Mario Escudero
| Mario Escudero | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 11, 1928 |
| Origin | Alicante, Spain |
| Died | November 19, 2004 (aged 76) |
| Genres | Flamenco |
| Instruments | Guitar |
Mario Escudero Valero Jiménez Valverde (October 11, 1928 – November 19, 2004) was one of a handful of Spanish flamenco guitar virtuosos who helped spread flamenco beyond their homeland when they migrated to the United States in the early 1950s. After completing his obligatory military service in Spain, he toured with the best known companies at the time (including Vicente Escudero, Jose Greco and Carmen Amaya). Eventually, his lifetime childhood friend, Juan Antonio Aguero, married Carmen Amaya, and Mario married her sister Maria, with whom he had a son (Juan Antonio Jesus). He soon travelled to the US as first soloist.
Along with others such as Sabicas, Carlos Montoya and Juan Serrano, Escudero helped forge the viability of solo flamenco guitar as a concert instrument with lauded performances at New York's Carnegie Hall, Town Hall, and other venues. Invited to perform at the White House for President John F. Kennedy, Escudero was counted among the best in his era; Ramón Montoya called him "the best flamenco guitarist of this new generation."
Mario Escudero was born in Alicante, Spain on October 11, 1928. His mother was Alfonsa Josefina Valero Valverde (d. 1947, when he was 19), a Spanish singer, native of Villanueva de los Infantes, Ciudad Real (although the family had migrated there from Camas, Sevilla), and his father was Jesus Escudero Jiménez (d. 1966), a gypsy "por los cuatro costados" as it is commonly said in Spain. His family originally came from Navarra, Spain, although they also settled in Huesca and Zaragoza (Aragón), where Jesus was born. Mario was an only child.
Emigrating to San Sebastian, the family opened and ran a very successful tailor shop close to "La Concha" beach. The breakout of the civil war, however, forced them to emigrate to southern France. While in France, the Escudero family formed a flamenco group with family members and performed with artists like Maurice Chevalier and Mistinguette. His first performance, at the age of 9, was with Maurice Chevalier at the Cinema Galia in Bordeaux, France. In France, he received his first schooling and became fluent in French, as he also did in English later in life.
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