One of Spain’s best known flamenco vocalists, Manuel de los Santos Pastor, better known as ‘Agujetas’ or ‘Agujetas de Jerez’, passed away December 25 at the Hospital del Servicio Andaluz de Salud in Jerez de la Frontera. He was 76 years old.
Manuel Agujetas was an exceptional singer. He was born in Jerez de la Frontera (some biographies indicate Rota) in 1939. He grew up in the Spanish Gypsy tradition of singing blacksmiths. His father, known as ‘Agujetas Viejo’ introduced him to the singing style of masters such as Manuel Torre, Tío José de Paula and El Marruro.
Agujetas worked in his father’s forge until 1970, when he made his first recording. He achieved international recognition for his singing of the superbly intense form of flamenco called cante jondo (deep song) that includes flamenco’s purest, ancient styles such as martinetes and siguiriyas.
Manuel Agujetas was the father of singers Dolores Agujetas and Antonio Agujetas. He recorded over 13 albums, including his debut titled ‘Viejo cante jondo’ (1972) and his most recent, a 5-volume anthology titled ‘Agujetas: Historia, Pureza y Vanguardia del Flamenco’ (2012).
Agujetas also appeared in Carlos Saura’s influential movie “Flamenco” and was the subject of Dominique Abel’s documentary “Agujetas, Cantaor”.
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
