Pedro Pubill Calaf (, ; 24 March 1935 – 27 August 2014), better known as Peret, was a Spanish Romani singer, guitar player and composer of Catalan rumba from

Mataró Mataró () is the capital and largest town of the Maresme county in Catalonia, Spain. It is located on the Costa del Maresme, Maresme coast, to the south of Costa Brava, between Cabrera de Mar and Sant Andreu de Llavaneres, north-east of Barcel ...

(

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of 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 ...

). Known for his 1971 single, "Borriquito" ( Ariola Records), Peret represented Spain at the Eurovision Song Contest 1974 with the song " Canta y sé feliz" and performed during the closing ceremony at the

1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics (, ), officially the Games of the XXV Olympiad (, ) and officially branded as Barcelona '92, were an international multi-sport event held from 25 July to 9 August 1992 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Beginning in 1994 ...

. In 2001, Peret recorded and released ''Rey De La Rumba'' (''King of the Rumba'') an album of updated versions of his older songs with guest musicians including Jarabe de Palo, El Gran Silencio,

David Byrne David Byrne (; born May 14, 1952) is an American musician, writer, visual artist, and filmmaker. He was a founding member, principal songwriter, lead singer, and guitarist of the American New wave music, new wave band Talking Heads. Byrne has ...

Talking Heads Talking Heads were an American Rock music, rock band formed in New York City in 1975.Talking Heads

, and more. In 1982, Peret withdrew from the music industry, joining the Iglesia Evangélica de Filadelfia, a large religious community of the Spanish Roma (gypsies) devoting himself in the following years exclusively to preaching and religious activities. After leaving the church in 1991, he resumed his music activity and recorded new albums. In 1992, he was honored for all his body of work when he sang as representative of Catalonia at the Olympic Games in Barcelona during the closing ceremonies. Peret died in Barcelona in 2014 from lung cancer, aged 79.

Discography

Vinyl albums

*1967: ''Peret'' (Discophon) *1968: ''Rumba pa'ti'' (Discophon) *1968: ''Una lágrima'' (Vergara) *1969: ''Lamento gitano'' (Discophon) *1969: ''Gipsy Rhumbas'' (Discophon) *1970: ''Canta para el cine'' (Vergara) *1971: ''Borriquito'' (Ariola) *1972: ''Una lágrima'' (Ariola) *1973: ''Mi santa'' (Ariola) *1974: ''Lo mejor de Peret'' (Ariola) *1974: ''Peret y sus gitanos'' (EMI) *1974: ''Canta y sé feliz'' (Ariola) *1978: ''Saboreando'' (Ariola) *1978: ''Lágrimas negras'' (Ariola) *1978: ''El joven Peret'' (CBS) *1980: ''El jilguero'' (Belter) *1981: ''De cap a la palla'' (Belter) *1988: ''De coco a la paja'' (Belter)

CD albums

*1991: ''No se pué aguantar'' (PDI)* *1992: ''Gitana hechicera'' (PDI)* *1992: ''Rumbas de la clausura'' a co-album with Los Manolos and Los Amaya (PDI)* *1993: ''Cómo me gusta'' (PDI)* *1995: ''Que disparen flores'' (PDI)* *1996: ''Jesús de Nazareth'' (PDI)* *2000: ''Rey de la Rumba'' (Virgin) *2007: ''Que levante el dedo'' (K Industria Cultural) *2009: ''De los cobardes nunca se ha escrito nada'' (Universal Music) *Re-released in 2008 by Picap

Posthumous albums

*2014: ''Des del Respecte / Desde el Respeto (Satélite K)

Compilation albums

*1979: ''El cancionero nº 1'' (Belter) *1982: ''El forat'' (Impacto) (Cassette release - Side A in Catalan, side B tracks from ''De cap a la palla'' and ''De coco a la paja'') *1989: ''Rumbas de oro'' (Divucsa) *1990: ''Peret es la rumba'' (Ariola) *1994: ''La vida por delante'' (Sony/BMG) *1996: ''Siempre Peret'' (PDI) *1998: ''Sus grabaciones en Discophon'' (Rama Lama/Blanco y Negro) *2000: ''Don Toribio Carambola'' (Arcade) *2000: ''Chica Vaivén'' (Sony/BMG) *2000: ''Número 1 en rumba'' (PDI) *2001: ''La salsa de la rumba'' (Sony/BMG) *2004: ''Singles Collection'' (Divucsa) *2006: ''Mano a mano'' (Divucsa) *2008: ''Sus 20 grandes éxitos'' (O.K.)

Singles

(Selective international hits) *1971: "Borriquito" *1971: "Voy voy" *1972: "Ni fu ni fa" *1973: "El mosquito" *1974: " Canta y sé feliz" *1988: "Borriquito" (Mix) other hits: *1964: "Sapore di sale" / "Salomé" / "Qué suerte" / "Si yo fuera" (Discophon), 1964) *1965: "Jugando" / "Caliente" (Ariola, 1975) *1978: "Saboreando" *1980: "Pa amb oli" / "De cap a la palla" (Belter) *1982: "El forat" / "Estem fotuts" *2001: "Marujas asesinas" (Virgin)

Charts

Filmography

*1969: ''Amor a todo gas'' *1970: ''El meson del gitano'' *1971: ''A mi las mujeres ni fu ni fa'' *1973: ''Que cosas tiene el amor'' *1974: ''Si fulano fuese mengano'' ;Various supporting roles and extras *1963: ''Los Tarantos'' *1967: '' Las cuatro bodas de Marisol'' *1968: '' El taxi de los conflictos'' *1968: ''Un dia despues de agosto'' *1969: ''Alma gitana'' *2001: ''Marujas asesinas'' *2008: ''Lazos rotos''

Related bibliography

*''Peret, l'ànima d'un poble.'', by Cèlia Sànchez-Mústich. Edicions 62 (2005) *''Peret: Biografía de la Rumba Catalana.'', by Juan Puchades. Global Rhythm Press (2011).

References

External links

Peret performing "El Muerto Vivo" with ''Ojos de Brujo'' in 2009
{{Authority control 1935 births 2014 deaths Composers from Catalonia Musicians from Catalonia People from Mataró Spanish male guitarists Ariola Records artists Spanish Protestants Spanish Romani people Deaths from lung cancer in Spain Catalan rumba 20th-century Spanish guitarists 20th-century Spanish male singers 20th-century Spanish singers Romani singers Eurovision Song Contest entrants