in new york, rodríguez was hired as a singer and bongó player for the orchestra of eric madriguera. in 1941, he recorded ""amor guajiro"", ""acércate más"" (come closer) and ""se fue la comparsa"". in 1942, rodríguez joined the band of xavier cugat, and recorded "bim, bam, bum" and "ensalada de congas" (conga salad).