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The Gipsy Kings are a group from Arles and Montpellier in France. Their ancestors fled from Catalonia in the Spanish Civil War. They are Calé (gypsy) musicians, best known for bringing Rumba Catalana, a pop-oriented version of traditional flamenco music to mainstream audiences, a kind of Rumba Flamenca.
They became popular with their album, self titled Gipsy Kings, which included the songs "Djobi Djoba", "Bamboleo" and "Un Amor". The song "Volare" on their second album Mosaique is a rumba version of Domenico Modugno's Italian hit "Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu". The Gipsy Kings were enormously popular in France despite harsh criticism from flamenco purists. Gipsy Kings was successful throughout Europe, especially France and England. In 1989, Gipsy Kings was released in the US and it spent 40 weeks on the charts, one of very few Spanish language albums to do so.
Their albums include Gipsy Kings, Estrellas, Mosaique, Love & Liberte, Compas, Este Mundo, Somos Gitanos and Roots.
The Gipsy Kings are members of two related families: the Reyes and the Baliardos (Reyes means Kings in Spanish). They are cousins from the flamenco great Manitas de Plata. The Gipsy Kings are:
Chico Bouchikhi was also a member of the Gipsy Kings, but quit after the album Mosaique.
Many songs of Gypsy Kings fit social dances, such as Samba, Salsa and Rumba.