1951-1992

"You only had to listen to Camarón once to know that he was a genius". Paco de Lucía.

The late Camarón de la Isla was one of the greatest Flamenco singers of the 20th century.

 José Monge Cruz, known artistically as Camarón de La Isla, was born in San Fernando (Cádiz) in 1950. He was the second oldest in a family with eight children. He was given the nickname ?Camar?n? because of his blond hair and for being from island of San Fernando (C?diz). He began to sing at the age of four. ?At home, everybody danced and sang, even if they wdren't performers?, he used to say.

Since his childhood he worked as a professional flamenco singer, performing in private parties and gatherings at the inns of Cádiz and Málaga. Camarón made frequent trips throughout Andalusia, sitting next to elderly cantaores to learn the old ways of singing. He performed with the Miguel de los Reyes company and later joined the group of the Madrid tablao Torres Bermejas.

His first album came out in 1969, accompanied by de Paco de Luc?a on guitar. Thanks to his recordings with de Lucía he became a top artist in flamenco festivals. Because of his personal character and the sound of his voice, the generations of cantaores coming after him consider his style as a model to be followed. He won the National Award of the Chair of Flamencology and the Mairena de Alcor contest.

Flamencos. Grupo Flamenco de Antonio Arenas, early recordings with various artists (DIM Records, 1968)

Sabicas. La historia del Flanenco (RCA Victor, 1969)

Flamencos. Grupo Folklorico de Antonio Arenas, early recordings with various artists (DIM Records, 1970)

El Camarón de la Isla,Con la Colaboración Especial de Paco de Lucía 1 (Philips 848-539-2, 1969)

El Camarón de la Isla, Con la Colaboración Especial de Paco de Lucía 2 (Philips 848-528-2, 1970)

El Camarón de la Isla, Con la Colaboración Especial de Paco de Lucía 3 (Philips 848-544-2, 1971)

Canastera (Philips 848-541-2, 1972)

El Camarón de la Isla, Con la Colaboración Especial de Paco de Lucía 4 (Philips 848-540-2, 1973)

Soy Caminante (Philips 838-822-2, 1974)

Arte y Majestad (Philips 848-527-2, 1975)

Rosa Maria (Philips 848-543-2, 1976)

Castillo de Arena (Philips 838-382-2, 1977)

Leyenda del Tiempo (Philips 838-832-2, 1979)

Camarón Nuestro (Philips 526-187-2, 1978-1979)

Como el Agua (Philips 838-383-2, 1981)

Calle Real (Philips 814-472-2, 1983)

Vivire (Philips 822-719-2, 1984)

Te lo Dice Camarón (Philips 826-818-2, 1986)

Flamenco Vivo (Philips 832-783-2, 1987)

Disco De Oro, compilation (Musicrama 1988 )

Soy Gitano (Philips 842-050-2, 1989)

El Angel (RTVE/PAP, 1992)

Potro (Philips PHCA134, 1992)

Camarón Nuestro (Polygram 5261872)

Paris 87 (Universal 5466332, 1999)

Grands Cantaores Du Flamenco V.15 (Harmonia Mundi LDX274957, 1999)

Legends of Flamenco Series (Arc Music 1501, 1999)

Caja Integral, boxed set, all his CDs plus bonus CD with unreleased material. Limited edition (Polygram 1454667722, 1999)

El Principio De Una Leyenda (MAYO 11652, 2000)

Antología Inédita (2000)

Alma y coraz?n flamencos, 3 CDs with unreleased material and remastered tracks (Universal Music Spain, 2004)