Parrita
Who is Parrita?
Vicente Castro, known by his stage name Parrita, was born in the Nazaret neighborhood of Valencia in 1941, into a Roma basket-weaving (“canastera”) family. Following in the footsteps of his older brother, El Peti, winner of the Festival de Cante de las Minas, he began singing at a very young age, and was already earning a living as a performer by age 16.
Career
His real breakthrough came in 1982 with a personal version of a classic by singer-songwriter Cecilia, which opened the first of more than a dozen albums. Throughout his career he counted on notable collaborations, including Paco de Lucía on the track “Quita el sentío,” Tomatito on “Canastero,” Carles Benavent and Kitflus on “Gypsy baladas,” and Joan Albert Amargós on “Entre la espada y la pared.”
Some of his earliest recordings were lost due to a lack of support from record labels at the time. In 1998 he decided to request his release from contract in order to sign with a major label — a process initially denied but eventually granted, marking a turning point in his career.
Notable discography
His flamenco rumba repertoire, blending original compositions with collaborations from leading names in contemporary flamenco, established him as one of the recognizable voices of the genre to emerge from Valencia’s Roma basket-weaving community.