Charo facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Charo
Charo at the 2013 Alma Awards
Born	Maria Rosario Pilar Martinez Molina Baeza Murcia, Region of Murcia, Spain
Occupation	Actress singer classical guitarist comedian
Years active	1963–present
Spouse(s)	Xavier Cugat ​ ​ (m. 1966; div. 1978)​ Kjell Rasten ​ ​ (m. 1978; died 2019)​
Children	1

María Rosario Pilar Martínez Molina Baeza, professionally known by her stage name Charo, is a Spanish-born actress, singer, comedian, and flamenco guitarist who rose to international prominence in the 1960s on American television, as well as starring in several films.

Charo began playing classical (Spanish-style) guitar at the age of nine, training under the famed guitarist Andrés Segovia. In 1966, she married 66-year-old bandleader Xavier Cugat and moved to the United States with him. In the late 1960s and 1970s, she became a ubiquitous presence on American television, frequently appearing as a guest star on series such as Laugh-In, Fantasy Island, The Love Boat, and The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. She is known for her uninhibited and exuberant manner, high energy levels, vague age, heavy Spanish accent, and catchphrase "cuchi-cuchi". She frequently pokes fun at herself, while also pointing out the potential judgment of others, through her accent.

As a musician, Charo has performed and recorded in various styles for five decades. She released a series of disco recordings in the 1970s with Salsoul Records, most notably Dance a Little Bit Closer (1977). In 1995 her flamenco album Guitar Passion (1994) was awarded Female Pop Album of the Year at the Billboard International Latin Music Conference, and was named Best Female Latin Pop Album by Billboard Magazine. In an interview, Charo has said, "Around the world I am known as a great musician. But in America I am known as the cuchi-cuchi girl. That's okay, because cuchi-cuchi has taken me all the way to the bank."

Early life

Charo was born in the city of Murcia, Spain. Her birth date has been a matter of some dispute (see 'Birth year controversy' below). Her Spanish passport gives her name as María del Rosario Mercedes Pilar Martínez Molina Baeza.

Charo has claimed she was enrolled in a convent school until the age of 15, when a nun told her that she belonged in show business. In the most colorful version of her childhood, Charo's grandmother hired a music professor to give her weekly classical guitar lessons, and he became the first man to enter the convent.

Charo has stated in several interviews that she graduated with honors at age 16.

Bandleader Xavier Cugat "discovered" her while in Spain filming a television special in 1964. They wed on August 7, 1966.

They were the first couple to be wed at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Charo later claimed that her marriage to Cugat was merely a business contract, a way for him to legally bring her to the United States.

Career

Charo was highly visible throughout the 1970s, appearing eight times on The Love Boat, and on variety and talk shows such as Donny & Marie, Tony Orlando and Dawn, The Captain and Tennille, The John Davidson Show, The Mike Douglas Show (which she guest-hosted at least once) and the short-lived The Brady Bunch Variety Hour.

In 1975, Dallas Morning News critic Harry Bowman wrote that the ABC network had "penciled in . . . a half-hour comedy starring the uninhibited wife of Xavier Cugat" and commented, "This is probably the worst idea of the season." By October of that year, Charo was promoting a TV special slated for November, but it did not actually appear until May 1976.

A TV listing for August 24, 1976, shows what appears to be an unsold pilot airing on ABC at 8:30 p.m. CST: "Charo and the Sergeant—Situation comedy starring Charo Cugat. Charo's first U.S. job is to be a dancer at an off-limits nightclub, and her conservative Marine Corps husband finds out. The few episodes that were taped ended up being broadcast on the American Armed Forces Network overseas."

By the late 1970s, Charo was being mentioned as an example of how overexposure could damage a celebrity.

Charo performing in 2004

She was named Best Flamenco Guitarist in Guitar Player Magazine's readers' poll twice.

Charo returned to the dance-music scene in June 2008 with the single "España Cañi", which was released through Universal Wave Records.

On March 1, 2017, Charo was revealed a contestant for Season 24 of Dancing with the Stars, paired with professional dancer Keo Motsepe. On April 3, 2017, they were the second couple eliminated from the competition and finished in 11th place.

Personal life

In 1977, she became a naturalized citizen of the United States. That year, she filed for divorce from Cugat, which was granted on April 14, 1978.

On August 11, 1978, she married her second husband, producer Kjell Rasten, in South Lake Tahoe, California. He soon became her manager. They have one child, son Shel Rasten (born 1981), who is the drummer for the heavy metal band Treazen. He is also an actor and producer, known for The Boulevard (2013), FAMOUS (and on the List) (2010) and CSI: Miami (2002).

They moved to Hawaii, but eventually moved back to Beverly Hills.

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Discography

Albums

• Cuchi-Cuchi (1977) (with the Salsoul Orchestra)
• Olé Olé (1978) (with the Salsoul Orchestra)
• Bailando con Charo (Dancing with Charo, 1981) (with the Salsoul Orchestra)
• Guitar Passion (1994)
• Gusto (Pleasure, 1997)
• Charo and Guitar (2005)

Singles

• 1976: "La Salsa"
• 1977: "Dance a Little Bit Closer" – US Dance No. 18; UK No. 44
• 1978: "Mamacita, ¿dónde está Santa Claus?" ("Mommy, Where's Santa Claus?")
• 1978: "Olé Olé" – US Dance No. 36
• 1979: "Sha Na Na"
• 1979: "Stay with Me" – US Dance No. 55
• 1979: "Hot Love"
• 1981: "La Mojada (Wet Back)"
• 2008: "España Cañi" – US Dance No. 14
• 2013: "Dance a Little Bit Closer" (Charo & the Salsoul Orchestra vs. the Cube Guys Remix)

Filmography

Television

See also

In Spanish: Charo (cantante) para niños

• List of Spanish Americans
• Mononymous person
• Age fabrication