Manolo Caracol
Manuel Ortega Juárez , known as Manolo Caracol (* 9. July 1909 in Seville , Spain ; † 24. February 1973 in Madrid , Spain) was a flamenco - singer . He came from a long tradition of flamenco artists of the Roma , as Enrique Ortega and Curro Dulce.
In 1922, Manolo Caracol and El Tenazas won the first prize of the Concurso de Cante Jondo de Granada , which was organized by intellectuals such as Manuel de Falla and Federico García Lorca . At the beginning of his career he sang at private events, which at that time were a common stage for flamenco artists alongside the flamenco cafés.
During the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) Manolo Caracol started a tour with a theater company , as the war made it difficult to find private events. A type of performance common at this time, the Ópera Flamenca , was a performance of everyday love stories from Andalusia or from the Gitanos . These theatrical pieces were a mixture of well-known Spanish songs, the Coplas andaluzas or Canciónes españoles .
In 1943 he met Lola Flores , with whom he entered into a professional and private relationship. They became the most famous artist couple in Spain and some Latin American countries in the 1940s . His most famous songs, such as La salvaora and La niña de fuego, date from this period . He also played roles in various films such as Un caballero famoso (1942), Embrujo (1946), Jack el Negro (1950) and La niña de la venta (1950).
Some purists in the flamenco community criticized Manolo Caracol as the singer of the Coplas andaluzas , which was considered an improper style to sing, as well as for formal errors in his performances. Nonetheless, he was seen as one of the singers performing duende (a term used in flamenco for inspiration ). He had a deep, rough and warm voice and sang the flamenco songs with passion, originality and a personal touch. He mastered different styles of flamenco such as martinete , seguiriya , soleá , malagueña (especially the style of el Mellizo ), bulería and fandango . In particular, his performances of fandangos were so personal that they became known as fandangos caracoleros .
Manolo Caracol died in a traffic accident in Madrid.
Web links
- biography
- Manolo Caracol in the Internet Movie Database (English)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Caracol, Manolo |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Juarez, Manuel Ortega |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Spanish flamenco singer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | July 9, 1909 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Seville , Spain |
| DATE OF DEATH | February 24, 1973 |
| Place of death | Madrid , Spain |