DeCastro Sisters

Peggy DeCastro (b. Marguerita Dolores Esperanza Fernando DeCastro, 1921, Dominican Republic, d. 6 March 2004, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA), Babette DeCastro (b. 24 May 1925, Havana, Cuba, d. 10 January 1992, USA) and Cherie DeCastro (b. Cuba) formed this close-harmony vocal trio. Their mother was an original Ziegfeld Follies girl and their father owned a sugar plantation in the Dominican Republic and then Cuba. The sisters’ flamboyant nightclub act was extemely popular in Cuba in the 40s. When the DeCastro Sisters moved to Miami, Florida, USA in 1945 they were taken under the wing of Carmen Miranda appearing in her movie, Copacabana. Signed to the small Abbott label, they had a smash hit in 1954 with ‘Teach Me Tonight’, written by Sammy Cahn and Gene De Paul, which sold over five million copies. In 1955 they made the US charts again, with ‘Boom Boom Boomerang’. Other important 50s titles included ‘Too Late Now’, ‘Snowbound For Christmas’, ‘It’s Yours’, ‘Who Are They To Say’, ‘Cuckoo In The Clock’, ‘Give Me Time’ and ‘Cowboys Don’t Cry’. Babette retired in 1958 and was replaced in the group by the sisters’ cousin, Olgita DeCastro (b. 1936, d. 14 February 2000, USA). In 1959, they re-recorded their original hit as ‘Teach Me Tonight Cha Cha’, perhaps a sign that their appeal, at least on record, was fading. Despite the rapidly changing musical climate, they released Sing and Rockin’ Beat in the early 60s. More than 25 years later, in 1988, the DeCastro Sisters hit the comeback trail at Vegas World, Las Vegas. Reliving 50s joys while also strutting to later anthems such as ‘New York, New York’, they made up for tired vocal cords with an abundance of showbiz flair.