Manitas de Plata dies at 93; Gypsy master of flamenco guitar
Flamenco guitarist Manitas de Plata, who sold nearly 100 million records worldwide and broke boundaries for Gypsy musicians, has died in southern France. He was 93.
De Plata died Wednesday in a Montpellier retirement home, said his great-nephew Ricao Bissiere.
De Plata sold about 93 million records in a career that spanned more than half a century. Despite acquiring a fortune as one of France’s best-selling recording artists, he died practically penniless — spending his fortune on “roulette, fancy cars, going out and beautiful women,” according to Bissiere.
“He loved life. He was a character,” Bissiere said.
Born Ricardo Baliardo in a caravan in southern France in 1921 to a French Gypsy family, De Plata first mastered the guitar at 9 without being able to read music.
He went on to wow crowds with his flamenco strumming in French Riviera cafes, watched by artists Salvador Dali and Pablo Picasso, writer Jean Cocteau and actress Brigitte Bardot.
Picasso once exclaimed, “That man is of greater worth than I am!” when he heard De Plata at Arles in 1964 and drew on his guitar.
As Baliardo’s talent became clear, he changed to his recording name, Manitas de Plata, meaning “little hands of silver” in Spanish.
He was a legendary ladies’ man; De Plata himself once admitted he didn’t know how many children he had fathered in his life, thought to be more than 20.
The guitarist was a strong influence on the Gipsy Kings, and strengthened his reputation in the U.S. after playing New York’s Carnegie Hall in 1965. He toured extensively and performed at the Los Angeles Music Center and UCLA’s Royce Hall.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for the L.A. Times biggest news, features and recommendations in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
