Family Is at the Heart of Gipsy Kings

The Gipsy Kings like to think of themselves as family.

“Of course,” says Tonino Baliardo, lead guitarist for the group, “everything is family with Gypsies. And when we play, we like to make our listeners part of our family.”

Which is exactly what happens in Gipsy King performances, when the familial connection reaches out beyond the amiable gathering of players on stage to include their enthusiastic, interactive audiences.

That kind of easygoing union might explain some of the French ensemble’s widespread celebrity--but not all of it. By any measurement, this is one of the most successful world music groups in history.

Its 1988 debut, “Gipsy Kings,” reached the Top 10 in more than a dozen countries and received 15 gold and platinum albums. In 1994, the Kings were Billboard’s No. 1 charting world music artists and the top-ranked Latin artists. Last year’s “Best of the Gipsy Kings” album has been certified platinum in the United States, and two of the group’s albums appear to be rooted at the top of Billboard’s world music charts.

Thursday the Kings--who have sold 13 million albums worldwide and more than 3 million in the United States in the last seven years--open a three-night stand at the Greek Theatre as part of a tour supporting their current release, “Tierra Gitana.” On Sunday, they’ll move to the larger Pond of Anaheim for a fourth Southland show.

Not bad for a group of close brothers and cousins--the Reyes and Baliardo families--whose origins trace to the dusty caravans of a Gypsy community in Arles and Montpelier in the south of France.

So what is it that makes their music so broadly popular?

Accessibility, first of all. Despite the mildly exotic character of the rhythms and the soaring, gruff sound of Nicolas Reyes’ vocals, it is music that feels instantly recognizable, even to American audiences.

“It is very strong with its flamenco roots,” says Baliardo, speaking by telephone from France via an interpreter. “But the way we play it, which is flamenco with rumba rhythms, and the way we expand the music by adding pop instruments to create a modern sound, I believe is what has helped make the music so popular.”

Perhaps equally important, and regardless of the synthesizers, drums and electronic instruments, the Gipsy Kings have insisted upon retaining the essence, the passion and the communal creativity of the Gypsy and flamenco styles.

“It hasn’t lost any authenticity,” Baliardo adds. “Because in our hearts we always are Gypsies. We were taught music as Gypsies. And we still play as Gypsies. When we add electronic instruments, we do it because we feel it works musically. But it’s just an adaptation. We don’t feel any authenticity has been lost.”

The authenticity traces to a rich musical tradition, much of which was detailed in an hourlong television documentary, also titled “Tierra Gitana,” which aired on PBS in July. Jose Reyes, the patriarch of the Reyes clan, was a legendary flamenco musician and an admired intimate of Picasso, Cocteau and Charlie Chaplin. Family life, for the Reyes and Baliardos, was filled with the sounds and rhythms of guitars and song. Guitar playing was, and is, expected to pass from generation to generation--not surprising, given the fact that Gypsies, from the time of their entrance into Europe, have traditionally been musicians, dancers and entertainers.

But the Gypsy society of Southern France, despite its familial focus, is not isolated from the modern world. And Baliardo points to Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Barry White and Frank Sinatra as performers who have had an impact upon the group’s musical thinking.

Though the Gipsy Kings now travel in jet planes and luxuriously outfitted bus coaches--a far cry from the trailers and caravans of their youth--they profess not to have been seduced by the glitter and the temptations of their global achievements.

“Before we were known to the public worldwide,” Baliardo says, “we were still playing private parties in different parts of the world. So we left our homes then to go away and play. What is the difference now? We do it more often than we did before, and obviously we make more money. Never in our wildest dreams did we envision having as much success as we’ve had. But our lives are the same, our families are the same, and we still live in the same places.”

But success, Baliardo says, always takes second place, since everything comes back full circle to the element that he repeatedly identifies as vital to the Gipsy Kings: their families.

“Money is not an end, success is not an end. They’re just a means,” he says. “The most important thing is to have a good, happy life with our families.

“There is nothing that could make us want to change our lifestyles. We are always very happy to go home. In fact, the best moment in every tour is the time when we get on the airplane to fly back to France.”

* The Gipsy Kings play Thursday-Saturday at the Greek Theatre, 2700 N. Vermont Ave., 8 p.m. $19.75-$38.75. (213) 480-3232. Also Sunday at the Pond of Anaheim, 2695 E. Katella Ave., Anaheim, 8 p.m. $20-$40. (714) 740-2000.