Ramón Suárez Salazar, better known as Ramón El Portugués, was born in Mérida (Badajoz province), Spain in 1948. He is the nephew of the legendary singer Porrina de Badajoz.
Ramón El Portugués is specialized in cantes extremeños (Flamenco songs from Extremadura, a region in western Spain), such as tangos and jaleos. The jaleos are thought to be one of the oldest forms of Flamenco, a primitive form of the alegria.
Although born in Mérida, Ramón El Portugués is known in the Flamenco circuit as El Portugués because his region, Extremadura, borders Portugal.
Ramón El Portugués has taken part in most relevant flamenco festivals and has proved to be a “live” artist rather than a recording artist. He has recorded very few albums during his musical career, the first one in the early 1970s.
On his second album, Gitanos de la Plaza, he was accompanied by some the finest flamenco guitarists: Juan Habichuela, Pepe Habichuela, Tomatito and El Bola. His own son, Paquete, and El Negri, also collaborated, both being members of La Barberia del Sur. Therefore, Gitanos de la Plaza brought together several flamenco generations with the fabulous voice of Ramón El Portugués.
In 2009, top flamenco artists participated in a tribute to Ramón El Portugués’ 50th anniversary as a singer. Pepe Habichuela, José El Frances, Los Chunguitos, Juan Carmona and others got together in a series of fundraising concerts to pay for knee surgery.
Discography
* Gitanos de la Plaza (Nuevos Medios, 1992)
* Canta Ramón El Portugués (2006)
* Archivo De Flamenco Vol.17, Aires Flamencos De Extremadura Con El Indio Gitano Y * Ramón “El Portugués” (2007)
* Jaleo, with Guadiana (Karonte, 2014)
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.
I enjoyed reading this about Ramón because I’m an aficionado of flamenco extremeño and try to visit Extremadura regularly. Thanks very much!