El Fary

During the 1980s El Fary was the premier exponent of la copla, a light, romantic flavor of flamenco first popularized more than half a century earlier. Born José Luis Cantero Rada in Madrid on August 20, 1937, he spent his adolescence as a delivery boy and gardener, learning to read and write during a stint in the military. On returning from duty he drove a taxi cab, around this time beginning his recording career with a series of self-financed singles sold via the Rastro, Madrid's famous Sunday flea market. Dubbed "El Fary" by friends in honor of his uncanny similarities to t...