(headline image: Rafael Amador – Photo by Mario Pacheco)
Rafael Amador, the Seville-born guitarist, singer, and songwriter who co-founded the band Pata Negra with his brother Raimundo and helped define nuevo flamenco through flamenco’s mix with rock and blues, died Sunday, February 8. He was 65. His family announced his death on the musician’s official social media accounts.
Amador and his brother became known for an innovative, influential hybrid sound that combined flamenco with rock and blues. Amador himself coined a name for that approach: “blueslería.”
Born in Seville, Amador grew up in the Tres Mil Viviendas neighborhood after his family moved there from a makeshift settlement in Chapina. He and Raimundo began as street musicians in Seville.
Before forming Pata Negra in 1978, the brothers took part in Veneno, a short-lived project with Kiko Veneno. The group recorded one album that initially met little commercial success and drew limited support, but later gained recognition as an early milestone in nuevo flamenco.
With Pata Negra, the Amador brothers reached a wider audience. Their albums Guitarras Callejeras (1985) and Blues De La Frontera (1987) became key works of the style and brought broader acclaim. The 1987 recordings included songs such as “Camarón,” “Lunático,” and “Pasa La Vida.”
Amador also contributed to Camarón’s iconic and groundbreaking 1979 album La Leyenda Del Tiempo, produced by Ricardo Pachón, a landmark recording in modern flamenco history.
Author: World Music Central News Room
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