Grand-nephew of the maestro Ramón Montoya Salazar.
1934-2006
On June 13th one of the great
maestros of flamenco guitar in Madrid passed away. Ramón Montoya
Montoya. Great-nephew of the famous Ramón Montoya Salazar, he taught
many current flamenco guitarists such as his son Fernando Montoya, Oscar
Luis Herrero, El Mami, Angel Montejano and Fernando Mejías among
many others.
He
was born in Almagro (Ciudad Real) on April 16th, 1934 and began studying
guitar at a very early age. He was discovered by Rafael Farina who took
him on tour and gave him his first professional quality guitar.
His career continued with flamenco stars like Pilar López, Mariemma,
Juan Valderrama, Porrina, Angelillo and la Paquera among others. For seven
years he was in Rocío Jurado’s group, going on to join Rafael
de Córdoba’s and appearing on many TV programs. He also made
some cinema appearances in films such as la Boda, Los Pianillos Mecánicos,
el Martínez, etc.
In recordings he accompanies numerous cante stars of the era. As soloist,
noteworthy is a record dedicated to Niño Ricardo with collaborations
by Sabicas, Paco de Lucía, Serranito, José María
Pardo, Félix de Utrera and Antonio Arenas, “In Memoriam al
Niño Ricardo”.
In 1977 he entered the Real Conservatorio an activity he combined with
teaching, something he was doing right up until the end.
