Manitas De Plata

Manitas De Plata

Known for: Acting
Biography: 1921-08-07
Deathday: 2014-11-06 (93 years old)

Check on Amazon

Biography

Ricardo Baliardo (7 August 1921 – 5 November 2014), better known as Manitas de Plata, was a flamenco guitarist of Spanish Gitano descent born in southern France. Despite achieving worldwide fame, he was criticized for not following certain rhythmic rules (compás) that are traditional in flamenco.


Baliardo was born in a gypsy caravan in Sète, southern France. He became famous by playing each year at the Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer gypsy pilgrimage in the Camargue, where he was recorded live by Deben Bhattacharya.


Manitas de Plata ("Little Hands of Silver" in Spanish) only agreed to play in public ten years after the death of Django Reinhardt. One of his recordings earned him a letter from Jean Cocteau acclaiming him as a creator.


Upon hearing him play at Arles in 1964, Pablo Picasso is said to have exclaimed "that man is of greater worth than I am!" and proceeded to draw on the guitar.


De Plata garnered fame in the United States only after a photography exhibition in New York, organized by his friend Lucien Clergue. He had recorded his first official album in the chapel of Arles in France, in 1963, for the Phillips label. It was later re-released, in 1967, by the Connoisseur Society label and sold through the Book of the Month Club. This was a popular LP that brought him to the attention of an American audience. An American manager obtained a booking for him to play a concert in Carnegie Hall in New York on November 24, 1965.


He toured the world from 1967, and recorded discs. He played with the dancer Nina Corti. In 1968 he played at the Royal Variety Performance in London. He toured Australia in September 1972 supported by Los Baliardos (Hippolyte Baliardo, Manero Baliardo, José Reyes, Ricardo Bissaro). His Sevillana was included in Scorsese's After Hours (1985) soundtrack.


De Plata was the uncle of Jacques, Maurice, and Tonino Baliardo and cousin to Paul, François (Canut), Patchaï, Nicolas and André Reyes (the sons of his cousin, flamenco artist José Reyes (1928-1979), all members of the Catalan Rumba band Gipsy Kings. Australian multi-instrumentalist Chris Freeman, his student in 1971, acknowledged de Plata's influence and teachings.


Statue of Manitas de Plata in front of the Montpellier City Hall.


De Plata died in a retirement home in Montpellier on 6 November 2014. The cause of death was not disclosed, although it was reported that de Plata had been in poor health since suffering a severe heart attack in April 2013.


Many members of his own family were also well known flamenco musicians, including his younger brother Hippolyte Baliardo (1928-2009), and his eldest son Manero Baliardo (1940-2012). Another son, Bambo Baliardo, is still an active musician and performer as of 2015.


Source: Article "Manitas de Plata" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.

Advertisement

Ratings

Average 4.4
Based on 839 movie and tv ratings over time
1959
1969
1972
1975
1998
Advertisement

Information

Known For
Acting

Gender
Male

Birthday
1921-08-07

Deathday
2014-11-06 (93 years old)

Birth Name
Ricardo Baliardo

Birth Place
Sète, France

Children
Tcha Baliardo, Josep “Manéro” Baliardo

Siblings
Hippolyte Baliardo

Relatives
José Reyes, Tonino Antoine Baliardo, Diego Baliardo, Jacques “Paco” Baliardo

Citizenships
France

Also Known As
Ricardo Baliardo


This article uses material from Wikipedia.
Advertisement
  • Manitas De Plata
    Manitas De Plata
  • Filmography
  • Information
Social Media
X
Facebook
Pinterest
Telegram
Download
iOS Application
Made in Ukraine 🇺🇦
Copyright © MovieFit 2018 – 2024
All external content remains the property of its respective owner.