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Paco de Lucía, born Francisco Sánchez Gómez (in Algeciras, Cádiz on December 21, 1947), is a Spanish composer and guitarist. Recognized as a virtuoso flamenco guitarist all over the world, he is a leading proponent of the Modern Flamenco style, and is one of the very few flamenco guitarists who has also successfully crossed over into other genres of music. He enjoys, and has been a successful musician in, many styles such as classical, jazz and world music. He is the winner of the 2004 Prince of Asturias Awards in Arts and 2010 was awarded an honorary doctorate by Berklee College of Music in Boston.
Enrique Jiménez Ramirez, known as Enrique de Melchor, was born in Marchena in 1951. However he only lived there until he was twelve when he went to Madrid where his father was the resident guitarist in Manolo Caracol's flamenco tablao, called Los Canasteros. It was in this very same tablao that Enrique would get his first lucky break at the age of just fifteen and this is also where he learned the secrets to the art of accompanying flamenco "cante" (singing).
Camarón de la Isla (1950-1992) was one of the most popular and influential flamenco singers of the modern period. He received the name "Camarón" because of his blond hair and "de la isla" ("the islander") for coming from San Fernando (Cádiz).
José Fernández Torres, known as Tomatito was born in Almeria (1958). He is a Spanish Romani (Gypsy) flamenco guitarist. He was born among great flamenco guitarists, including his father Tomate and uncle Niño Miguel.
Flamenco is a style of music and dance which is considered part of the culture of Spain, although it is actually native to only one region: Andalusia. Flamenco is the music of the Andalusian gypsies and played in their social community. Andalusian people who grew up around gypsies were also accepted as "flamencos" (Paco de Lucía). Other regions, mainly Extremadura and Murcia, have also contributed to the development of flamenco, and many flamenco artists have been born outside Andalusia. Latin American and especially Cuban influences have also contributed, as evidenced in the dances of "Ida y Vuelta".
José Mercé was born as José Soto Soto in 1955 in Santiago, Jerez de la Frontera, Spain. He is the great-grandson of nineteenth-century seguiriya maestro Francisco Valencia, who received the nickname Paco la Luz and nephew of Manuel Soto, Sordera, and his nick-name comes from his participation in the choir of the Basilica de la Merced when he was a boy. He is an indispensable figure in the summer festivals in Andalucía, as he is the most successful and famous cantaor on the flamenco scene.
Spanish guitarist Moraito plays pure, unadulterated flamenco, free of the new age influences that have crept into the most popular (at least on American shores) recent exponents of the style. Moraito was born Manuel Moreno Junquera in 1956 in the Santiago district of Jerez de la Frontera, a town in the Andalusian region; his family was already renowned for its musical ability, and his uncle Manuel Morao was one of the finest flamenco guitarists the town had ever produced. Naturally, Moraito began following in his footsteps at a young age, making his public performance debut at age 11 at a festival helmed by his uncle.
