Pericón de Cádiz
Who is Pericón de Cádiz?
Juan Martínez Vílchez, known artistically as Pericón de Cádiz, was born in the city of Cádiz in 1901, into a humble family from the Viña neighborhood, one of the most intense flamenco hubs in the Cádiz capital. From a young age he trained in the atmosphere of parties and cante gatherings typical of the neighborhood, until he became, over time, one of the most representative voices of the cantes of Cádiz: soleares, siguiriyas, malagueñas, and alegrías, which he mastered with a perfection his contemporaries considered exceptional.
Career
His great leap to the national stage came in 1936, when he won first prize at the singing competition for soleares and siguiriyas held at the Circo Price in Madrid, worth one thousand pesetas, a recognition that confirmed his standing among the great cantaores of his generation. Twelve years later, in 1948, he received the Premio Nacional de Arte Jondo for siguiriyas at the Cine Monumental in the capital. His association with the Tablao Zambra in Madrid shaped much of his career: he arrived with a contract for barely a month that ended up stretching to thirteen years, a period during which he toured half the world representing the cante of Cádiz.
Palos and discography
Pericón de Cádiz was, above all, a specialist in the cantes of his city, with soleares and siguiriyas as his banner, along with malagueñas and alegrías. His earliest recordings date from the 1940s, and his voice was captured in historic flamenco anthologies released by labels such as Hispavox, which documented his personal way of understanding compás and the depth of the cantes of Cádiz.
Legacy
In 1969 the city of Cádiz paid him tribute at the Teatro Municipal José María Pemán, the proceeds of which went to children with special needs, and in 1976 the Cátedra de Flamencología y Estudios Folklóricos Andaluces awarded him the title of Maestría Nacional. He was also one of the first flamenco artists to receive an official pension for his career. Following his death in Cádiz in 1980, a street in the Viña neighborhood and a plaque on his childhood home, on Calle Vea Murguía, keep alive the memory of a man considered one of the great masters of the cante of Cádiz.