Mellows
29 Last Ride - The Dukes
30 Down In Mexico - The Coasters
31 In Paradise - The Cookies
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