Camar%C3%B3n de la Isla

Jos Monge Cruz , better known by his stage name Camarn de la Isla, was a Spanish flamenco singer. Considered one of the all time greatest flamenco singers, he was noted for his collaborations with Paco de Lucia and Tomatito, and the three of them were of major importance to the revival of flamenco in the second half of the 20th century.

He was born in San Fernando, Spain, into a gypsy family, the second of eight children. His mother was Juana Cruz Castro, a basket weaver , whose gift of singing was a strong early influence. His father, Juan Luis Monge, was also a singer as well as a blacksmith, and had a forge where Camarn worked as a boy. His uncle Jos nicknamed him Camarn because he was blonde and fair skinned. When his father died of asthma, while still very young, the family went through financial hardship. At the age of eight he began to sing at inns and bus stops with Rancapino to earn money. At sixteen, he won first prize at the Festival del Cante Jondo in Mairena de Alcor. Camarn then went to Madrid with Miguel de los Reyes and in 1968 became a resident artist at the Tablao Torres Bermejas where he remained for twelve years.

Source: Wikipedia