Date of Birth: 
Place of Birth: Madrid, Community of Madrid, Spain
About El Fary
- José Luis Cantero Rada (August 20, 1937 – June 19, 2007), known professionally as El Fary, was a Spanish singer and actor. The youngest of six children, José Luis Cantero was born in Madrid, close to a famous bullring.
- As a boy he would play truant from school, preferring to spend time partying with Gypsies imitating his idol, the traditional "copla" singer Rafael Farina.
- It was from Farina that Cantero adopted his stage name of "El Fary".
- Resolute that his shortness would not stand in the way of success he was determined that his dream of following in his idol's footsteps would one day come true.
- It was during the military service (late 1950s) that he would finally learn to read and write. Before hitting the big time, El Fary worked hard as a gardener and a taxi driver in order to make the money to record his first songs.
- As a taxi driver, he claimed to have driven the American actress Ava Gardner around Madrid. Once he had recorded and pressed these songs - rumour has it - he sold them to the public himself from a stall in the Rastro (Madrid's weekly street market).
- At this time he also took part in singing contests on the radio and performed at local fiestas.
- Only when he was in his early thirties did El Fary start to make money as a singer when he was called to stand in for Pepe Blanco at a show in Pozoblanco, CĂłrdoba, Andalusia.
- Later, the legendary Antonio Molina hired him for a two-month tour. By the 1970s the copla had fallen from favour with the Spanish record-buying public, but this did not dampen El Fary's enthusiasm and by the end of the decade he was recording poppier songs such as Gypsy rumbas that found a home in the Spanish hit parade.
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