Cherie De Castro

Short Biography

Birth: Sep. 1, 1922New YorkNew York CountyNew York, USADeath: Mar. 14, 2010Las VegasClark CountyNevada, USAVocalist. Along with sisters Peggy and Babette, they formed the music trio The DeCastro Sisters. Born Cherie Dawn DeCastro in New York City to an American mother who was a former Ziegfeld Follies showgirl and a Cuban father who owned a sugar cane plantation, she was raised in Cuba. Modeling themselves after The Andrews Sisters (referred to as the "Cuban Andrews Sisters"), they gained early performance experience while appearing at New York's Copacabana in 1942, sharing the bill with the Will Mastin Trio which featured Sammy Davis, Jr. As their popularity grew nationwide during the mid-1940s, they found themselves appearing at such venues as the Palladium in Hollywood. This would lead to opportunities on the silver screen, as they contributed their voices to the Disney film "Song of the South" (1946), and had an appearance in the Carmen Miranda picture "Copacabana" (1947). Their career as recording artists began with Tito Puente's band, and was furthered as they signed with the Country and Western label Abbott Records. They would achieve success on the pop charts when their hit "Teach Me Tonight" reached number 2 in October 1954, followed by "Boom Boom Boomerang" peaking at number 17 in May 1955. During this period they became a popular act on the Las Vegas circuit, sharing the stage with Noel Coward, George Burns and Bobby Darin. They would also frequent the small screen, appearing on the programs "The Colgate Comedy Hour" and "The Ed Sullivan Show". Cherie was formerly married to actor Monte Hale. She remained an active performer until the mid-2000s. She died from complications of pneumonia. (bio by: C.S.)