Rafael Antonio Salazar Motos (2 June 1923 - 21 November 1995), commonly known as Rafael Farina (Rafael Salazar for his composing work), was a singer of Copla and

Flamenco Flamenco () is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the Gitanos, gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura and Region of Murcia, ...

. His granddaughter is the pop-singer

Tamara Tamara may refer to: People * Tamara (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Tamara Macarena Valcárcel Serrano, Spanish singer, also known mononymously as Tamara * Tamara, another stage name of Spanish ...

Biography

Farina was born in Martinamor, into a

Romani Romani may refer to: Ethnic groups * Romani people, or Roma, an ethnic group of Indo-Aryan origin ** Romani language, an Indo-Aryan macrolanguage of the Romani communities ** Romanichal, Romani subgroup in the United Kingdom * Romanians (Romanian ...

family, his father, Antonio Salazar Motos, was a cattle dealer, in

Alba de Tormes Alba de Tormes is a municipality in the province of Salamanca, western Spain, part of the autonomous community of Castile and León. The town is on the River Tormes upstream from the city of Salamanca. Alba gave its name to one of Spain's most ...

, Martinamor; his mother was Jesusa Motos. He began his career at the age of six singing in the bars of

Barrio Chino Chinatowns in Latin America (, singular ''barrio chino'' / , singular ''bairro chinês'') developed with the rise of Chinese immigration in the 19th century to various countries in Latin America as contract laborers (i.e., indentured servants) ...

Salamanca Salamanca () is a Municipality of Spain, municipality and city in Spain, capital of the Province of Salamanca, province of the same name, located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is located in the Campo Charro comarca, in the ...

, accompanied by his older brother, Rafael Salazar Motos, Calderas de Salamanca, also a singer. In 1949 he obtained some fame participating in a tribute to Juanito Mojama. Previously, he had performed at El Colmao. After joining the company of

Concha Piquer María de la Concepción Piquer López (13 December 190612 December 1990), better known as Concha Piquer (and sometimes billed as Conchita Piquer), was a Spanish singer and actress. She was known for her work in the '' copla'' form, and she perfo ...

, he was able to go on tour throughout Spain and America. In 1952 he participated in the revival of the play "La copla andaluza" at the Pavón Theater in

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

. In 1956 he managed to premiere his own show and in 1968 he worked with

Lola Flores María Dolores "Lola" Flores Ruiz (; 21 January 1923 – 16 May 1995) was a Spanish actress, (flamenco dancer) and singer. Born in Jerez de la Frontera, Flores became interested in the performing arts at a very young age. Known for her overwhe ...

at Arte Español.

Acting career

Farina starred in six Spanish and one Argentinian film: * '' Café cantante'' (1951) with

Imperio Argentina María Magdalena Nile del Río (26 December 1906 – 22 August 2003) was an Argentine professional singer and movie actress, better known as Imperio Argentina; she became a citizen of Spain in 1999. María Magdalena Nile del Río was born ...

* ''Aventura para dos'' (1958), with

Carmen Sevilla María del Carmen García Galisteo (16 October 1930 – 27 June 2023), known professionally as Carmen Sevilla, was a Spanish actress, singer, and dancer. She began her career in the 1940s and became one of the most popular and highest paid star ...

* ''La copla andaluza'' (1959) * ''Café de chinitas'' (1960), with Antonio Molina * ''Puente de coplas'' (1965), also with Antonio Molina * ''El milagro del cante'' (1967), with

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 ...

, Luis Sánchez Polack * ''Canciones de nuestra vida'' (1975)

Discography

Some of the best known songs popularized by Rafael Farina include: Tumba Rafael Farina

Death

Rafael Farina died in Madrid on November 21, 1995, at the age of 72, as a result of a myocardial infarction, after undergoing an open heart surgery at the Nuestra Señora de América Clinic in Madrid.

References

Sources

* Billboard. United States, Billboard Publishing Company, 1975. * Jeffery, Keith. The Secret History of MI6. United States, Penguin Press, 2011. * Ni Shuinear, Sinead, and Leblon, Bernard. Gypsies and Flamenco: The Emergence of the Art of Flamenco in Andalusia. United Kingdom, University of Hertfordshire Press, 2003. * Fernandez, Manuela Rosado. El Flamenco Vive en Madrid. United States, Palibrio, 2013. * Screen World. United States, Crown Publishers, 1959. * Pohren, D. E.. Lives and Legends of Flamenco: A Biographical History. Spain, Society of Spanish Studies; [distribution: H. Howell, La Mesa, Calif., 1964. ISBN 9781463347550 * Filmfacts. United States, n.p, 1958. * Lorente Rivas, Manuel. Etnografía antropológica del flamenco en Granada. Spain, Universidad de Granada, 2007. * Gómez, Agustín. De Silverio al "flamenglish": (escuelas del cante). Spain, Universidad de Córdoba, 2004. ISBN 9788478017355 * Santamarina, Antonio, and Heredero, Carlos F.. Biblioteca del cine español: fuentes literarias 1900–2005. Spain, Cátedra, 2010. ISBN 9788437626543 * Burgos, Antonio. Juanito Valderrama: Mi España querida. Spain, Esfera de los Libros, 2002. ISBN 9788497340366 * Lorente Rivas, Manuel. Etnografía antropológica del flamenco en Granada. Spain, Universidad de Granada, 2007.ISBN 9788433839947

External links

Biography of Rafael Farina at NeonmusicRafael Farina
at Discogs
Rafael Farina
at MusicBrainz, Musicbrainz {{authority control 20th-century Spanish male singers 20th-century Spanish singers 1923 births 1995 deaths Spanish Romani people Spanish male singers