Gipsy Kings Biography

Jacques, Maurice, and Tonino Baliardo, whose father is Manitas de Plata, formed the band in Arles, a village in southern France, in the 1970s. Nicolas and Andre Reyes, sons of renowned flamenco artist Jose Reyes, teamed up with their cousins Jacques, Maurice, and Tonino Baliardo, whose father is Manitas de Plata. Los Reyes was their original name, and they began as a gypsy band performing at weddings, festivals, and on the streets. The band was dubbed the Gipsy Kings because they lived so much like gypsies. They were afterward recruited to bring color to opulent events in St. Tropez. Los Reyes' popularity did not come quickly, and their first two albums received little attention. Tonino's exquisite guitar playing and Nicolas' outstanding singing accented the Gipsies' traditional, although impassioned flamenco music at this moment. Despite their loyal following, the Kings did not achieve broader notoriety until 1986, when they teamed up with visionary producer Claude Martinez, who saw the Kings' potential as a world-class band. The Kings began to loosen up and take on a more modern tone thanks to Martinez, blending traditional melodies with sounds from the Middle East, Latin America, and North Africa, a tinge of rock, and their distinctive delight. It was a bold move in a music market full of flamenco purists who rejected any type of change, and many believed the Gipsy Kings would fall flat and vanish. The skeptics, however, were incorrect. They achieved two blockbuster songs in France with Djobi Djoba and Bamboleo, which they released on an independent label in 1987. As a result of their success, they signed with Sony Music and released their self-titled first album later that year. They experienced huge success in France and then discovered that their record was on the Top Ten album charts in 12 European nations, including England, which has historically been averse to foreign music. The Gipsy Kings made their American debut at a New York New Music Seminar in the late 1980s. As a result, they signed with Sony in America. They were invited to perform at George Bush's inauguration ball in 1989, but they declined to relax and be with their family. Later that year, the Gipsy Kings performed at the Royal Albert Hall for an SRO event, where they mingled with some of the world's top pop singers, including Elton John and Eric Clapton. To cap off an incredible year, the Kings' debut album reached gold in the United States after spending 40 weeks on the charts, making it one of the few Spanish albums to accomplish so.

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