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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular Music

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

MENUDO

Pop group formed in 1977 in Puerto Rico, the ultimate in throw-away bubblegum: a quintet of kids who retired when they became 16. There had been 13 members in nine combinations by 1984, giving each generation of Hispanic pubescent girls their own heart-throbs. They once sold out Madison Square Garden for four shows in two days. Record piracy cost them a fortune in Latin America but merchandise recouped it: T-shirts, badges, posters, stationery, dolls, etc. They kept going for over 30 years, disbanded, and were resurrected in 2015.

From Daryl Gregory's hilarious novel The Album of Dr. Moreau (2021), about a genetically engineered boy band:
"Menudo's still around?"
"Those guys are unstoppable! As soon as one of them hits puberty--whick!--they pop in a new guy. Dr. M says they raise them on a farm."

The most successul alumnus was Ricky Martin (b Enrique Martín Morales, 24 December 1971, San Juan), singer/songwriter, actor, record producer; he now lives in a mansion in Bevery Hills.