Pérez Prado was born in Matanzas, Cuba, where he studied classical piano in his early childhood, and later played organ and piano in local clubs. For a time, he was pianist and arranger for La Sonora Matancera, Cuba's best-known musical group. He also worked with casino orchestras in Havana for most of the 1940s, gaining the nick-name "El Cara de Foca" ("Seal Face"). In 1948 he moved to Mexico to form his own band and record for RCA Victor. He quickly specialized in mambos, an upbeat adaptation of the Cuban danzón.