By Tony Bryant

Antonio Cruz García was a singer who was born in Mairena de Alcor (Seville) on the 7th September 1909, and he is among the greatest and most important cantaores of all time.

Like Franconetti and Manuel Torres before him, Antonio Mairena as he was artistically named was a singer of great knowledge and affection for the orthodox styles of song.

Born of gypsy parents, Antonio grew up like so many others in the surroundings of his family’s blacksmiths, and was influenced by singers like Joaquin de la Paula and El Niño Gloria.

Antonio’s father was a good friend of these singers, as was the mighty Manuel Torre. Antonio Mairena wanted to perform in the 1922 concurso de cante but was forbid from taking part by his father due to the families lack of money and the fact that he was just thirteen years of age at the time.
In 1924 he was to appear on stage for the first time at a competition that was held in Alcalà de Guardaira and he won first prize in the siguiriya and soleà section.

At the early stages of his career he was known as Niño de Rafael but by 1930 he had become El Niño de Mairena. He dabbled with the flamenco opera but this was not for him and Antonio Mairena dedicated his efforts to the festivals that were held in Seville’s Alemèda de Harcules district, which at that time was the center of flamenco activity.

He was approached by the great dancer Carmen Amaya to accompany her on a tour of America but Antonio declined the offer to stay in Seville, although he did accompany her on other occasions when she returned to Spain after her tour.
He became much in demand by the flamenco dancers because of his enormous command of the rhythm and his profound knowledge of the flamenco song. He appeared with Pastora Imperio in Madrid and also toured with Antonio el Bailarin, which gave him the recognition that would eventually receive him the honour of being awarded the third coveted Llave de Oo del Cante. ( The Golden Key of Flamenco Singing)

He was awarded the Golden key in 1962, and unlike El Nitri or Manuel Vallejo, whom many believe were not justified in receiving this achievement, Mairena was awarded this trophy for his outstanding affection for cante, his contribution to the art of flamenco, and of course his amazing ability as a singer.

Antonio Mairena was responsible for promoting cante jondo and he revived many old and forgotten styles of cante and he possessed an encyclopedic knowledge of all the styles of cante. Unlike many of the old cantaores, whom we rely on the words of the writers to give us an insight into their magical powers, Mairena recorded many discs, his first in 1939.

Antonio Mairena was also a great admirer of Juan Talega from whom he accumulated many old styles of siguiriyas and deblas, and many believe that if it were not through the efforts of Mairena, many of the old palos would have not survived and would have been lost and forgotten forever.
Antonio Mairena also turned his hand to flamencology (Flamenco theorist) and together with the poet Ricardo Molina he wrote what is considered to be the flamenco bible, Mundos y formas del cante flamenco.

The town where Antonio Mairena was born is something of a shrine to the memory of the great singer. Other towns in Andalucia have clubs, festivals and monuments dedicated to dozens of different artistes but in Mairena de Alcor just about everything has Antonio’s name attached to it. He also had two brothers, Manuel and Curro, who were confident singers of flamenco but their names have been somewhat over shadowed by their brothers.

Antonio died in his place of birth in September 1983 and still today the locals talk fondly of the master cantaor as if he was still with them.
There is little question, in the minds of flamenco aficionados, that Antonio Mairena was one of the greatest singers that ever lived. He remained active in the world of flamenco for all of his life, not in the commercial scene of the theatres and clubs but in juergas and festivals.

He dedicated his life to the promotion of the gypsy cantes, although he was also well versed in all styles of flamenco, probably more than anyone else of the twentieth century. He excelled in the lesser known styles like the toñas, deblas, carceleras and the martinetes, and his powerful, versatile voice lent itself well to bulerias, tangos and fandangos. In the words of the late Don Pohren “ His knowledge is vast and profound, and in his mouth the cantes, even those he considers mediocre or uninteresting turn to gold”.

Recommended Viewing

Rito y geographia del cante flamenco vols 1, 4, 7.     

Recommended Listening

El Calor de mis recuerdos ( re-released 2003)

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