Gipsy Kings are a musical group founded in 1979 in Arles, France. The band, whose members have Catalan heritage, play a blend of Catalan rumba, flamenco, salsa, and pop. They perform mostly in Catalan but also mix in Spanish and languages of southern France, such as Occitan.
Ottmar Liebert is a German guitarist, songwriter and producer best known for his Spanish-influenced music. A five-time Grammy Award nominee, Liebert has received 38 Gold and Platinum certifications in the United States, as well as certifications in Canada, Australia and New Zealand. His debut album Nouveau Flamenco (1990) was certified Platinum in the United States.
Jalloul "Chico" Bouchikhi is a French musician and a co-founder of the Gipsy Kings. After leaving the band in 1991, he formed his own group, Chico & the Gypsies.
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, music which diverged in the new world, then returned to Spain in a new form. The genre originated in the 19th century in Andalusia, southern Spain, where Cuban music first reached the country.
Ricardo Baliardo, 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 rhythmic rules (compás) that are traditional in flamenco.
The Wild Child is a 1970 French film by director François Truffaut. Featuring Jean-Pierre Cargol, François Truffaut, Françoise Seigner and Jean Dasté, it tells the story of a child who spends the first eleven or twelve years of his life with little or no human contact. It is based on the true events regarding the child Victor of Aveyron, reported by Dr. Jean Marc Gaspard Itard. The film sold nearly 1.5 million tickets in France.
Los Niños de Sara is a Spanish-speaking Gitano musical group from Montpellier, France. They perform on their own, but they are best known for the involvement in the musical group Alabina.
Superbus is a five-piece French pop rock band formed in 1999 with Jenn Ayache on lead vocals. The band's name is from the Latin word superbus, meaning proud, which Ayache stumbled upon while browsing through a Latin dictionary. The band has released five studio albums to date and a compilation album.
Gipsy Kings is the third album by the French Rumba Catalana band Gipsy Kings, which was released in 1987. The album was their first to reach a worldwide audience, going gold across France, the UK, the US and other countries. The US and European versions of this album are identical except in some cases the song order may differ. The Japanese version released in 1995 includes an alternate version of "Vamos a Bailar". The song "Inspiration" from this album famously appeared in the season five episode of Miami Vice, "World of Trouble", in June 1988.
Antoine "Tonino" Baliardo is a French guitarist of Spanish Gitano descent. He is the lead guitarist for Gipsy Kings, a New Flamenco group from France that has sold more than 18 million albums worldwide.
Compas is the ninth studio album by rumba band Gipsy Kings. It was released in 1997 in Europe and the US, using a different song order. The European version has one completely new track, "Sueño de Noche", as well as a remixed version of "Ami Wa Wa ".
Bandido is the fourth studio album by Spanish duo Azúcar Moreno, released on CBS-Epic in 1990. The album became the Salazár sisters' international breakthrough.
Nicolas Reyes 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 though the group members were born in France, he was brought up in a Spanish culture since their parents were gitanos who fled Catalonia during the Spanish Civil War.
Willie & Lobo was a musical duo composed of William Robert "Willie" Royal, Jr. (violin) and Wolfgang Hubert "Lobo" Fink (guitar). Their music, characterized as New Flamenco and World Music, is a blend of Gypsy, Latin, Celtic, Flamenco, Middle Eastern, Rock, Jazz, Cuban Swing, Tango and Salsa.
Roots is the eleventh studio album by the French Rumba Catalana band Gipsy Kings, which was released in 2004 in Europe, USA, and Japan. Both the Europe and US release are identical and have 16 tracks while the Japanese version have two bonus tracks: "Canut Fandango" and "Mi Novia".
"Bamboléo" is a 1987 Spanish language song by Gitano-French band Gipsy Kings, from their eponymous album. The song was written by band members Tonino Baliardo, Chico Bouchikhi ,Nicolas Reyes and Venezuelan composer Simón Díaz. It was arranged by Dominique Perrier. "Bamboleo" could be translated as "wobble" "swing" or "dangle" in Spanish.
François Reyes, better known as Canut Reyes, is a French guitarist of Spanish Gitano descent, singer, songwriter, and painter, best known for being part of the group Gipsy Kings.
Marcus Nand is a guitarist, singer-songwriter, producer, and sound engineer best known for his work with flamenco guitar. After learning rock, blues, and flamenco in Spain in his youth, he has been based in Los Angeles since the 1990s. A past guitarist for Los Angeles metal band Freak of Nature, he later formed the world music and rock band Ziroq with bassist Carmine Rojas. Ziroq's debut album was named "Best Mix: Non-Orchestral" at the 2002 Surround Music Awards. Nand also works on various solo projects. As a session guitarist, he has contributed to albums such as Situation Dangerous by Bozzio Levin Stevens, Essential Ballads by Jeff Scott Soto, and various compilations.
The Rumba Kings is an original American world music band co-founded in 2015 in Seattle, Washington, by producer/songwriter/bassist and former Capitol Records recording artist, Johnny Bacolas,(best known for being a member of the band Second Coming), and guitarist/songwriter, George Stevens. The songwriting is strongly influenced by Latin and Mediterranean music, and is mostly nylon-guitar driven, influenced by such artists as Yanni and The Gipsy Kings. Regarding the band's songs, Stevens states, "If it isn't beautiful, it doesn't make the cut," while Bacolas describes the band's music as "passionate and beautiful."
