José Cepero
Who is José Cepero?
José López Cepero, known artistically as José Cepero, was born in 1888 in Jerez de la Frontera (Cádiz), into a family with no Roma roots. From a very young age he showed a passion for cante, though his first steps in performance were as a dancer. For years he had to combine performing with fieldwork, a common reality among flamenco artists of his time who could not yet live off music alone.
Over time he gave up dancing to focus entirely on cante, and soon found a place in the café cantante circuit of Seville, where he finished shaping his style before moving to Madrid in 1923.
Career
From 1918 he was already fronting his own flamenco shows, a sign that his name was gaining weight on the scene. Settling in Madrid in the 1920s put him at the centre of the capital’s flamenco life, where he alternated performances in theatres and café cantantes with intense recording activity. He was also an active member of the Flamenco Artists’ Union, affiliated with the UGT, which speaks to his involvement in defending the profession.
One of the milestones of his career came in 1928, when he won the Copa Oro Chacón, one of the most prestigious honours in the cante of the time. His career continued for more than three decades, until in 1954 he gave his last known performance at a tribute held in his native Jerez.
Palos and discography
José Cepero commanded a broad repertoire that included fandangos, bulerías, seguiriyas, soleares and tarantas, and was a pioneer in bringing the martinete to record, with a 1924 recording considered historically significant. He also developed personal variants of the fandango and the granaína that are still identified with his name today. Between 1924 and 1939 he left a record of his art in 138 recorded cantes, accompanied by guitarists of the stature of Luis Maravilla, Miguel Borrull and Manolo de Badajoz.
Legacy
He is remembered as “the poet of cante” for having written much of the lyrics he performed, an uncommon quality among cantaores of his generation. His life has been the subject of a full biography by Antonio Conde, and his legacy combines a voice regarded as one of the purest in cante jondo with a literary sensibility that left its mark on the styles he cultivated, especially the fandango and the granaína that carry his stamp.