Jerez singer José Mercé performing in La Unión, Murcia

José Soto Soto (José Mercé) is the great-grandson of Paco Luz and nephew of Manuel Soto 'Sordera', the patriarch of flamenco in Jerez. After singing as a child in the Escolanía de la Basílica de La Merced in his hometown (hence his stage name), he took his first steps in the art world at the Jueves Flamencos in Jerez and at the tablao in Cádiz, La Cueva del Pájaro Azul. At the age of 13 he came to Madrid to record his first album, produced by Manuel Ríos Ruiz. He was in the company of Antonio Gades, participated in the film Bodas de sangre by Carlos Saura in 1981, worked with the National Ballet, won the National Competition of Flamenco Art in Córdoba in 1986 and worked again with Saura in the film Flamenco in 1995.