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Camarón de la Isla: Song made Legend
His thin frame, pale skin and light colored hair made him worthy of the nickname Camarón (shrimp). José Monge Cruz, born in San Fernando, in the province of Cádiz, was born to become a living flamenco legend thanks to a powerful voice that made up for his apparently fragile physique. As a child his singing was heard in the streets of Cádiz, especially in the Venta de Vargas, where the best known flamencos, Lola Flores, Juanito Valderrama and Manolo Caracol, performed. There, amongst shrimp omelets and fish from the Bay, the singer from San Fernando grew as an artist, working side by side with important musicians and dancers of the day and earning his room and board at the same time. Orphaned by age seven, the need to work was compensated with a talent for singing, and at the age of 12, he is awarded First Prize at the Flamenco Contest at the Montilla Festival (Córdoba). From that moment on, his fame begins to spread, and in 1966, his professional career begins in the companies of flamencos such as Dolores Vargas, Miguel de los Reyes and Juanito Valderrama, with whom he tours America and Europe. The young Camarón tours the world and decides to settle in Madrid, but not before to receiving awards such as the first prize at the Festival del Cante Jondo de Mairena del Alcor in 1966. |
Just a few hours after publishing notification of the cancellation of Fernando Terremoto’s performance at the 2010 Jerez Festival, I learned from a French friend and flamenco lover that the famous flamenco singer from Jerez had passed away from a heart attack on February 13, 2010. He was only 40 years old.