Pupi Campo


Pupi Campo was a Cuban entertainer, dancer and bandleader who spent most of his life in the United States. As a bandleader in the 1940s and 50s, he made recordings for labels such as Seeco and Tico. His band featured percussionist and musical director Tito Puente and pianist Joe Loco.

Career

Starting as a dancer to a band at the Eden Concert nightclub, he eventually fronted his own band, which appeared on Jack Paar's Morning Show on American television from 1954 to 1956. Later he was dubbed "the rumba maestro" by the New York Daily Mirror. In 1970 he moved to Las Vegas, where he set up the jazz club "Cleopatra's Barge," inside Caesar's Palace.
Two future Latin music stars, Tito Puente and Joe Loco, played with the Pupi Campo Orchestra in the late 1940s. Tito Puente was the orchestra's musical director for two years. In the 1970s, when Cachao moved to Las Vegas, he played in Pupi Campo's band, among others.

Personal life

Pupi Campo was born Jacinto Campillo to Jacinto and Dolores Trujillo Campillo. Pupi Campo was married three times: to "Latin bombshell" actress Diosa Costello, to singer Betty Clooney and to Joette. At the time of his death in 2011, he was survived by a son, Carlos Alejandro Campo, and three daughters, Cari Leary, Cathi Muckle and Cristina Stretz, all from his marriage to Betty Clooney; a sister, Jo Ann Herrera; 11 grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.

Partial Discography