José Mercé

Jos├® Merc├® (born Jos├® Soto Soto in 1955 in Santiago, Jerez de la Frontera, Spain) is a flamenco cantaor (singer). He is the great-grandson of nineteenth-century seguiriya maestro Francisco Valencia, who received the nickname Paco la Luz. He is also nephew of Manuel Soto, Sordera, the patriarch of Jerez flamenco. Merc├®'s nickname comes from his participation in the choir of the Basilica de la Merced when he was a boy. The youthful Merc├® became one of the most sought-after singers for accompanying dance, and he has worked with the Tr├¡o Madrid, formed by Mario Maya, El G├╝ito and Carmen Mora. From 1973 to 1983 he joined the company of Antonio Gades, with which he travelled half-way around half the world and took part in the film Bodas de Sangre, by Carlos Saura. In 1986 he won the C├│rdoba National Competition. He has also worked with guitarists Enrique De Melchor, Tomatito, Vicente Amigo and Moraito.