"El Porompompero" is a

rumba The term rumba may refer to a variety of unrelated music styles. Originally, "rumba" was used as a synonym for "party" in northern Cuba, and by the late 19th century it was used to denote the complex of secular music styles known as Cuban rumba ...

written in 1960 by musician Juan Solano Pedrero and lyricists José Antonio Ochaíta and Xandro Valerio. It was written for singer

El Príncipe Gitano Enrique Castellón Vargas (7 April 1928 – 22 April 2020), better known as El Príncipe Gitano ("The Gypsy Prince") was a Spanish flamenco singer, actor and dancer. He was the brother of rumba singer Dolores Vargas "La Terremoto". Career At th ...

, but was not recorded at the time, and was recorded a year later. Then it was

Manolo Escobar Don Manuel García Escobar MML (19 October 1931 – 24 October 2013), better known as Manolo Escobar, was a Spanish singer of Andalusian '' copla'' and other Spanish music. He was also an actor and performed in multiple musicals. His popular ...

who first recorded and popularized it, with which it was his first success as a singer. In 1962, it was part of the musical repertoire, but with a different version of the text, adapted for the film ''Los Guerrilleros'' directed by Pedro Luis Ramirez with El Escobar himself in the main role. In 1970, "El Porompompero" performed by Manolo Escobar became the best-selling single in Spain, selling over a million copies. In 1982, it was also part of the musical repertoire of the film ''Everything is Possible in Granada'' directed by

Rafael Romero Marchent Rafael Romero Marchent (3 May 1926 – 13 February 2020) was a Spanish director, screenwriter and actor. Life and career Born in Madrid, the son of the author Joaquín Romero Marchent Gómez de Avellaneda, he started his career as an actor, mai ...

and starring Manolo Escobar. Many singers have made several versions in different languages. Among them are

Sara Montiel María Antonia Abad Fernández Medal of Merit in Labour, MML (10 March 1928 – 8 April 2013), known professionally as Sara Montiel, also Sarita Montiel, was a Spanish actress and singer. She began her career in the 1940s and became the most int ...

, Marisol, Mina.

References

1960 songs Songs in Spanish Rumba flamenca Mina (Italian singer) songs {{Latin-song-stub