José Gómez Romero, artistically known as Dyango (born March 5, 1940), nicknamed "The Voice of Love", is a Spanish musician and singer of

romantic music Romantic music is a stylistic movement in Western Classical music associated with the period of the 19th century commonly referred to as the Romantic era (or Romantic period). It is closely related to the broader concept of Romanticism—th ...

. He is widely regarded as one of the most romantic Spanish singers, and one of the best performers on the international level. He has sold over 50 million albums worldwide. Dyango is one of the most popular and most respected singers and one of the most romantic voices in Latin America and Spain. His name is due to the

Romani Romani may refer to: Ethnicities * Romani people, an ethnic group of Northern Indian origin, living dispersed in Europe, the Americas and Asia ** Romani genocide, under Nazi rule * Romani language, any of several Indo-Aryan languages of the Roma ...

(Gypsy) guitarist

Django Reinhardt Jean Reinhardt (23 January 1910 – 16 May 1953), known by his Romani nickname Django ( or ), was a Romani-French jazz guitarist and composer. He was one of the first major jazz talents to emerge in Europe and has been hailed as one of its most ...

. Two of his sons, Marcos Llunas and Jordi, are also singers.

Early years

Dyango was born on March 5, 1940, in

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

, but was inscribed by his father on May 8, and thus appears as his date of birth in official documents. José Gómez Romero adopted Dyango as a stage name (taken from the guitarist of jazz gypsy

), by which he is known and debuted at the Duero Song Festival (1965). In his personal life, the artist is married and is the father of four children, two of whom are singers Marcos Llunas and Jordi. In 1969 he published his first album that bears his name and the following year he traveled to Argentina where he starred alongside

Ginamaría Hidalgo Ginamaría Hidalgo (August 23, 1927 – February 10, 2004) was a light-lyric soprano A lyric soprano is a type of operatic soprano voice that has a warm quality with a bright, full timbre that can be heard over an orchestra. The lyric soprano voi ...

in the film ''El Mundo es de los jóvenes'', while editing an album with the same name. This step would open the door to the Latin American market. Discographically he started in Zafiro and in 1974 signed with EMI. His first album for this company was in 1975 and was very successful in Latin America, in contrast to the little impact made by his music in Spain. In 1976, Dyango won the prize (Sirenita de Oro) for the best performer and the best song of the Benidorm Festival with the song "Si yo fuera él." After winning in that festival, his career would grow both nationally and internationally. Since the recording of the tango "Nostalgia" in 1976, Dyango consolidated his conquest of the Spanish market of the romantic ballad. In 1980, Dyango represented Spain in the

OTI Festival 1980 The OTI Festival 1980 was the ninth edition of the annual OTI Festival. It was held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, following the country's victory at the 1979 contest with the song "Cuenta conmigo" by Daniel Ríolobos. Organised by the Organizaci� ...

with the song "Querer y perder" written by Ray Girado, winning second place. Between 1983 and 1984 he launched to the market the discs ''Bienvendo to the Club'' and ''Al fin Alone'' to great success in

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest ...

and Colombia. In 1988, he honored the music of

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

, with his album

Tango Tango is a partner dance and social dance that originated in the 1880s along the Río de la Plata, the natural border between Argentina and Uruguay. The tango was born in the impoverished port areas of these countries as the result of a combina ...

, becoming one of the few non-Rio de Janeiro artists to be accepted and blessed by the environment deltango, where he recorded a great friendship with Roberto Goyeneche. In 1985 he recorded the song "Por ese hombre" with the duo

Pimpinela Joaquín and Lucía Galán, better known as Pimpinela (Spanish for '' pimpernel'') are an Argentine duo famous for singing romantic musical pieces and known for their original singing style. They have sold over 12 million records in Argentina ...

. In 1989 he recorded the album ''Suspiros'' where he included the song "El que más te ha querido''"'' by the composer Concha Valdes Miranda, achieving worldwide success. In 1993 he recorded the album Morir de amor where he recorded the duet with

Nana Mouskouri Ioanna "Nana" Mouskouri ( el, Ιωάννα "Νάνα" Μούσχουρη ) (born 13 October 1934) is a Greek singer. Over the span of her career, she has released over 200 albums in at least twelve languages, including Greek, French, English, Germ ...

: "Espérame en el cielo," a

Los Panchos Originally, Trio Los Panchos are a ''trío romántico'' formed in New York City in 1944 by Alfredo Gil, Chucho Navarro, and Hernando Avilés. The trio became one of the leading exponents of the bolero and the romantic ballad in Latin America. ...

song. In 1994 he recorded the album ''Un loco como yo'', on which he sang a duet with the Mexican

Armando Manzanero Armando Manzanero Canché (7 December 1935 – 28 December 2020) was a Mexican Mayan musician, singer, composer, actor and music producer, widely considered the premier Mexican romantic composer of the postwar era and one of the most successfu ...

(author and director of all subjects) the song "Le ha costado caro." After several albums, in 1997 he published his longed-for album in Catalan, where he sang tangos in that language. In the decade of the 2000s he published several albums of great successes, including such well-known songs as "Corazón mágico," "La mare" (in Catalán), "Por esa mujer," "Doctor," "Amor de tango," and "Cuando quieras donde quieras." His album ''Puñaladas en el Alma'' with the Prague Symphony Orchestra and arrangements by Maestro Carlos Franzetti was nominated for a

Latin Grammy Award The Latin Grammy Awards are an award by The Latin Recording Academy to recognize outstanding achievement in the Latin music industry. The Latin Grammy honors works recorded in Spanish or Portuguese from anywhere around the world that has been ...

in 2010, a work around the tango, recorded between Prague, New York and Barcelona. In 2013 Dyango participated in the

Concert for Freedom The Concert for Freedom was a concert held at Camp Nou football stadium in Barcelona on 29 June 2013, organized by Òmnium Cultural in conjunction with other civil society organization such as the Assemblea Nacional Catalana and the Plataforma P ...

, held at

Camp Nou Camp Nou (, meaning ''new field'', often referred to in English as the Nou Camp), officially branded as Spotify Camp Nou for sponsorship and financial reasons, is a football stadium in Barcelona, Spain. It has been the home stadium of FC Bar ...

in Barcelona on June 29, 2013. It was organized by

Òmnium Cultural Òmnium Cultural () is a Catalan association based in Barcelona, Catalonia. It was originally created in the 1960s to promote the Catalan language and spread Catalan culture. Over the years it has increased its involvement in broader political is ...

along with other civil society entities, such as the

Assemblea Nacional Catalana The Assemblea Nacional Catalana ("Catalan National Assembly"; ANC by its Catalan acronym) is an organization that seeks the political independence of Catalonia from Spain. It also promotes the independence of other Catalan-speaking regions, whic ...

(Catalan National Assembly) and the Plataforma Pro Seleccions Esportives Catalanes. When the singer announced his participation, there was outrage in many sectors of the rest of Spain. Dyango responded to the questions of 13 TV. He stated that in the current situation it would be necessary to hold a referendum in Catalonia and, ultimately, to achieve separation from Spain. After summer of 2013 Dyango published the disc ''El Cantante'', an album of romantic cuts that described his own life. On September 7, 2013, he announced his retirement from the long American tours, not from music or from the concerts. The artist joined several personalities in March of that same year and lent his face to the campaign of the "ANC" in favor of a unilateral declaration of independence on the part of the governing authorities of Catalonia. Since then, his repertoire has included "

bolero Bolero is a genre of song which originated in eastern Cuba in the late 19th century as part of the trova tradition. Unrelated to the older Spanish dance of the same name, bolero is characterized by sophisticated lyrics dealing with love. It has ...

s" (romantic Spanish music), "

tangos Tangos may refer to: * "Tangos" (song), a song popularized in Spain * Tangos (district), a district or barangay in Navotas, Philippines * ''Tangos'' (album), a 1973 album by Buenos Aires 8 * ''Tangos'' (Rubén Blades album), a 2014 album by Ru ...

" (Argentinian music) and "

ranchera Ranchera () or canción ranchera is a genre of traditional music of Mexico. It dates to before the years of the Mexican Revolution. Rancheras today are played in virtually all regional Mexican music styles. Drawing on rural traditional folk musi ...

s" (Mexican music), remakes of songs from the 60's, dozens of his own songs, even lyrical pieces. In his career, he has recorded duets with the following artists:

Celia Cruz Úrsula Hilaria Celia de la Caridad Cruz Alfonso (21 October 1925 – 16 July 2003), known as Celia Cruz, was a naturalized Cuban-American singer and one of the most popular Latin artists of the 20th century. Cruz rose to fame in Cuba during ...

Oscar D'León Oscar Emilio León Somoza (born July 11, 1943), known as Oscar D'León, and affectionately called ''The Pharaoh of Salsa'', ''The Lion of Salsa'', and the ''World's Sonero'', is a Venezuelan musician best known for his work with salsa music. He ...

Sheena Easton Sheena Shirley Easton (; born 27 April 1959) is a Scottish singer and actress. Easton came into the public eye in an episode of the first British musical reality television programme '' The Big Time: Pop Singer'', which recorded her attempts to ...

, Roberto Goyeneche,

and the

tenor A tenor is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The low extreme for tenors is wide ...

Jaume Aragall Jaume Aragall i Garriga (; born 6 June 1939), better known as Giacomo Aragall, is a Spanish operatic tenor. He became known for his role singing Rodolfo in Puccini's ''La bohème'' in the late 1960s, and it would become one of the most frequently ...

. In 1989 he recorded the album ''Suspiros'' which included "El que mas te ha querido" by composer Concha Valdés Miranda, reaching a worldwide success. He was nominated for a

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

three times. Dyango has obtained in his career 55 gold records and 40 platinum, which have been awarded in Spain as well as other Latin American countries, as well as the United States. Amongst them, ''A corazón Abierto'' has received double platinum status. Dyango suffered a heart attack and was admitted in a Barcelona hospital until March 5, 2009. Currently, Dyango is immersed with taking on new forms of expressions of his career, like painting. He is also an advocate of Catalonia's independence from Spain.

Recognition and sales

In 1976 he obtained the prize (Sirenita de Oro) for the best performer and the best song of the Benidorm Festival with the song "''Si yo fuera él''." Dyango received the Music Prize for Best Song in Catalan for his theme, "El pare" (The Father), 2005. Also, the Association of New York Artists, ACE, awarded him the Best Male Singer Award for "Esa mujer," March 21, 1987. In 1988, the Miami authorities handed him the Key to the City and in 1992 the Giant program of the Univision Chain gave him the Key to the Program. He has also received several awards from the Betty Pino show in Miami, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988. From the Festival of Viña del Mar (Chile), the singer has 2 Torches, those of editions 25 and 31. Dyango has been nominated several times for the

s, the last one in 2010 with the album ''Puñaladas en el Alma''. He has been invited as the main artist, to one of the best tango festivals in Argentina, the Tangos International Festival of the city of Justo Daract, to perform tangos and close the festival. Dyango was named Citizen Iluste of Justo Daract and received the Gold Condor Award in December 2011. Dyango has won 55 gold and 40 platinum discs throughout his career. He has also recorded duets with

Rocío Dúrcal María de los Ángeles de las Heras Ortiz (4 October 1944 – 25 March 2006), better known professionally as Rocío Dúrcal (), was a Spanish singer and actress. Widely successful in Mexico, she earned the sobriquet of ''Reina de las Rancheras'' ...

, Paco de Lucía,

, Roberto Goyeneche,

Giacomo Aragall Jaume Aragall i Garriga (; born 6 June 1939), better known as Giacomo Aragall, is a Spanish operatic tenor. He became known for his role singing Rodolfo in Puccini's ''La bohème'' in the late 1960s, and it would become one of the most frequently ...

and

Farewell tour: Thanks, Goodbye and until forever

Dyango announced his farewell to his musical profession, making a farewell tour in Latin America and Spain and thanking thousands of people who formed his international audience. The singer visited several countries in Latin America in July 2017, visiting Argentina to present his new album ¿Y ahora qué?.

Billboard charts

*1987: La Hora del Adios (con Rocío Dúrcal) (#5) *1987: Golpes Bajos (#8) *1987: A Falta de Ti (#20) *1987: Por Quererme a Mí (#44) *1988: Amen (#12) *1988: Ahora (#7) *1988: Penas de Amor (#39) *1989: El Que Más Te Ha Querido (#6) *1992: Alta Marea (Don't Dream It's Over) (#26) *1993: Morir de Amor (#36) *1994: Rey de Corazones (#26)

References

External links

Official website
* Dyangoat Allmusic * {{authority control 1940 births Living people Singer-songwriters from Catalonia Singers from Barcelona Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winners