Camarón de la Isla (born December 5, 1950, San Fernando, Cádiz, Spain; died July 2, 1992, Badalona, Spain), was the stage name of Spanish Romani
flamenco singer José Monje Cruz. He was born in San Fernando, Cádiz, Spain, into a Romani family, the seventh of eight children. His mother was Juana Cruz Castro, a "Canastera", literally a basket weaver, and meaning from a wandering roma family, and whose gift of singing was a strong early influence. His uncle José nicknamed him Camarón (Spanish for "Shrimp") because he was blonde haired and fair skinned. At the age of …
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