|
The two bands of brothers that make up the Gipsy Kings grew up roaming the South of France working harvests with their extended families. Several decades later, the brothers still live a nomadic life, but the caravans and horses of their youth have been replaced with planes, trains and automobiles.
The Gipsy Kings' wandering-gypsy story line makes for a rather romantic tale, but as it turns out, the world music superstars actually don't like to travel.
"It's all part of the legend of the gypsy," confided the band's manager, Michel Crupel, the only English-speaking member of the Gipsy Kings' entourage. "They'd rather stay home, so it would be better if people would come to France to see them. But music is their life, so they must go to the people."
One of the band's more enthusiastic audiences is found right here in the U.S, which contributes more than its share of points to the Gipsy Kings' active frequent-flier program.
"We have come to America two times a year for 25 years now," said Crupel. "It is such a large mix of people; young and old, but they all come for the same thing; the passion and the energy. The band may tire of touring but the response they receive when they arrive never gets old.
"People dance, and we love that," said Crupel. "The more they get from the people the more they give onstage."
The Gipsy Kings, who play the Sandler Center for the Performing Arts in Virginia Beach on Saturday, gained their following by putting a pop-music spin on traditional Latin rhythms and updating the sound by mixing old-world flamenco guitars with modern instruments like synthesizers. The formula outraged purists but
has made the Gipsy Kings one of the most popular world music acts
.
Even so, the magnitude of the band's achievements is a bit much to take in.
"They just play the music and don't think about all the other things," Crupel said of the enthusiastic accolades the Gipsy Kings have earned throughout the journey.
That musical odyssey began when the Reyes brothers hooked up with their cousins the Baliardos boys in the 1970s. The families are the descendants of Spanish gypsies who fled to France in the '30s to escape the Spanish Civil War - which explains why these Frenchmen sing in Spanish.
The band's major-label debut was released in 1987 and was a hit in Europe. Their follow-up became a worldwide smash three years later, and included the band's inventive flamenco-soaked version of the Italian classic "Volare," one of their more popular hits.
The Gipsy Kings have worn the world music crown ever since. They've sold more than 14 million albums, and their 1998 greatest-hits collection remained on the Billboard music chart for over a year. More recently, the band has been in the studio finishing up an album planned for release by the end of this year.
In the end, the Gipsy Kings' broad appeal is straightforward, says their manager: "It's just good music. There is no political message. It's all about love, life and rhythm."
|