]; Catalan: [ʃəβiˈe kuˈɣat]; 1 January 1900[1] – 27 October 1990) was a Spanish musician and bandleader who spent his formative years in Havana, Cuba.

[3] He studied classical violin and worked as a violinist at the age of nine in a silent movie theater to help pay for his education.

[5] Seeing how popular the dance was becoming, Cugat convinced the owner to hire South American dancers to give tango lessons.

His older brother, Francis, was an artist of some note, having painted cover art for F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby.

[10] His music career led to appearing in the films In Gay Madrid (1930), You Were Never Lovelier (1942), Bathing Beauty (1944), Week-End at the Waldorf (1945), Holiday in Mexico (1946), A Date with Judy (1948), On an Island with You (1948), and Chicago Syndicate (1955).

The restaurant was frequented by Hollywood celebrities and featured two singing guitarists who would visit each table and play diners' favorite songs upon request.

[12] The restaurant's exterior and a fanciful depiction of its interior can be found in scenes in the 1949 film Neptune's Daughter in which Cugat has a substantial role playing himself.

Cugat followed trends closely, making records for the conga, the mambo, the cha-cha-cha, and the twist when these dances were popular.

His orchestra included Desi Arnaz, Lina Romay, Abbe Lane, Tito Rodriguez, Yma Sumac, Miguelito Valdés,[5] Frank Berardi, Gene Lorello, George Lopez, Glenn E. Brown, Henry Greher, Isabello Marerro, James English, John Haluko, Joseph Gutierrez, Luis Castellanos, Manuel Paxtot, Oswaldo Oliveira, Otto Bolívar, Otto Garcia, Rafael Angelo, Richard Hoffman, Robert De Joseph, and Robert Jones.