| Spanish actress, singer, classical guitarist, comedienne, and Latin bombshell, known as the "cuchi-cuchi" girl for her trademark hip-shaking dance. Born Maria Rosario Pilar Martinez Molina Baeza in Murcia, Spain ("Charo" was her childhood nickname), she took up classical guitar at the age of ten, studying for a time under Andres Segovia. She recorded several albums as a teenager and appeared on a Spanish television show similar to Sesame Street.
Bandleader Xavier Cugat saw her performance on television and hired her to be in his orchestra. Charo went solo at age 19 and her first U.S. album, Cuchi-Cuchi, went platinum. Charo was a fixture on American television in the 1970s; she was featured on more episodes of The Love Boat than any other guest star. More recently, her CD Guitar Passion won Female Pop Album of the Year Award at the 1995 Billboard International Latin Music Conference.
Knew what a girl wants decades before Christina Aguilera did. | 
