El Manisero (The Peanut Vendor)

What some music critics and historians in the United States called the “Rumba Era” began on April 26, 1930, with the debut at New York ’s Palace Theater of Eusebio “Don” Aspiazu’s orchestra and singer Antonio Machin with pieces such as the Afro song Mama Ines, penned by Eliseo Grenet (Drume Negrito), and the "pregon" El Manisero, by Moises Simons. This piece became a national hit in the United States and sold more than one million discs –an unusual amount in that period. The peanut vendor is the most famous and internationally known traditional Cuban character.