José Mercé (born José Soto Soto in 1955 in

Jerez de la Frontera Jerez de la Frontera (), or simply Jerez (), is a Spanish city and Municipalities of Spain, municipality in the province of Cádiz in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, in southwestern Spain, located midway bet ...

) is a Spanish flamenco singer. As a 12-year-old he performed at flamenco festivals. Later he moved to

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the Largest cities of the Europ ...

where he recorded his first album in 1968.

Family

He is the great-grandson of nineteenth-century

seguiriya ''Siguiriyas'' (; also ''seguiriyas'', ''siguerillas'', ''siguirillas'', '' seguidilla gitana'', etc.) are a form of flamenco music in the cante jondo category. This deep, expressive style is among the most important in flamenco. Unlike other pa ...

maestro Maestro (; from the Italian '' maestro'' , meaning "master" or "teacher") is an honorific title of respect (plural: maestros or maestri). The term is most commonly used in the context of Western classical music and opera, in line with the ubiqu ...

Francisco Valencia, whose nickname was Paco la Luz. He is also the nephew of Manuel Soto Sordera, the patriarch of Jerez flamenco. Mercé's nickname comes from his participation in the choir of the Basilica de la Merced when he was a boy.Sevilla, Diario de
""Se puede innovar si no se desvirtúan los cantes""
''diariodejerez.es''.

Production

The youthful Mercé became one of the most sought-after singers for accompanying dance, and he has worked with the Trío Madrid, formed by

Mario Maya Mario Maya (1937 – September 27, 2008) was one of Spain's most innovative and influential flamenco dancers. He was born in Córdoba in 1937 to a Romani family, but grew up in the Sacromonte of Granada. He set up his own school in Seville i ...

, El Güito and Carmen Mora. From 1973 to 1983 he joined the company of

Antonio Gades Antonio Esteve Ródenas or Antonio Gades (14 November 1936 – 20 July 2004) was a Spanish flamenco dancer and choreographer. He helped to popularise the art form on the international stage. He was born in Elda, Alicante, and was the father ...

, with which he travelled half-way around half the world and took part in the film ''Bodas de Sangre'', by

Carlos Saura Carlos Saura Atarés (born 4 January 1932) is a Spanish film director, photographer and writer. Along with Luis Buñuel and Pedro Almodóvar, he is considered to be one of Spain’s most renowned filmmakers. He has a long and prolific career t ...

. He has also worked with guitarists Enrique De Melchor,

Tomatito José Fernández Torres, known as Tomatito (born Fondón, 1958), is a Spanish roma flamenco guitarist and composer. Having started his career accompanying famed flamenco singer Camarón de la Isla (with Paco de Lucía), he has made a number of ...

Vicente Amigo Vicente Amigo Girol (born 25 March 1967) is a Spanish flamenco composer and guitarist, born in Guadalcanal near Seville. He has played as an accompanying guitarist on recordings by flamenco singers Camarón de la Isla, and Luis de Córdoba, an ...

and Moraito.

Discography

* ''Bandera de Andalucía'' (1968) * ''Desnudando el Alma'' (1994) * ''Del Amanecer…'' (1998) * ''Caminos reales del cante'' (1999) * ''Aire'' (2000) * ''Cuerpo y Alma'' (2001) * ''Recopilación. Verde junco y otros éxitos'' (2002) * ''Lío'' (2002) * ''Quebrando el Aire'' (2002) * ''Verde junco & Hondas Raices'' (2004) * ''Ruido'' (2010) * ''Mi única llave'' (2012) * ''Doy La Cara'' (2016) * ''El Oripando'' (2022) ;Contributing artist * '' The Rough Guide to Flamenco'' (1997,

World Music Network World Music Network is a UK-based record label specializing in world music. The World Music Network website features news, reviews, live music listings, and guide sections on world music. It also features an online "Battle of the Bands" competit ...

)

Awards

* In 1986 he won the Córdoba National Competition (Concurso Nacional de Arte Flamenco de Córdoba). * In 2010 he received the Medalla de Andalucía for his merits as a flamenco singer."Biografía , José Merce"
. ''www.josemerce.es''. * In 2013 José Mercé's album ''Mi única llave'' was nominated for the Grammy Latinos in the category "Best Flamenco Album".

References

External links

Official José Mercé website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Merce, Jose 1955 births Living people People from Jerez de la Frontera Flamenco singers Singers from Andalusia Spanish male singers Spanish Roman Catholics Romani singers Spanish Romani people