* En anglais uniquement
Flamenco cantador
José Mercé (born
José Soto Soto) began singing at the age of six, becoming a soloist in his local church, La Basílica de la Merced in Jerez, while improving his natural skills by participating in
Antonio Gades' theater company. It was during the early '70s that
Mercé moved to Madrid to join a new generation of flamenco performers, such as
Camarón (born
José Monge Cruz), also known as
El Camarón de la Isla;
Tomatito (born
Manuel Moreno Junquera); and talented guitarist
Paco de Lucía. He performed with
Gades until the mid-'80s, traveling halfway across the world in the process, and later released a string of albums that featured a modern, commercially successful interpretation of the flamenco tradition. ~ Drago Bonacich