El Chocolate
Biography
Antonio Núñez Montoya was born in Jerez de la Frontera, although he soon moved to Seville, the city which witnessed his birth as an artist. Referred to as "Boquerón de Jerez" when he was a boy, el Chocolate learned his flamenco on the street, under the guidance of greats like Tomás Pavón, Manolo Caracol and Manuel Vallejo.
El Chocolate, who had one of the most knowledgeable and well-respected voices in flamenco, worked with great artists like Carmen Amaya, Melchor de Marchena and Niño Ricardo. He travelled all around the world as a member of a number of different companies, until he made his début as a soloist in the 1960s. From this moment onwards, he became a cantaor (flamenco singer) who had a great international reputation, and the main draw in line-ups.
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El Chocolate was unique in his mastery of cantes sung 'a palo seco' (without accompaniment) and, most of all, seguiriyas, soleares, tarantos de Manuel Torre and his own personal fandangos. He received various acknowledgements of his career, including the 2nd Giraldillo del Cante award in 1986 and the Medalla de Andalucía (Medal of Andalusia) in 2003.
Biography text from Last.fm, available under CC BY-SA.