Delfín Amaya, member of the duo Los Amaya and composer of songs like ‘Vete’ and ‘Caramelos’, has died in Barcelona at the age of 74. Together with their brother José, Los Amaya became icons of Catalan rumba, singing at the closing ceremony of the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games alongside artists such as Peret and Los Manolos.
The artist was born in Oviedo in 1952, but from a very young age he moved to Barcelona and was able to develop his artistic vocation in the Raval neighborhood. Being related to the dancer Carmen Amaya, music was part of Delfín’s life from very early on.
Los Amaya became a reality in 1969, a year before the decade in which they would achieve their greatest hits with the help of producer Tony Roland. During this time they released songs that are classics today, from ‘Vete’, sampled by C. Tangana in ‘Yate’ (2021), to ‘Caramelos’, anthem of Spanish town festivals.
Being one of the groups that fused rumba with more modern or pop styles, Los Amaya is credited with the introduction of the electric guitar in rumba, sharing spaces with figures such as El Pescaílla or Gato Pérez.
