Carlos Montoya
Birth name Carlos García Montoya
Born 13 December 1903
Madrid, Spain
Died 3 March 1993 (aged 89)
Wainscott, New York, U.S.
Genres Flamenco music
Occupation(s)
Composer Guitarist
Instruments Guitar
Carlos García Montoya (13 December 1903 – 3 March 1993) in Madrid, Spain, was a prominent flamenco guitarist and a founder of the modern-day popular flamenco style of music.
He was the nephew of renowned flamenco guitarist Ramón Montoya. He first learned from his mother, “la Tula”, and then from a neighboring barber, Pepe el Barbero, i.e. Pepe the Barber. After one year Montoya had completed what Pepe was able to teach him. Carlos left to gain what he could from other flamenco guitarists of the time. At fourteen he was playing in the “cafes cantantes,” in the heyday of flamenco singing and dancing, for such artists as Antonio de Bilbao, Juan el Estampío, La Macarrona and La Camisona in Madrid, Spain.
He was the nephew of renowned flamenco guitarist Ramón Montoya. He first learned from his mother, “la Tula”, and then from a neighboring barber, Pepe el Barbero, i.e. Pepe the Barber. After one year Montoya had completed what Pepe was able to teach him. Carlos left to gain what he could from other flamenco guitarists of the time. At fourteen he was playing in the “cafes cantantes,” in the heyday of flamenco singing and dancing, for such artists as Antonio de Bilbao, Juan el Estampío, La Macarrona and La Camisona in Madrid, Spain.
Montoya is credited with having transformed flamenco guitar music into a separate music style, beyond being a traditional dance accompaniment. He adapted flamenco to other genres of music to create his own recognizable style, becoming an international star.
Montoya died on 3 March 1993 at the age of 89 of heart failure in Wainscott, New York, on Long Island. His daughter, Rosa Montoya, is noted for introducing flamenco dance to most of California with her studio based in San Francisco.
Discography
Year Album Title
1950 Spanish Guitar Solos
1957 Flamenco Guitar
1958 Flamenco Fire
1959 From St. Louis to Seville
1961 Malaguena
1961 Carlos Montoya and His Flamenco Guitar
1963 Flamenco Antiguo
1964 Flamenco Concert
1967 The Artistry Of
1996 Flamenco!
2004 Guitar & Flamenco
Filmography
Carmen, la de Triana (1938)
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