It is the first time a Spaniard has received this title. The honor was previously bestowed upon David Bowie, Sting, Phil Collins, Aretha Franklin, Chick Corea, Rubén Blades, George Benson, Juan Luis Guerra and Duke Ellington among others,
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On May 8th, Paco de Lucía will formally receive the title of Doctor Honoris Causa of the Berklee College of Music in Boston, in recognition of “his music and his artistic vision which has influenced several generations of musicians and contributed to the popularization of flamenco among a global audience”.
The decision was taken by American institution in response to the proposal of Eduardo Bautista, president of the board of directors of the Spanish society of authors known as the SGAE, and member of the board of trustees of the Berklee College of Music. Bautista communicated the importance of flamenco as a musical genre and identifier of the Spanish heritage. In this sense, Paco de Lucía is the most universal representative of the artform. Paco de Lucía thus becomes the first Spaniard to receive this distinction which is already held by David Bowie, Sting, Phil Collins, Aretha Franklin, Chick Corea, Rubén Blades, George Benson, Juan Luis Guerra, Duke Ellington, B.B. King, Quincy Jones, Steve Vai, Paul Simon, Pat Metheny, Steve Winwood, Steven Tyler, Herbie Hancock and other major figures. The official ceremony will take place Saturday May 8th at the Agganis Arena of the University of Boston, a venue with capacity of 6000. The following day, on the same stage, there is to be a concert in which a group of students of the Berklee College of Music will play some of Paco de Lucía’s compositions. Francisco Sánchez Gómez, the real name of Paco de Lucía, joined the SGAE in early 1964 at the age of 16. As composer, he has 235 musical works registered. Universally considered the absolute maestro of flamenco guitar, he became known when he was still a child when he played for his brother Pepe. After that, his career took off. In 1964 he made his first solo recording, and has made more that twenty more solo records, not to mention numerous collaborations with other artists, or his work as producer including Cositas Buenas in 2004. A renewer of flamenco, he was able to incorporate sounds and instruments from other genres such as bossa nova, jazz and salsa. His artistic partner Camarón de La Isla, with whom he made several highly successful records between 1969 and 1979, has changed the face of flamenco. It has been said that until the present time, no one has surpassed Paco de Lucía, and today’s flamenco music cannot be understood without his intervention and the changes he introduced. More information: |
