The drums never stopped beating. In the mountain towns and city streets of Cuba, the Bàtá and the carried the secret messages of the Orishas. By the 1940s, the religious invocation of Babalú-Ayé had leaked into the secular world. Cuban composer Margarita Lecuona wrote the song "Babalú," an operatic, percussive prayer that asked the deity for help. It was first popularized by Miguelito Valdés, known as "Mr. Babalú," but it was waiting for a global stage. The TV King: Desi Arnaz
In the 1950s, the Babaloo Drum found its most famous messenger: . Playing the character Ricky Ricardo on the iconic sitcom I Love Lucy , Arnaz would regularly strap on a large drum and launch into a high-energy performance of "Babalú". Babaloo Drum
The "Babaloo" story took a dramatic turn during the transatlantic slave trade. Enslaved Yoruba people brought their beliefs and their drums to , where the worship of Babalú-Ayé evolved into the religion of Santería . In this new land, Babalú-Ayé became syncretized with Saint Lazarus , the Catholic patron of the sick and poor. The drums never stopped beating
Afecto Caribeño / Caribbean Affect in Desi Arnaz's “Babalú Aye” Cuban composer Margarita Lecuona wrote the song "Babalú,"