Melchor de Marchena
Who is Melchor de Marchena?
Melchor Jiménez Torres was born in Marchena (Seville) in 1907, into a Gitano family wholly devoted to flamenco. His father, known as El Lico, was an excellent tocaor, and his mother, la Josefita, a highly regarded cantaora at fiestas and gatherings. He grew up surrounded by brothers who were also dedicated to guitar and cante, such as Miguel el Bizco and Chico Melchor, and in time his own son Enrique would follow the same path, extending a family saga spanning several generations.
Career
With that environment as his school, he became over time the tocaor considered most representative of the Gitano style within flamenco: a complete, innovative performer with a special ability to find the exact accompaniment each cantaor needed. He accompanied first-rank artists such as La Niña de los Peines, Tomás Pavón and Antonio Mairena, and held a long-standing fixed spot alongside Manolo Caracol at the Madrid tablao Los Canasteros, one of the leading stages of post-war flamenco.
Style and legacy
His playing stood out for being unique and creative within flamenco accompaniment, more devoted to serving the cante than to personal showmanship, which made him a model for several generations of Gitano guitarists. In 1966 he received the Premio Nacional de Guitarra Flamenca from the Cátedra de Flamencología de Jerez, the most important recognition of a career that closed with his death in Madrid in 1980.