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After almost three decades in the music industry, the Gipsy Kings have successfully brought pop-infused flamenco music to fans all over the world, garnering massive amounts of supporters that span the globe.
During the '70s, the band began to perform in a French village. The group began as a Los Reyes, a family affair featuring two brothers and three cousins. They made a name for themselves playing festivals, weddings, and even on the street - their new name was born after their Gipsy-like wandering for gigs, and Los Reyes mean The Kings in Spanish.
While the band failed to gain notice after their first two traditional flamenco albums, a collaboration with Claude Martinez brought on a more relaxed sound, fusing the traditional music with a more contemporary vibe, including sounds from North America and the Middle East, plus some rock. While it was quite a risk, the shift in sound paid off and their debut album with Sony Music sat on the Top Ten album charts in 12 European countries. Hits from the album included "Djobi Djoba," "Bamboleo" and the ballad "Un Amor."
While the group was clearly conquering the world, they wanted to try their luck in America, as well - in the late '80s, they debuted at the New York New Music Seminar, which quickly led to them being signed by Sony in America. In 1989 they performed at George Bush Sr.s inaugural ball - they also scored commercial success, with their American debut sitting on U.S. Charts for 40 weeks and was one of few Spanish albums to be certified Gold by the RIAA. One of the bands hits in the U.S. was a cover of "Hotel Califonia," which was used in the film "The Big Lebowski."
Success continued for the group - in 1993, they received the "Best Pop Album of the Year" at the Latin Grammy Awards for "Love and Liberte." In 1995, their best-of album, "The Best of the Gipsy Kings" went platinum. Most recently, the group released "Pasajero" and is now touring.
Some Flamenco purist have attacked The Gipsy Kings use of electronic bass, keyboards, drum kits and rock and reggae beats - however, many others in the music industry praise their ability to create an innovative sound while staying true to the joy that flamenco music is meant to bring fans.
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