He was born in
Figueres, where he was brought up in a military home, and later grew up in
Cádiz finally settling down in
Seville. He got the nickname Kiko while studying at university. He studied History and philosophy and after graduating travelled through Europe and the US. During his travels he attended concerts of artists like
Frank Zappa and
Bob Dylan, which influenced his style. Still, also during these years he rediscovered
flamenco. In 1975 he formed the group
Veneno with brothers Rafael and
Raimundo Amador. In 1977 they released the
eponymous album
Veneno produced by
Ricardo Pachón. Although not a great hit at the time it is now considered a classic Spanish album. In 1979 he collaborated with
Camarón de la Isla, the famous
gypsy flamenco singer, on the classic album
La leyenda del tiempo. In 1982 he published his first solo album
Seré Mecánico por Ti, produced by José Luis de Carlos, which sold poorly. During the 1980s he continued to publish songs but due to lack of commercial success he had to supplement his music working for the council of
Seville. The most successful part of his career started in 1992 when he signed with
BMG-Ariola and released the albums
Échate un cantecito (1992) and
Está muy bien eso del cariño (1995), both
produced by
Joe Dworniak. The first album included several hits like "En Un Mercedes Blanco" and "Joselito". The success of these albums allowed him to devote himself full-time to music. In 1992, Kiko sponsored the creation of a band that would be called
Mártires del Compás, formed by Chico Ocaña, Raúl Rodríguez and José Caraoscura. Disagreements between Ocaña and Kiko meant that the band split in two: Ocaña took the name of the group and went solo, and Raúl Rodríguez and José Caraoscura (Kiko in the background) formed
Caraoscura. They released an album in 1995 entitled
¿Qué es lo que quieres de mí? In 1999 he toured
Argentina to give a series of concerts which were a critical success. After three more records Kiko ended his contract with Ariola and decided to produce his future music himself. In September 2005 he released
El Hombre Invisible. Ever since, he has mostly collaborated with other musicians, while releasing his own new songs only via
digital download. In 2006 he formed the band
G5 along
Los Delinqüentes,
Tomasito and
Muchachito Bombo Infierno. His album
Sombrero Roto was nominated for
IMPALA's European Independent Album of the Year Award (2019). ==Selected discography==