José Mercé in concert

José Mercé knows and interprets flamenco like no other, and the beginning of his show is dedicated to the more "root" palos.
With 18 albums released since his debut in 1968, José Mercé has maintained the pure essence of singing and mixed it with flamenco versions of Manu Chao, Luis Eduardo Aute, Víctor Jara, Louis Armstrong, Pablo Milanés, the Pop Tops and Joan Manuel Serrat, to position himself as a key artist of Spanish music, breaking borders and bringing his music not only to the flamenco audience, but also reaching a younger audience, a lover of pop.

Mercé is the great-grandson of Paco Luz and nephew of Manuel Soto "Sordera", patriarch of Jerez flamenco.
After singing as a child in the Escolania of the Basilica of La Merced in his city (hence the artistic name), he took his first artistic steps in the Jueves Flamencos de Jerez and in the tablao of Cadiz La Cueva del Pájaro Azul.
At the age of 13 he arrived in Madrid ("He charged 500 pesetas a day singing in Torres Bermejas", he says) to record his first album produced by Manuel Ríos Ruiz.
He was in the company of Antonio Gades, participated in 1981 in the film Blood Wedding, by Carlos Saura, collaborated with the National Ballet, won the National Flamenco Art Competition of Córdoba in 1986, returned to work with Saura in the film Flamenco in 1995.
José Mercé debuted in 1968 with the album Cultura jonda 14. Flag of Andalusia. Years later came important works such as Verde junco (1983) with Tomatito and Enrique de Melchor, Caminos reales del cante (1987), Hondas raíces (1991) and Desnudando el alma (1994).
In 1998 was his jump to the popularity with the album Del amanecer produced by the guitar-player Vicente Amigo, reaching an unprecedented success then the album Aire (2000) reached an important success too “Is an album made from the bottom of the heart” say José Mercé.
Later came Confí de fuá (2004), Lo que no se da (2006), un Grandes éxito (2007) and Ruido (2010). In February 2010, Mercé received the Medal of Andalusia, an honorary distinction that recognizes the merits of the singer.

He has recently been awarded the Diamond Record that accredits more than 1,000,000 records sold during his career, a milestone never achieved by a flamenco.
The Jerez cantaor is an artist who has managed to convey like few others that flamenco is for everyone, taking it to the maximum popularity without losing essence or depth.
José Mercé is the truth of flamenco brought to large audiences, especially since in 1998 he published Del amanecer, an album that, according to flamencologist José Manuel Gamboa, "turned José Mercé into a mass artist, placing him at the head of the jonda movement"