Gipsy Kings are a group of
flamenco
Flamenco (), in its strictest sense, is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura and ...
,
salsa
Salsa most often refers to:
* Salsa (Mexican cuisine), a variety of sauces used as condiments
* Salsa music, a popular style of Latin American music
* Salsa (dance), a Latin dance associated with Salsa music
Salsa or SALSA may also refer to:
A ...
, and
pop musicians from
Arles
Arles (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Arle ; Classical la, Arelate) is a coastal city and commune in the South of France, a subprefecture in the Bouches-du-Rhône department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, in the former province of ...
and
Montpellier
Montpellier (, , ; oc, Montpelhièr ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of ...
in southern France, who perform mostly in Catalan but also mix in Spanish with southern French dialects. Although the group members were born in France, their parents were mostly ''
gitanos
The Romani in Spain, generally known by the exonym () or the endonym ''Calé'', belong to the Iberian Cale Romani subgroup, with smaller populations in Portugal (known as ) and in Southern France. Their sense of identity and cohesion stems f ...
'', Spanish
Romani
Romani may refer to:
Ethnicities
* Romani people, an ethnic group of Northern Indian origin, living dispersed in Europe, the Americas and Asia
** Romani genocide, under Nazi rule
* Romani language, any of several Indo-Aryan languages of the Roma ...
who fled Spain during the 1930s
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...
. They are known for bringing
rumba flamenca
Rumba flamenca, also known as flamenco rumba or simply rumba (), is a '' palo'' (style) of flamenco music developed in Andalusia, Spain. It is known as one of the '' cantes de ida y vuelta'' (roundtrip songs), music which diverged in the new world ...
, a pop-oriented music distantly derived from traditional
flamenco
Flamenco (), in its strictest sense, is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura and ...
music, to worldwide audiences. The group originally called itself Los Reyes.
Career
Gipsy Kings, born in France but brought up within Spanish culture, are largely responsible for bringing the sounds of progressive pop-oriented flamenco to a worldwide audience. The band started out in
Arles
Arles (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Arle ; Classical la, Arelate) is a coastal city and commune in the South of France, a subprefecture in the Bouches-du-Rhône department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, in the former province of ...
, a town in southern France, during the 1970s, when brothers
Nicolas
Nicolas or Nicolás may refer to:
People Given name
* Nicolas (given name)
Mononym
* Nicolas (footballer, born 1999), Brazilian footballer
* Nicolas (footballer, born 2000), Brazilian footballer
Surname Nicolas
* Dafydd Nicolas (c.1705–1774), ...
and André Reyes, the sons of flamenco artist Jose Reyes, teamed up with their cousins Jacques, Maurice, and
Tonino Baliardo
file:Tonino Baliardo.JPG, Baliardo performing in 2012
Antoine "Tonino" Baliardo is a French guitarist of Spanish Gitanos, Gitano descent.
He is the lead guitarist for Gipsy Kings, a New Flamenco group from France that has sold more than 18 millio ...
.
[ At the time, Jose Reyes and ]Manitas de Plata
Ricardo Baliardo (7 August 1921 – 5 November 2014), better known as Manitas de Plata, was a flamenco guitarist of Spanish Gitano descent born in southern France. Despite achieving worldwide fame, he was criticized for not following certain rh ...
were a duo who triggered the wider popularity of rumba flamenca
Rumba flamenca, also known as flamenco rumba or simply rumba (), is a '' palo'' (style) of flamenco music developed in Andalusia, Spain. It is known as one of the '' cantes de ida y vuelta'' (roundtrip songs), music which diverged in the new world ...
(also known as Spanish or gypsy rumba). When Reyes split from Manitas de Plata, he started a group made up of his sons, which he called Los Reyes (as well as being their family name, ''reyes'' means "kings" in Spanish).
Los Reyes started out as a gypsy band. They traveled around France, playing at weddings, festivals, and in the streets. Because they lived so much like gypsies, the band adopted the name Gipsy Kings. Later, they were hired to add color to upper-class parties in such places as St. Tropez, but their first two albums attracted little notice. At this point, the ''Gipsies'' played traditional flamenco invigorated by Tonino Baliardo's guitar playing and Nicolas Reyes' voice.
The Gipsy King lineup featured a combination of left and right-handed guitarists; three of the Reyes brothers (Nicolas, André, and Patchai) play guitar left-handed, and play left-hand (and sometimes right-hand) guitars that are strung for right-handers (i.e., with the low "E" string on the bottom), while Diego Baliardo plays a left-handed guitar that is strung for left hand (i.e., with the low "E" string on the top). Together with right-handers Canut and Paul Reyes, and Paco Baliardo, these guitarists focus on delivering the strong underpinning rhythms while the more complex leads are performed by the right-handed and conventionally styled Tonino Baliardo.
Success
Gipsy Kings became popular with their self-titled third album, which included the songs "Djobi Djoba
"Djobi, Djoba" is a hit song by the Gipsy Kings, a French-Calé rumba flamenca band. It was initially released in 1982 as an acoustic version on their debut album ''Allegria''. In 1987, the song was re-recorded and released as a single. This versi ...
", "Bamboléo
"Bamboléo" is a 1987 Spanish language song by Romani people in Spain, Gitano-French band Gipsy Kings, from their Gipsy Kings (album), eponymous album. The song was written by band members Tonino Baliardo, Chico Bouchikhi (J. Bouchikhi) and Nicol ...
", and the ballad "Un Amor
"Un Amor" (meaning "One Love") is a Single (music), single by the Gipsy Kings released on 8 November 1988. The song was composed by Gipsy Kings, Los Reyes, N. Reyes, T. Baliardo and J. Bouchikhi under the label of Nonesuch Records and appears on t ...
".
''Gipsy Kings'' was released in the United States in 1989 and spent 40 weeks on the charts, one of few Spanish-language
Spanish ( or , Castilian) is a Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European language family that evolved from colloquial Latin spoken on the Iberian peninsula. Today, it is a world language, global language with more than 500 millio ...
albums to do so.[ The band covered "]I've Got No Strings
"I've Got No Strings" (also known as "I Got No Strings") is a song from Walt Disney's animated film ''Pinocchio'' (1940), sung by Dickie Jones as Pinocchio. The music was written by Leigh Harline, the lyrics were written by Ned Washington. The re ...
" for the 1991 Disney
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
video and compilation album ''Simply Mad About the Mouse
''Simply Mad About the Mouse: A Musical Celebration of Imagination'' (commonly shortened to "''Simply Mad About the Mouse"'') ({{ISBN, 1-55890-217-1) is a 1991 direct-to-video release featuring top contemporary singers performing "classic Disney ...
''. Their cover version of "Hotel California
"Hotel California" is the title track from the Eagles' album of the same name and was released as a single in February 1977. Writing credits for the song are shared by Don Felder (music), Don Henley, and Glenn Frey (lyrics). Joe Walsh came ...
" was an example of fast flamenco guitar leads and rhythmic strumming; it was featured in the 1998 Coen Brothers' movie ''The Big Lebowski
''The Big Lebowski'' () is a 1998 crime comedy film written, produced, and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. It stars Jeff Bridges as Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski, a Los Angeles slacker and avid bowler. He is assaulted as a result of mistaken i ...
''.[ The 2010 film '']Toy Story 3
''Toy Story 3'' is a 2010 American computer-animated comedy-drama film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. It is the third installment in the ''Toy Story'' series and the sequel to ''Toy Story 2'' (1999). It was d ...
'' featured their rendition of "You've Got a Friend in Me
"You've Got a Friend in Me" is a song by Randy Newman. Used as the theme song for the 1995 Disney/Pixar animated film ''Toy Story'', it has since become a major musical component for its sequels, ''Toy Story 2'' (1999), ''Toy Story 3'' (2010) ...
", a Spanish-language version titled "Hay un Amigo en Mi", and performed in a recognisably flamenco style.[ "Bamboleo" was featured in a grocery store scene in the 2016 film '']Sing
Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...
''.
The band have been criticised by flamenco purists, but Nicolas Reyes has said in an interview that the flamenco world is not in great shape itself and that the band are proud of their success. Their 1997 album ''Compas
Compas, also known as compas direct or compas direk (; Haitian Creole: ''konpa'', ''kompa'' or ''kompa dirèk''), is a modern méringue dance music genre of Haiti. The genre was popularized following the creation of Ensemble Aux Callebasses in ...
'' contains more traditional flamenco music.[
]
Solo projects
Some of the individual members of the band have put out their own albums. In 1988, Canut Reyes released his solo project, ''Boléro''. He has since released a second solo album, titled ''Gitano''. André Reyes recorded a solo album in 1992, but never released it officially. Unlicensed copies were acquired by fans and released online. Tonino Baliardo
file:Tonino Baliardo.JPG, Baliardo performing in 2012
Antoine "Tonino" Baliardo is a French guitarist of Spanish Gitanos, Gitano descent.
He is the lead guitarist for Gipsy Kings, a New Flamenco group from France that has sold more than 18 millio ...
released his own instrumental album, ''Essences'', in 2001, re-released in 2003.
In 2022, Nicolas Reyes and Moroccan musician Saad Lamjarred
Saad Lamjarred ( ar, سعد لمجرد; born 7 April 1985) is a Moroccan singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, dancer, record producer and actor. He grew up in an artist family and became famous after his songs broke YouTube audience records, ...
collaborated to pay tribute to King Mohammed VI
Mohammed VI ( ar, محمد السادس; born 21 August 1963) is the King of Morocco. He belongs to the 'Alawi dynasty and acceded to the throne on 23 July 1999, upon the death of his father, King Hassan II.
Upon ascending to the throne, Moha ...
for the occasion of July 30th's Throne Day, releasing a song called "Viva El Rey Habibna".
Collaborations
Gipsy Kings have collaborated with many renowned artists. These efforts include "Speaking of Dreams" with Joan Baez
Joan Chandos Baez (; born January 9, 1941) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and activist. Her contemporary folk music often includes songs of protest and social justice. Baez has performed publicly for over 60 years, releasing more ...
in 1990, "My Way
"My Way" is a song popularized in 1969 by Frank Sinatra set to the music of the French song "Comme d'habitude" composed by Jacques Revaux with lyrics by Gilles Thibaut and Claude François and first performed in 1967 by Claude François. Its E ...
" with Francis Cabrel
Francis Christian Cabrel (; born 23 November 1953) is a French singer-songwriter, composer and guitarist. Considered one of the most influential French musical artists of all time, he has released a number of albums falling mostly within the real ...
in 1993, a version of Bob Marley
Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981; baptised in 1980 as Berhane Selassie) was a Jamaican singer, musician, and songwriter. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, his musical career was marked by fusing elements o ...
's "One Love One Love may refer to:
Music
* One Love (record producer), Timothy Sommers, American record producer, half of the duo Kinetics & One Love
* ''One Love: The Bob Marley Musical'', a 2015 stage musical
Albums
* One Love (Blue album), ''One Love'' (B ...
" sung with his son Ziggy Marley
David Nesta "Ziggy" Marley (born 17 October 1968) is a Jamaican singer, songwriter, musician, actor and philanthropist. He is the son of reggae icon Bob Marley and Rita Marley. He led the family band Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers until 200 ...
, and Georges Reyes' song "Donde esta el amor" with Nicolas Reyes in 2006. They also performed "Get Up!" with Captain Jack Captain Jack may refer to:
People
* Calico Jack (1683–1720), a pirate in the 18th century
* Captain Jack (Hawaiian) (died 1831), Naihekukui, commander of Kamehameha's fleet and father of Kalama
* Captain Jack (fl. 1830s on), Kaurna man in c ...
and covered a version of the Doobie Brothers
The Doobie Brothers are an American rock band formed in 1970 in San Jose, California, known for their flexibility in performing across numerous genres and their vocal harmonies. Active for five decades, with their greatest success in the 1970s, ...
' "Long Train Running" with Bananarama
Bananarama are an English pop duo from London, formed as a trio in 1980 by friends Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey and Keren Woodward. Fahey left the group in 1988 and was replaced by Jacquie O'Sullivan until 1991, when the trio became a duo. Thei ...
on their ''Pop Life'' album, under the pseudonym Alma de Noche.
Band members
Gipsy Kings originally consisted of two parent families: Reyes and Baliardo. The Reyes brothers, sons of Jose Reyes, are nephews of Manitas de Plata. The Baliardo brothers are his sons.
* Nicolas Reyes
Nicolas Reyes (born 22 November 1958) is the lead singer, guitarist, songwriter, arranger, producer and founder of the French musical group Gipsy Kings, along with Tonino Baliardo, the group popular for their Spanish music in the 1980s. Even tho ...
– founder, lead singer
* François (Canut) Reyes – vocals, guitar
* André Reyes – vocals, guitar
* Patchai Reyes – vocal, guitar
* Pablo (Paul) Reyes – guitar
* Tonino Baliardo
file:Tonino Baliardo.JPG, Baliardo performing in 2012
Antoine "Tonino" Baliardo is a French guitarist of Spanish Gitanos, Gitano descent.
He is the lead guitarist for Gipsy Kings, a New Flamenco group from France that has sold more than 18 millio ...
– founder, lead guitarist
* Diego Baliardo – guitar
* Paco Baliardo – guitar
Chico Bouchikhi, co-founder of the group, a son-in-law of Jose Reyes, was also a member but left after the 1989 album ''Mosaïque'' to create his own band, Chico & The Gypsies.
As of 2015, only founding members Nicolas Reyes and Tonino Baliardo remain in the Gipsy Kings lineup; tour promotional notices bill them as "The Gipsy Kings (featuring Nicolas Reyes and Tonino Baliardo)".
Discography
* ''Allegria
''Allegria'' (Italian; "joy") is the debut studio album by the Gipsy Kings, released in 1982 in Europe.
Overview
This album and its successor, ''Luna de Fuego'', are very different from their later albums. They are both "unplugged" and traditio ...
'' (1982)
* ''Luna de Fuego
''Luna de Fuego'' is the second studio album by the Gipsy Kings, released in 1983 in Europe.
Background
Just like ''Allegria'', ''Luna de Fuego'' is denoted to be more traditional than their next albums with only acoustic guitars, voices, and ha ...
'' (1983)
* ''Gipsy Kings
Gipsy Kings are a group of flamenco, salsa, and pop musicians from Arles and Montpellier in southern France, who perform mostly in Catalan but also mix in Spanish with southern French dialects. Although the group members were born in France, t ...
'' (1987)
* ''Mosaïque
''Mosaïque'' is the fourth studio album by the Gipsy Kings, released in 1989 in Europe and Canada. The main difference between the two versions is the replacement of the instrumental "Bossamba" on the European release with "Niña morena" on the ...
'' (1989)
* ''Este Mundo
''Este Mundo'' is the fifth studio album by the Gipsy Kings, released in July 1991 in US and Europe; both versions are identical. "No Volveré" was covered by Tarkan as "Vazgeçemem" ("I Can't Give Up" in Turkish) on his debut album ''Yine Sensi ...
'' (1991) – Nominated for a Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
for Best World Music Album
* ''Love and Liberté
''Love and Liberté'' is the sixth studio album by Gipsy Kings
Gipsy Kings are a group of flamenco, salsa, and pop musicians from Arles and Montpellier in southern France, who perform mostly in Catalan but also mix in Spanish with southern Fr ...
'' (1993) – Won a Latin Grammy Award
The Latin Grammy Awards are an award by The Latin Recording Academy to recognize outstanding achievement in the Latin music industry. The Latin Grammy honors works recorded in Spanish or Portuguese from anywhere around the world that has been r ...
for Best Pop Album of the Year and nominated for a Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
for Best World Music Album
* '' Estrellas'' (1995) – European version of ''Tierra Gitana'' with "Forever"
* ''Tierra Gitana'' (1996) – US version of ''Estrellas'' with "Los Peces en el Rio"; nominated for a Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
for Best World Music Album
* ''Compas
Compas, also known as compas direct or compas direk (; Haitian Creole: ''konpa'', ''kompa'' or ''kompa dirèk''), is a modern méringue dance music genre of Haiti. The genre was popularized following the creation of Ensemble Aux Callebasses in ...
'' (1997) – Nominated for a Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
for Best World Music Album
* ''Somos Gitanos
''Somos Gitanos'' is the tenth studio album by the Gipsy Kings released in October 2001. It was released in 2001 in the US, Mexico, and Japan with different song orders. The Mexican and Japanese releases have the bonus song "One Love/People Get Re ...
'' (2001)
* ''Roots
A root is the part of a plant, generally underground, that anchors the plant body, and absorbs and stores water and nutrients.
Root or roots may also refer to:
Art, entertainment, and media
* ''The Root'' (magazine), an online magazine focusing ...
'' (2004)
* '' Pasajero'' (2006)
* ''Savor Flamenco
''Savor Flamenco'' (a play on ''Sabor Flamenco'', "Flamenco Flavor") is the thirteenth studio album by the rumba catalana group Gipsy Kings. It was released on September 10, 2013 by Knitting Factory. The album was one of two recipients of the 2014 ...
'' (2013) – Won a Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
for Best World Music Album[
]
See also
* New Flamenco
New flamenco (or ''nuevo flamenco'') or flamenco fusion is a musical genre that was born in Spain, starting in the 1980s. It combines flamenco guitar virtuosity and traditional flamenco music with musical fusion (with genres like jazz, blues, roc ...
References
External links
*
*
{{Authority control
Flamenco groups
French world music groups
French people of Romani descent
French Romani musical groups
Elektra Records artists
Grammy Award winners
Nonesuch Records artists
Columbia Records artists
Musical groups established in 1978
Catalan rumba
New flamenco
Latin pop music groups
Knitting Factory Records artists