{{short description|French flamenco, salsa, and pop group}} {{about|the musical group|other uses|Gypsy Kings (disambiguation){{!}}Gypsy Kings}} {{Multiple issues| {{More citations needed|date=September 2010}} {{Missing information|how the band was reduced to only two permanent members|date=March 2024}} }} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2026}} {{Infobox musical artist | background = group_or_band | name = Gipsy Kings | landscape = yes | image = Gipsy_Kings_(ZMF_2016)_jm17802.jpg | caption = Gipsy Kings performing in 2016 | alias = {{hlist|Los Reyes|Alma de Noche}} | origin = Arles and Montpellier, France | genre = {{hlist|Catalan rumba|flamenco|pop|rock|salsa}} | years_active = 1979–present | label = {{hlist|Elektra|Nonesuch|Columbia|SME|Knitting Factory}} | spinoffs = {{hlist|Chico & the Gypsies|Gipsy Kings featuring Tonino Baliardo|Gipsy Kings by André Reyes|Gitano Family}} | spinoff_of = José et Los Reyes | website = {{URL|gipsykings.com}} | current_members = * Nicolas Reyes * Tonino Baliardo | past_members = * Canut Reyes * Chico Bouchikhi * André Reyes * Diego Baliardo * Paco Baliardo * Pablo Reyes * Patchaï Reyes }}
'''Gipsy Kings''' (originally '''Los Reyes''') are a musical group founded in 1979 in Arles, France. The band, whose members have Catalan heritage,<ref name="rumba-catalana">{{cite web|title=History of Rumba Catalana |url=https://www.rumba-catalana.com/history-catalan-rumba/world-discovered-catalan-rumba/ |website=rumba-catalana.com |access-date=22 August 2024}}</ref> play a blend of Catalan rumba,<ref name="rumba-catalana" /> flamenco, salsa, and pop. They perform mostly in Spanish but also mix in Catalan, French, and languages of southern France, such as Occitan.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.radio.cz/es/rubrica/notas/gipsy-kings-presentaron-en-praga-su-ultimo-album-roots|title = Gipsy Kings presentaron en Praga su último álbum "Roots"|date = 4 May 2004}}</ref>
Although the group members were born in France, their parents were mostly ''gitanos'' (Spanish Romani) who fled Spain during the 1930s Spanish Civil War. They are known for bringing rumba flamenca, a pop-oriented music distantly derived from traditional flamenco and rumba, to a worldwide audience, and for their interpretations of English-language pop hits.
==History== ===Beginnings: 1970s–1980s=== In the 1970s, José Reyes and Manitas de Plata were a duo who played rumba flamenca in the southern French town of Arles. When they split up, Reyes began performing with his sons, Nicolas, François (Canut), André, Patchaï, and Paul (Pablo), as José et Los Reyes (as well as being their family name, ''reyes'' means "kings" in Spanish). After their father's death in 1979, the brothers continued to perform, joined by their cousins Diego, Paco, and Tonino Baliardo (nephews of Manitas de Plata), as well as French Moroccan musician Chico Bouchikhi, who was then married to Marthe Reyes, José's daughter.<ref>{{cite book |last=Sullivan |first=Steve |title=Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QWBPAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA144 |year=2013 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=978-0-8108-8296-6 |pages=143–145}}</ref> Traveling around France and playing at weddings, festivals, and in the streets as a gypsy band, they adopted the moniker Gipsy Kings, with Nicolas as lead vocalist and Tonino on lead guitar. Later, they were hired to play at upper-class parties in such places as Saint-Tropez.<ref>{{cite news|title=Gipsy Kings |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/gipsy-kings-mn0000555695/biography |website=allmusic.com |access-date=8 August 2023}}</ref>
Their first two albums, ''Allegria'' (1982) and ''Luna de Fuego'' (1983), attracted little notice.
===Success: 1987–present=== Success came for Gipsy Kings with their self-titled third album, released in 1987 (1989 in the United States), which included the songs "Djobi Djoba", "Bamboléo", and the ballad "Un Amor". The record spent forty weeks on the US charts, one of few Spanish-language albums to do so.<ref>{{cite book |last=Gray |first=Louise |title=The No-Nonsense Guide to World Music |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RDr0AgAAQBAJ&pg=PA23 |year=2009 |publisher=New Internationalist |isbn=978-1-906523-70-1 |pages=23–25}}</ref>
Pablo Reyes left the group in 1988, due to hearing problems.<ref name="rfi">{{cite news|title=Biographie |url=https://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/index2.php?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmusique.rfi.fr%2Fartiste%2Fchanson%2Fgipsy-kings#federation=archive.wikiwix.com&tab=url |website=musique.rfi.fr |access-date=3 March 2024 |language=fr}}</ref>
Chico Bouchikhi, one of the group's founding members, left in 1991 due to financial disagreements with their then-manager, Claude Martinez,<ref name="rfi" /> and went on to start his own group, Chico & the Gypsies.<ref name="humanite">{{cite news|title=Israël : le grand pardon de Chico |url=http://www.humanite.fr/journal/2001-11-03/2001-11-03-252869 |website=humanite.fr |date=3 November 2001 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060421073306/http://www.humanite.fr/journal/2001-11-03/2001-11-03-252869 |access-date=2 March 2024 |archive-date=21 April 2006 |language=fr |trans-title=Israel: the great forgiveness of Chico}}</ref>
Between 1989 and 2013, the band released nine studio albums: ''Mosaïque'' (1989), ''Este Mundo'' (1991), ''Love and Liberté'' (1993), ''Estrellas'' (1995), ''Compas'' (1997), ''Somos Gitanos'' (2001), ''Roots'' (2004), ''Pasajero'' (2006), and ''Savor Flamenco'' (2013). Their latest, ''Evidence'', came out in 2018. ''Savor Flamenco'' won a Grammy Award for Best Global Music Album in 2014.<ref name=":0">{{cite news |title=Grammys 2014: The complete list of nominees and winners |date=26 January 2014 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/music/la-et-ms-grammy-nominations-winners-list-story.html#page=1 |access-date=28 January 2015}}</ref> In 1992, they issued the concert album ''Live''.
The band have been criticised by flamenco purists, but Nicolas Reyes has argued 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'', however, contains more traditional flamenco music.<ref>{{cite book|last=Wald|first=Elijah|author-link=Elijah Wald|title=Global Minstrels: Voices of World Music|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6MgyQm3PDb4C&pg=PA193 |year=2007 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-415-97929-0 |pages=192–194}}</ref>
==Collaborations and covers== Gipsy Kings recorded a cover of Frank Sinatra's "My Way", entitled "A Mi Manera", which was included on their 1987 self-titled album. A cover of the 1958 Domenico Modugno song "Volare" appears on their 1989 album, ''Mosaïque''. They covered "I've Got No Strings" for the 1991 Disney Records direct-to-video album ''Simply Mad About the Mouse: A Musical Celebration of Imagination''. Their version of Eagles' "Hotel California" was an example of fast flamenco guitar leads and rhythmic strumming; it was featured in the 1998 Coen Brothers' movie, ''The Big Lebowski''.<ref>{{cite book |last=Jones |first=Jenny M.|title=The Big Lebowski: An Illustrated, Annotated History of the Greatest Cult Film of All Time |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bLCNVOE53-sC&pg=PA136 |year=2012 |publisher=Voyageur Press |isbn=978-0-7603-4279-4 |page=136}}</ref> The 2010 film ''Toy Story 3'' featured their rendition of Randy Newman's "You've Got a Friend in Me" in a Spanish-language version, titled "Hay un Amigo en Mi", and the group performed it in a recognizable flamenco style.<ref>{{cite web |title=Los Gipsy Kings graban un tema para 'Toy Story 3' |trans-title=The Gipsy Kings record the theme for 'Toy Story 3' |website=Demasiado Cine |date=5 May 2010 |url=http://www.demasiadocine.com/articulos/los-gipsy-kings-graban-un-tema-para-toy-story-3/ |language=es |access-date=28 January 2015 |archive-date=2 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190402074246/http://www.demasiadocine.com/articulos/los-gipsy-kings-graban-un-tema-para-toy-story-3/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
They have also collaborated with various musical artists, including Joan Baez, recording a version of "A Mi Manera" for her 1989 album, ''Speaking of Dreams''. They recorded the song "Get Up!" with Captain Jack, from the Eurodance group's 1999 album, ''The Captain's Revenge''. They published a cover of Bob Marley's "One Love" with his son Ziggy in 2001, and they recorded a cover of the Doobie Brothers' "Long Train Running" with Bananarama, under the pseudonym Alma de Noche, which was included on a 2013 re-issue of the girl band's 1991 album, ''Pop Life''. In 2020, they featured on the song "Ciclone" by Takagi & Ketra, with vocals by Elodie and Mariah Angeliq. A year later, they shared credits with Spanish rapper C. Tangana on the song "Ingobernable", which appeared on his album ''El Madrileño''.
==Solo projects== thumb|Nicolas Reyes remains the frontman of the recording act.
Individual members of the band have toured with their own projects and released solo albums. In 1989, Canut Reyes published ''Boléro'',<ref>{{cite news|title=Canut Reyes |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/canut-reyes-mn0000657031 |website=allmusic.com |access-date=8 August 2023}}</ref> and in 2012, his second album, ''Gitano'', came out.
Tonino Baliardo released an instrumental album in 2001, titled ''Essences''.<ref>{{cite news|title=Tonino Baliardo |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/tonino-baliardo-mn0000618196 |website=allmusic.com |access-date=8 August 2023}}</ref> He followed it two years later with ''Tonino Baliardo''. In 2023, he issued ''Renaissance'', under the name of his touring band, Gipsy Kings featuring Tonino Baliardo.
In 2022, Nicolas Reyes and Moroccan musician Saad Lamjarred collaborated to pay tribute to King Mohammed VI on Throne Day, releasing the song "Viva El Rey Habibna".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Vidéo. "Viva El Rey Habibna" : l'hommage de Lamjarred et d'un vétéran des Gipsy Kings au roi Mohammed VI |url=https://fr.le360.ma/people/video-viva-el-rey-habibna-lhommage-de-lamjarred-et-dun-veteran-des-gipsy-kings-au-roi-mohammed-vi-264550 |website=Le360.ma| language= fr |access-date=2 August 2022}}</ref>
André Reyes performs with his own band, under the name Gipsy Kings by André Reyes.<ref name="lavoz">{{cite news|title=André Reyes, de Gipsy Kings: La mejor manera de responder a la crítica es en el escenario |url=https://www.lavoz.com.ar/vos/musica/andre-reyes-de-gipsy-kings-la-mejor-manera-de-responder-a-la-critica-es-en-el-escenario/ |website=lavoz.com.ar |date=26 February 2022 |access-date=1 March 2024 |language=es |trans-title=André Reyes from Gipsy Kings: The best way to respond to criticism is onstage}}</ref> The group consists of André and a number of his relatives, including his son Thomas, nephews Kakou and Tambo, brother Patchaï, and first cousin Mario, as well as four backing musicians.<ref name="lavoz" /> In 2022, they released the album ''Nací Gitano''.
Patchaï Reyes performs as Gitano Family with his son.<ref name="rfi" />
Founding member Chico Bouchikhi tours with his band Chico & the Gypsies. They have released numerous albums since 1992.
==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, while the Baliardo brothers are his sons.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/nov/09/manitas-de-plata|title=Manitas de Plata obituary|first=John L.|last=Walters|author-link=John L. Walters|date=9 November 2014|website=The Guardian}}</ref>
'''Current''' * Nicolas Reyes – lead vocals (1978–present) * Tonino Baliardo – lead guitar (1978–present)
'''Past''' {{Incomplete list|date=March 2024}} * Canut Reyes – vocals, guitar (1978–?) * Chico Bouchikhi – guitar (1978–1991) * André Reyes – guitar, backing vocals (1978–?) * Diego Baliardo – guitar (1978–?) * Paco Baliardo – guitar (1978–?) * Pablo Reyes – guitar, backing vocals (1978–1988) * Patchaï Reyes – guitar, backing vocals (1978–?)
==Discography== {{Main|Gipsy Kings discography}} * ''Allegria'' (1982) * ''Luna de Fuego'' (1983) * ''Gipsy Kings'' (1987) * ''Mosaïque'' (1989) * ''Este Mundo'' (1991) – nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Global Music Album<ref>{{cite news|title=Other Grammy Nominees |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-01-10-ca-1616-story.html |website=Los Angeles Times |date=10 January 1992 |access-date=1 March 2024}}{{subscription required|date=March 2024}}</ref> * ''Love and Liberté'' (1993) – nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Global Music Album<ref>{{cite news|title=The 37th Grammy Nominations |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-01-06-ca-17089-story.html |website=Los Angeles Times |date=6 January 1995 |access-date=1 March 2024}}{{subscription required|date=March 2024}}</ref> * ''Estrellas'' (1995) – released in the US as ''Tierra Gitana'', with minor track list differences * ''Tierra Gitana'' (1996) – US version of ''Estrellas''; nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Global Music Album * ''Compas'' (1997) – nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Global Music Album * ''Somos Gitanos'' (2001) * ''Roots'' (2004) * ''Pasajero'' (2006) * ''Savor Flamenco'' (2013) – won a Grammy Award for Best Global Music Album * ''Evidence'' (2018)
==Awards and recognition== * 1990: Victoires de la Musique – Group of the Year<ref>{{cite news|title=Gipsy Kings, le temps des Gitans |url=https://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/index2.php?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.liberation.fr%2Fmusique%2F2019%2F07%2F12%2Fgipsy-kings-le-temps-des-gitans_1739683%2F#federation=archive.wikiwix.com&tab=url |website=liberation.fr |date=12 July 2019 |access-date=3 March 2024 |language=fr |trans-title=Gipsy Kings, the time of gypsies}}</ref> * 2014: Grammy Award for Best Global Music Album<ref name=":0" />
==See also== * New flamenco * List of best-selling Latin music artists
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== {{Commons category|Gipsy Kings (musical group)|Gipsy Kings}} * {{official website|gipsykings.com}} * [https://www.nicolasreyes.com/ Nicolas Reyes] official website * [https://web.archive.org/web/20160305181051/http://www.rfimusic.com/artist/chanson/gipsy-kings/biography Band history] at RFI Music * {{AllMusic|artist/mn0000555695|label=Gipsy Kings}}
{{Gipsy Kings}}
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Category:Gipsy Kings Category:Flamenco groups Category:French world music groups Category:French people of Romani descent Category:French Romani musical groups Category:Elektra Records artists Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Nonesuch Records artists Category:Columbia Records artists Category:Musical groups established in 1978 Category:Catalan rumba Category:New flamenco Category:Latin pop music groups Category:Knitting Factory Records artists Category:English-language French musical groups Category:Spanish-language French musical groups Category:World Music Awards winners