Editor’s Note: On Friday, May 29th, Gipsy Kings featuring Tonino Baliardo are releasing their newest album, Historia, via Cooking Vinyl Records. Baliardo, the lead guitarist and founding member of this lineup, penned an essay for SWT about his own Gipsy (also spelled Gypsy in English) heritage, culture, and creating music and the new album.
Looking back over the years, I am so grateful to have such wonderful memories not only as a Gipsy but coming from a traditional Gipsy family. Our history goes back to India, where the original nomadic group of Gipsy’s started.
My family, the Baliardo’s worked their way down to Spain. Sadly, there are no real records about us, only stories that each generation has passed down. Whilst living in Spain, Franco came to power and threw out the Gipsy’s who traveled to France and mainly settled in the South. Marseille, Arles, Le Camargue, and Montpellier, where we live. My family worked very hard collecting scrap iron and pieces of old cars. The people in the South accepted our way of life although so different from theirs.
Family life with music and dancing is a very important part of my life and Gipsy culture. As a very young child, I would sit and listen to everyone playing guitars and dancing. We had no televisions, so most evenings and days were spent this way. I started to have an interest in playing guitar when I was about seven. Not being great at school, my spare time was spent practicing Flamenco guitar. My Uncle was the great Manitas De Plata, and I would watch him play for hours. He was a great influence on my life. When I think of the past, I never in my wildest dreams thought about the success that was about to happen. I just wanted to play guitar and enjoy life.
There were many Gipsy families living down in the South, who were musical, our family, the Baliardo and the Reyes family. Our parents were all friendly, and we sort of got together with the younger generation myself and Nicholas Reyes and families performed in our communities. I always carried my guitar with me and still do. I cannot read music, and developed my own style of playing flamenco guitar with my fingers, not using a pick.
Life was great back then. We started to play as Gipsy Kings on the beaches, especially in St. Tropez. One day, Brigitte Bardot saw us play, and she became a regular in the audience. She asked us to play at one of her parties in her villa. We were still sleeping in our van back then, and decided to go to the party to play. Wow, it was an amazing scene there, we were a few Gipsy’s with their guitars, and at the party were Charlie Chaplin, Picasso, Kirk Douglas, and so many more famous people. Briggete became a great friend of us and we played many times at these parties. Sadly, she is no longer with us.
We found a new manager, Claude Martinez, who suggested we add a bass guitar and a drummer. We recorded “Bamboleo,” which became a worldwide hit with an album to follow. From playing on the beaches, we now were touring the world.
At this point, I am going to stop writing and tell you. We have a new album coming out, Historia, which I have written and produced. Every track is about my Gipsy life, and as a Gipsy King, I have also just completed a documentary Gipsy King Feat. Tonino Baliardo, which has taken two years to produce. It tells the whole story and includes the next generation, my two sons, Cosso and Mikeal. Happy to say it is available on Amazon Prime and on the first day of release, it went to the #1 Spot.
I hope you enjoy the Historia album and the film. If we are playing a concert near you, please come along, join our Fiesta, and say hello.
You can connect with Tonino Baliardo and Gipsy Kings in the links in his author box below
Tonino Baliardo
Contributor
