Of
gypsy ethnicity, daughter of
flamenco artists, her father was the guitarist Juan Gilabert and her mother the singer Rosa Vargas Fernández, known as
Rosa la Papera. She was born in Calle de la Botica, in the Santa María district (Cadiz). In 1960 she made her debut in the Zambra
tablao in Madrid. In 1962 she won First Prize for
Bulerías in the
Concurso Nacional de Cantes de Jerez. She was later hired by the Seville tablaos of
Los Gallos and
El Guajiro. However, a year later she returned to Madrid, hired by
Manolo Caracol for the opening of his tablao, Los Canasteros. In 1964 she moved to El Duende and later worked in Torres Bermejas and El Corral de la Morería, as well as in Cadiz's La Cueva del Pájaro Azul, and in its venta-tablao 'La Perla de Cai', in Valdelagrana, in El Puerto de Santa María. She was married to Curro la Gamba. Her death when she was still quite young came as a consequence of a breast cancer. She stood out for the styles of:
alegrías, bulerías,
soleares,
tientos, tangos and
saetas. She also stood out for her excellent compás and interpretative skills. At present, a flamenco club called
La Perla de Cádiz in Cadiz, bears her name. So does a street in Cadiz. == Discography ==