After Dinner Speakers: The Gipsy Kings, Lauren Bacall, Peter De La Billiere

These popular flamenco artists initially formed as an offshoot of the family group Los Reyes (the Kings), who in the 70s and 80s were led by father José Reyes. Together with sons Nicolas and Andre Reyes, they enjoyed significant domestic success in Spain, though contrary to popular belief their origins lay on the other side of the French border. In 1982, Nicolas and Andre Reyes teamed up with Chico Bouchikhi when he married into the family. The Gipsy Kings were formed when they joined with three cousins from the Baliardo family (Diego, Tonino and Paci), each member singing and playing guitar with Nicolas Reyes as their lead vocalist. As the Gipsy Kings they attempted to reach a worldwide market for the first time, initially earning their reputation by playing to film stars and royalty at France's St. Tropez holiday resort. They made their worldwide debut with a self-titled album for Elektra Records in 1988, by which time several collections had already been released in Spain and mainland Europe. As before, the music blended elements of the Nueva Andalucia flamenco style, with the inclusion of percussive foot stamps, handclaps and vocals drawn from Arabic music. In addition to their trademark multi-guitar sound, they also added other components, including drums, bass, percussion and synthesizers. This effort to broaden their appeal resulted in a massive international breakthrough, including number 1 status in the Canadian and Australian charts, with Gipsy Kings peaking at number 16 in the UK. The ensuing Mosaique, though marginally less successful, saw the group incorporate elements of jazz (collaborating with Rubén Blades) and 50s/60s pop. In the early 90s, the personnel shuffled, and the Gipsy Kings began to lose much of the momentum they had built up in the previous decade, despite the release of a live album in 1993. Cantos De Amor reversed the trend, becoming a major success for them in 1998.