Farrah Turenne
The best-selling French band in history, the Gipsy Kings are among the best-known non-English speaking groups in the United States (the band’s language is the Gypsy dialect of gitane).
Since the 1987 release of the international hit single Bamboleo, the Gipsy Kings have sold more than 20 million albums worldwide – more than four million in the United States alone.
The Gipsy Kings are a group of French born musicians from Arles and Montpellier, who perform in Spanish with an Andalucían accent. They are known for bringing rumba catalana, a pop-oriented music distantly derived from traditional flamenco music, to worldwide audiences.
The group originally called itself Los Reyes and started out as a gypsy band. They traveled around France, playing at weddings, festivals, and in the streets. Because they lived so much like gypsies, the band adopted the name The Gipsy Kings.
Their music has a particular rumba flamenca style, with pop influences; many songs of the Gipsy Kings fit social dances, such as salsa and rumba. Their music has been described as a place where “Spanish flamenco and Romani rhapsody meet salsa funk.”
Reserved tickets ($95.00 / $75.00 / $55.00) are available at The Chicago Theatre Box Office and all Ticketmaster locations. To charge-by-phone call 800/745-3000. To order online visit Ticketmaster.com.
