Dámaso Pérez Prado (Spanish: [ˈpeɾes ˈpɾaðo]; December 11, 1916 – September 14, 1989) was a Cuban bandleader, pianist and composer who popularized the mambo in the late 1940s. He frequently made brief appearances in films, primarily of the rumberas genre. The success of his orchestra and hits such as “Mambo No. 5” earned him the nickname “King of the Mambo”. His stage name was simply Pérez Prado, although his brother Pantaleón also used the same name in the 1970s, which led to confusion. Pérez Prado became a naturalized citizen of Mexico in 1980, where he died in 1989. His son, Pérez Jr., continues to direct the Pérez Prado Orchestra in Mexico City to this day.

Pérez was born in Matanzas, Cuba, on December 11, 1916; his mother Sara Prado was a school teacher, his father Pablo Pérez a journalist at El Heraldo de Cuba. He studied classical piano in his early childhood, and later played organ and piano in local clubs. For a time, he was pianist and arranger for the Sonora Matancera, Cuba’s best-known musical group at the time. He also worked with casino orchestras in Havana for most of the 1940s. He was nicknamed “El Cara de Foca” (“Seal Face”) by his peers at the time.