All the Cha Cha songs

Cha‑cha (also called cha‑cha‑chá) is a genre of Cuban dance music that emerged in Havana in the early 1950s as a simplified, more dance‑friendly offshoot of the danzón‑mambo, pioneered by violinist‑composer Enrique Jorrín. It’s built around a distinctive “cha‑cha‑cha” rhythmic cell in steady 4/4 time (typically 110–130 BPM), featuring repeating melodic riffs (guajeos) played by charanga‑style ensembles (flute, violins, brass) over layered Afro‑Cuban percussion (cowbell, congas, timbales) and driven by piano montunos and a tumbao bass line. Its clear downbeat emphasis and catchy syncopations spawned an international dance craze in the 1950s and laid the rhythmic and harmonic groundwork for later Latin styles like salsa—making cha‑cha music both instantly danceable and a foundational genre for chord‑chart players.