François Reyes (born 9 June 1954), better known as Canut Reyes, is a French guitarist, singer, songwriter, and painter of Spanish Gitano descent, best known for being part of the group Gipsy Kings.
Biography
Canut Reyes was born in Strasbourg[citation needed], the son of flamenco vocalist Jose Reyes (1928–1979) and Clementine Nésanson (died 2005). Canut was part of the musical group his father and brothers started around 1974, called Jose Reyes et Los Reyes. They played their version of flamenco at private parties in the south of France. José Reyes died in 1979, after battling lung cancer.[1]
After their father's death, the brothers joined with their Baliardo cousins, adopting the new name Gipsy Kings, a tribute to their gypsy roots and the surname "Reyes" which means "kings" in Spanish. Gipsy Kings recorded their first two albums, Allegria (1982) and Luna de Fuego (1983). Despite strong support from personalities such as Brigitte Bardot and Francis Lalanne, the group was unable to break through, and Canut and Patchaï left the band.[citation needed]
Reyes continued his musical activities in various other groups, playing mainly at private parties.[citation needed] In 1989, he released his first solo album Bolero, a tribute to Maurice Ravel[2]
Gipsy Kings had in the meantime signed a production contract with EMP. After an eponymous album, issued in 1987, they recorded Mosaïque in 1989. Reyes was not involved in these recordings, but he joined the group for the world tour following the release of Mosaïque.[citation needed]
Reyes met brothers Jean and Gildas Boclé in Japan in 2001, which was the beginning of a collaboration that led to the recording of Gitano, Reyes' second solo album, released in 2012.[3]
