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Gipsy Kings
These popular flamenco artists initially formed as an offshoot of the family group Los
Reyes (the Kings), who in the 70s and 80s were led by father José Reyes. Together
with sons Nicolas and Andre Reyes, they enjoyed significant domestic success in
Spain, though contrary to popular belief their origins lay from the gypsy community in Arles and
Montpelier in the south of France.
In 1982 Nicolas and Andre Reyes teamed up with Chico Bouchikhi when he
married into the family. The Gipsy Kings were formed when they joined with three
cousins from the Baliardo family (Diego, Tonino and Paci), each member singing and
playing guitar with Nicolas Reyes as their lead vocalist. As the Gipsy Kings they
attempted to reach a world-wide market for the first time, initially earning their
reputation by playing to film stars and royalty at France's St. Tropez holiday resort.
They made their world-wide debut with a self-titled album for Elektra Records in
1988, by which time several collections had already been released in Spain and
mainland Europe.
As before, the music blended elements of the Nueva Andalucia
flamenco style, with the inclusion of percussive foot stamps, handclaps and vocals
drawn from Arabic music. As well as their trademark multi-guitar sound, they also
added other components, including drums, bass, percussion and synthesizers. The vigorous strumming
of multiple acoustic guitars and the passionate vocals of the Gipsy Kings have best been
defined by critics and fans as an exotic musical hybrid, "rumba flamenca".
Their appeal resulted in a massive international breakthrough,
including number 1 status in the Canadian and Australian charts, with Gipsy Kings
peaking at number 16 in the UK. The ensuing Mosaique, though marginally less
successful, saw the group incorporate elements of jazz (collaborating with jazz/salsa
artist Ruben Blades ) and 50s/60s pop.
There are no other examples of a non-English-speaking band (the group speaks in the
Gypsy dialect of Gitane) with such a consistent winning streak in the US, where the
group is the biggest-selling French act ever. Ever since the 1987 release of the
blockbuster single "Bamboleo," from their platinum-plus debut album, the Gipsy Kings
have dominated the World Music charts and sold more than 13 million albums
worldwide - more than 3 million in the United States alone. The band captured the #1
spot on Billboard's World Music album chart with the gold certified "BEST OF GIPSY
KINGS," which remained on the chart for more than a year.
Albums including the gold-certified "MOSAIQUE," "ALLEGRIA", "ESTE MUNDO",
"GIPSY KINGS LIVE", "LOVE & LIBERTÉ," and "TIERRA GITANA" have
provided a steady fuel of hits to Billboard's World Music, Latin, and Billboard Top 200
charts. For several years running, the Gipsy Kings have been consistently voted
Billboard's #1 World Music Artist and #1 Latin Pop Artist in the magazine's year-end
awards. In addition, their song "Sin Ella" from 1991's Este Mundo was chosen by Peter
Weir for the soundtrack to his 1993 film, "Fearless."
Two recent PBS specials contribute to the Gipsy Kings' ongoing success story. A
documentary, "Tierra Gitana" - which aired on hundreds of public television stations in
1996 - explores the band's roots in gypsy culture and their rich family heritage in
flamenco music. Filmed in concert and in the Gypsy camps of Arles, "Tierra Gitana"
provides a glimpse at the vanishing lifestyle of a vibrant and traditional people. The
hour-long film was released as a home video in December, 1996. A second program,
filmed in performance at Washington DC's Wolf Trap, captures the excitement of the
band's live show in a 60-minute special. The live special is currently in distribution to
PBS stations around the country.
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Gipsy Kings
Discography
Cantos De Amor
1998
Compas
1997
Tierra Gitana
1996
Best of Gipsy Kings
1995
Love and Liberte
1994
Live
1992
Este Mundo
1991
Allegria
1990
Mosaique
1989
Gipsy Kings
1988
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More Gipsy Kings sites:
Offical website
Gipsy King.net
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