Corruco de Algeciras
Who is Corruco de Algeciras?
José Ruiz Arroyo, Corruco de Algeciras, was born on 21 January 1910 in La Línea de la Concepción (Cádiz), though he moved as a child to Algeciras, the city where he grew up and which would go on to give his stage name. At just fourteen, Manuel Vallejo heard him sing at the Café del Moro in Algeciras and recognized his potential, encouraging him to pursue cante professionally.
Career
Following that discovery he began performing in cafés cantantes in the area, such as the Plus Ultra or La Nácar, where he came into contact with other artists from the Campo de Gibraltar. In 1928 he took part in a saeta competition at the Ideal Cinema in Algeciras, and in 1929 he performed at the Teatro Cine Novedades in Seville. Between 1930 and 1936 he took his cante through Seville, Madrid, Barcelona, Talavera de la Reina, Granada, Badajoz and what was then Spanish Morocco, sharing the stage with artists such as Choclero, Tío Mollino, Dominguillo, El Carbonerillo, Macandé and José Palanca, and regularly accompanied by Manitas de Plata on guitar.
Palos and discography
He specialized in fandangos, a style in which he went on to found his own school, without neglecting seguiriyas, soleares, malagueñas, tarantas, milongas, campanilleros and the media granaína. He recorded 36 different styles for labels such as Gramófono, La Voz de Su Amo, Parlophon and Odeón, leaving a notable recorded body of work for a cantaor with such a brief career.
Legacy
His career was cut short by the Civil War: he died on 11 April 1938 at the Teruel front, from a rifle wound, and was buried in the cemetery of Balaguer (Lérida). His fandangos are still considered essential listening, copied by later great masters, thanks to the melodic synthesis and expressive intensity he managed to develop in barely a decade of career.