Seville, 20 May. (Europe Press) –
The president of the Seville Provincial Council, Fernando Rodríguez Villalobos, has expressed “deep” regret at the death of the province’s favorite son and Gold Medal Labriz-born singer Cuero Malena at the age of 77 after a long illness. “Marena is an essential pillar of flamenco singing in the province. Heir to the labriza tradition within his family, he has produced undeniable figures such as Antonio Mareña or Nino Ricardo”.
Thus, the plenary session of the Seville Provincial Council eulogized and praised his figure. “Cuoro has mastered all styles of cante and has won the most important awards, even that of Flamenco Legend since 2016. A career that made possible his appointment as Favorite Son of Labriza, his hometown, And now the gold medal of the province”, as expressed by the state president.
In this sense, the president of the Seville Provincial Council has expressed “deep regret” to his relatives as well as to the entire city of Labriz and its mayor, Pepe Barroso, according to the provincial body in a statement.
Francisco Carrasco Carrasco was born in 1945 in Lebrija (Seville). After training as a singer in his gypsy family, he entered the Mayrena del Alcor contest at the age of 23, where he won two first prizes. This helped him to record with the genius Nino Ricardo. He was sponsored by Antonio Marena himself, whom he had met at La Cuadra in Seville. In 1971 he won first prize for Solaires at the Córdoba National Competition, from where he became an essential figure in the main festivals for four decades.
He has mastered all styles of cante, remains one of the defenders of marenismo today and has recorded a vast discography on vinyl, much of it yet to be reissued on compact disc. Among the distinctions and awards he has won are the Golden Shoe of Elche and, above all, his third Golden Torch of Singing at the Mayrena del Alcor in 1984 and the Legend of Flamenco award in 2016. He retired from the stage in 2006 after being diagnosed with hemiplegia. On July 19, 2011, he was named Lebrija’s favorite son.