Manolo Vargas
Who is Manolo Vargas?
Manuel Vargas Gómez, known as Manolo Vargas, was born in Cádiz in 1907 into a Roma family, and from a young age devoted himself to cante with a particular fondness for alegrías and the other styles native to his hometown. His voice, described by those who heard him as “pure art, with a very Roma voice,” allowed him to perform all the cantes of Cádiz with great assurance, a trademark that stayed with him throughout his career.
Career
His first major accolades arrived in the early 1950s: in 1952 he won first prize in the cante por alegrías contest, and the following year first prize in Andalusian cante. From then on he was part of companies that toured Spain and abroad, including a 1956 tour of Mexico, where the flamenco peña “Los Veintiuno” gave him a farewell tribute. Back in Spain he joined the Tablao Zambra in Madrid, sharing bills with masters such as Juan Varea and Pericón de Cádiz, alongside whom he also toured internationally. In the final years of his career he performed at the Madrid tablao Villa Rosa, the stage on which he took his leave from performing for health reasons.
Palos and discography
Manolo Vargas was, above all, a specialist in alegrías and the full range of Cádiz cantes, which he performed with an authenticity highly valued by the aficionados of his time. He recorded for several of the early record labels, both Spanish and foreign, leaving behind a sound record of a style his contemporaries identified with the Roma essence of Cádiz cante.
Legacy
In 1973 the Cádiz cultural week Alcances paid him tribute, and in the same year as his death, 1970, the Cátedra de Flamencología y Estudios Folclóricos Andaluces awarded him the Premio Nacional de Cante in recognition of his entire career. Manolo Vargas died in Madrid in 1970, and remains remembered as one of the great representatives of Cádiz cante in the first half of the 20th century.