Juanito Valderrama

b. Juan Valderrama Blanca, 24 May 1916, Torredelcampo, Jaén, Spain, d. 12 April 2004, Espartinas, Seville, Spain. Raised in rural Andalucia, Valderrama heard flamenco from childhood and in his early teens he was taken up by singer Niña de la Puebla, with whom he sang in Madrid in 1935. During the Spanish Civil War he performed for soldiers and also made records, later establishing himself on the flamenco scene. He composed some 300 songs, often in collaboration with his regular accompanist El Niño Ricardo; these included ‘De Polizón' and ‘Madre Hermosa'. The song by which he i...