Candido Camero

Cándido de Guerra Camero, also known simply as Candido (born October 22, 1921) is a Cuban-born percussionist (mainly conga and bongo) who has backed several jazz acts since the 1950s. Although he has been credited as the first person to use the congas in jazz music, both Diego Iborra and Chano Pozo preceded him in the 1940s.

Career
Early in his career, Camero recorded in his native Cuba with fellow jazz musician Machito. He moved to New York in 1952 and started recording with Dizzy Gillespie. During 1953-54, he was in the Billy Taylor Trio and in 1954 he performed and recorded with Stan Kenton.

He also enjoyed success during the disco era of the 1970s, most notably with the Babatunde Olatunji-penned track "Jingo" from his Dancin' and Prancin' album, which he recorded for Salsoul Records in 1979. The album has also been acknowledged as an influence and precursor to house music, predating the emergence of the genre by over 5 years.

Camero was honored with the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Award in 2008.

As leader

 * Candido Featuring Al Cohn (ABC-Paramount, 1956)
 * The Volcanic (ABC-Paramount, 1956)
 * Latin Fire (The Big Beat of Candido) (ABC-Paramount, 1959)
 * In Indigo (ABC-Paramount, circa 1960)
 * Conga Soul (Roulette, 1962)
 * Candido's comparsa (ABC-Paramount, 1963)
 * Thousand Finger Man (Solid State, 1969, reissued by Blue Note)
 * Beautiful (Blue Note, 1970)
 * Brujerias de Candido / Candido's Latin McGuffa's Dust (Discos Fuentes, 1971)
 * Drum Fever (Polydor, 1973)
 * Dancin' and Prancin' (Salsoul, 1979)
 * Giovanni Hidalgo, Candido, Patato Valdes - The Conga Kings (Chesky, 2000)
 * Candido & Graciela – Inolvidable (Chesky, 2004)
 * Hands of Fire / Manos de fuego (Live) (Latin Jazz USA, 2008)

As sideman
With Gene Ammons With Dizzy Gillespie With Billy Taylor With Bennie Green With Art Blakey With Don Elliott With the Lecuona Cuban Boys With Randy Weston With Sonny Rollins With Norman Granz' Jazz at the Philharmonic With Wynton Kelly With Grant Green With Illinois Jacquet With Wes Montgomery With Elvin Jones With Ellen McIlwaine
 * The Happy Blues (Prestige, 1956)
 * The Boss Is Back! (Prestige, 1969)
 * Brother Jug! (Prestige, 1969)
 * Afro (Norgran, 1954)
 * Gillespiana (Verve, 1960)
 * The Melody Lingers On (Limelight, 1966)
 * The Billy Taylor Trio with Candido (Prestige, 1955)
 * Bennie Green Blows His Horn (1955)
 * Drum Suite (Columbia, 1957)
 * The Don Elliott Octet Featuring Candido - Jamaica Jazz (ABC-Paramount, 1958)
 * Dance Along with the Lecuona Cuban Boys (ABC-Paramount, 1959)
 * Uhuru Afrika (Roulette, 1960)
 * Tanjah (Polydor, 1973)
 * What's New? (RCA Victor, 1962)
 * ''JatP in Europe with Dizzy Gillespie / J.J. Johnson / Stan Getz / Leo Wright / Art Davis / Chuck Lampkin / Lalo Schifrin / Candido (Verve, 1963)
 * It's All Right! (1964)
 * His Majesty King Funk (1965)
 * Spectrum (Argo, 1965)
 * Bumpin' (1965)
 * Poly-Currents (Blue Note, 1969)
 * Coalition (Blue Note, 1970)
 * New Agenda (Vanguard, 1975)
 * Honky Tonk Angel (1972)
 * We the People (1973)