Ricardo Baliardo (7 August 1921 – 5 November 2014), better known as Manitas de Plata, was a flamenco guitarist of Spanish Gitano descent born in southern France. Despite achieving worldwide fame, he was criticized for not following certain rhythmic rules (compás) that are traditional in flamenco.

Baliardo was born in a gypsy caravan in Sète, southern France. He became famous by playing each year at the Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer gypsy pilgrimage in the Camargue, where he was recorded live by Deben Bhattacharya.

Manitas de Plata ("Little Hands of Silver" in Spanish) only agreed to play in public ten years after the death of Django Reinhardt. One of his recordings earned him a letter from Jean Cocteau acclaiming him as a creator.

Upon hearing him play at Arles in 1964, Pablo Picasso is said to have exclaimed "that man is of greater worth than I am!" and proceeded to draw on the guitar.

De Plata garnered fame in the United States only after a photography exhibition in New York, organized by his friend Lucien Clergue. He had recorded his first official album in the chapel of Arles in France, in 1963, for the Phillips label. It was later re-released, in 1967, by the Connoisseur Society label and sold through the Book of the Month Club. This was a popular LP that brought him to the attention of an American audience. An American manager obtained a booking for him to play a concert in Carnegie Hall in New York on November 24, 1965.

He toured the world from 1967, and recorded discs. He played with the dancer Nina Corti. In 1968 he played at the Royal Variety Performance in London. He toured Australia in September 1972 supported by Los Baliardos (Hippolyte Baliardo, Manero Baliardo, José Reyes, Ricardo Bissaro). His Sevillana was included in Scorsese's After Hours (1985) soundtrack.

De Plata was the uncle of Jacques, Maurice, and Tonino Baliardo and cousin to Paul, François (Canut), Patchaï, Nicolas and André Reyes (the sons of his cousin, flamenco artist José Reyes (1928-1979), all members of the Catalan Rumba band Gipsy Kings. Australian multi-instrumentalist Chris Freeman, his student in 1971, acknowledged de Plata's influence and teachings.

Statue of Manitas de Plata in front of the Montpellier City Hall.

De Plata died in a retirement home in Montpellier on 6 November 2014. The cause of death was not disclosed, although it was reported that de Plata had been in poor health since suffering a severe heart attack in April 2013.

Many members of his own family were also well known flamenco musicians, including his younger brother Hippolyte Baliardo (1928-2009), and his eldest son Manero Baliardo (1940-2012). Another son, Bambo Baliardo, is still an active musician and performer as of 2015.

Source: Article "Manitas de Plata" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.

Manitas de Plata (littéralement «petites mains d'argent», correspondant à l'expression en français «doigts de fée»), de son vrai nom Ricardo Baliardo, né le 7 août 1921 à Sète dans une caravane et mort le 5 novembre 2014 à Montpellier, est un guitariste français d'origine gitane.

Blond, presque roux, aux yeux bleus, les gitans l'appellent Blond, en prononçant «Beulon», avant qu'il ne soit connu des siens et du monde entier sous le nom de «Manitas de Plata».

Né dans une famille de gitans originaire d'Espagne, Ricardo Baliardo, accompagné de son oncle Moro, de son frère Hypolite et de son cousin José Reyes, se distingue en jouant de la guitare, lors du pèlerinage aux Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer. Il y est remarqué, le 24 mai 1955, par Lucien Clergue, venu assister le preneur de son Deben Bhattacharya qui réalise un enregistrement ethnologique. Produit par Vogue Contrepoint, le disque sort en 1957 sous le titre Gitans aux Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, mais le nom des musiciens n'y est pas mentionné. Le poète Jean Cocteau intervient le 28 juillet 1959 pour que ses droits d'auteur soient reconnus.

«Le disque ne ressemble pas à ces conserves de beauté qu'on nous livre dans la cellophane. Il est direct et pur comme le style flamenco et voilà de la beauté prise au piège. On me parle d'une chicane au sujet du droit. Cela m'étonne. Aucune danse flamenco ne se ressemble, malgré un rythme ancestral. Ce disque est admirable et bien à vous et à vos camarades.» — Jean Cocteau ...

Source: Article "Manitas de Plata" de Wikipédia en français, soumis à la licence CC-BY-SA 3.0.