Male flamenco singer |
| Name:Juan Valderrama Blanca |
| Birth: 1916 Torre del Campo (Jaén) |
| Death: 2004 Espartinas (Sevilla) |
"I have not been imitated very much because my singing is very difficult, but I have admirers who are so passionate that they seem crazy. I remember one who got so emotional when he saw me that he bit me in the face".
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His versatility has been a constant feature in his long artistic career: he has been a singer, cantaor, writer, actor, a discoverer of important flamenco artists and a promoter of interesting and fruitful initiatives.
As a flamenco cantaor, his singing is similar to that of Antonio Chacón or Pepe Marchena. In spite of being a great connoisseur and a good performer of all the palos (forms), his greatest successes have been as a singer of popular folk songs. His singing has been recognised by the great figures of flamenco in several tributes. He has worked, whether it has been on the stage or in a studio, with all of the legendary flamenco figures: Fosforito, El Güito, Pepe Pinto, Curro de Utrera, La Niña de los Peines, Dolores Abril, Juanito Mojama, Aurora Pavón, Caracol, Chocolate, Camarón… and a long list that is impossible to include in full.
Juanito Valderrama has discovered important flamenco artists like Adelfa Soto (daughter of La Niña de la Puebla) and Dolores Abril, with whom he formed an artistic and romatic partnership. We cannot forget that it is thanks to him that we have the Festival del Cante de las Minas in La Unión (Murcia), which has served as a launchpad for many flamenco artists. Overall, he has produced over one hundred recordings, and we mustn´t overlook that he produced six films between 1954 and 1968. The artist died when he was 87 years old in his home in Espartinas (Seville), as a result of a heart failure. |
Juanito Valderrama
