Cuban bandleader Perez Prado was "The King of the Mambo". At one time Mongo Santamaria (hit with Herbie Hancock's composition Watermelon Man) played percussion in his orchestra. The composer of "Mambo Number 5" in 1949 hit the charts with "Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White" ("Cerisier Rose et Pommier Blanc") which peaked at number one and his own composition of "Patricia" which hit the top spot in 1958.

Germany's Lou Bega's "Mambo Number 5" from his album "A Little Bit of Mambo" hit the top ten in 1999.