El Watusi
Ray Barretto · 1962 · from the album Charanga Moderna
The pachanga hit that made a conga player a star: flute, violins and a Top 20 spot on the US pop chart in 1963.
- pachanga
- flute and violins
- congas
Why it matters
Ray Barretto was a New York percussionist of Puerto Rican descent who had been playing conga on jazz records. In 1962 he formed his own charanga, Charanga La Moderna, and recorded El Watusi for Tico Records. It was his first hit.
Pachanga was the Latin dance craze of the early 1960s, and El Watusi became the most successful pachanga song in the United States. The single entered the Billboard Hot 100 in April 1963 and climbed to number 17: a Spanish-language dance record on the pop chart, years before salsa had a name.
Barretto soon moved on to boogaloo and then salsa. He joined Fania in 1967, and became one of the great salsa conga players and bandleaders.
What to listen for
- The charanga sound: a flute and violins carry the tune where a horn band would have trumpets. It's light, bright and made for dancing.
- A catchy, chant-like hook that comes round again and again. This was dance-craze music, and it's built so that a whole room can join in.
- Barretto was a conga player first, so listen for the congas driving the groove underneath the flute and strings.
Was this page helpful?