Enrique Morente

Flamenco singer Enrique Morente is one of the music's great modern interpreters: a dynamic performer gifted with a powerful voice and an intellectual restlessness that continues to push the boundaries of the artform.

Born in Granada in 1942, Morente got his first taste of singing as a child, in the city's magnificent cathedral. Yet living in the Gypsy quarter, he grew up steeped in flamenco – absorbing both its lessons and its lore. While still a teen, he left Granada to sing in the more profitable tablaos (flamenco clubs) of Madrid while still a teen. There he began performing at the prestigious Torres Bermejos tablao, where met and learned from such veteran cantaores singers as Pepe el de la Matrona and Bernardo el de los Lobitos.

Morente began his recording career in 1967, and while his initial attempts were nothing groundbreaking, they were notable both for the clarity of his voice and his commitment to reviving the old cantes (song styles), which had fallen out of fashion. By the 1970s, Morente became both more adventurous and more scholarly – simultaneously taking flamenco forward while delving deep into its storied history.

During this decade he would work with the great guitarist Sabicas, who helped keep flamenco alive during the post-civil war era. Morente's infatuation with flamenco legends of the past intensified, too, and he became immersed in the work of singer don Antonio Chacón, producing the outstanding album Homenaje a don Antonio Chacón in 1977 -- for which he was awarded the National Spanish Popular Music Prize, the first ever won by a flamenco artist.

Over the ensuing decades, Morente's musical adventures continued, and he developed a taste for lyrics written by poets, both modern and classic. He would record two albums in tribute to the great Spanish Poet Federico Garcia Lorca – and even recorded a tribute to both Lorca and Canadian singer/songwriter Leonard Cohen! In the 90's he would record with both Moroccan Andalusian classical orchestras and with the Spanish rock band Lagartija Nick.

Morente's legacy doesn't end with his own work, either: in 2001 his daughter, Estrella – a powerful singer in her own right – made an international splash with her debut album My Songs and a Poem. Enrique, ever the proud papa, had produced the record. -- Tom Pryor