Parrilla de Jerez dies at the age of 63. The guitarrist born in Jerez de la Frontera (Cádiz) in 1945, passed away on Saturday 6th June 2009 after a long illnes.
Under the guidance of his father - Manuel Fernández Moreno, Tío Parrilla - and Rafael del Águila, he started out at the age of 12 in the Jerez school of flamenco toque. A year later he began his professional career. One of his first performances in public was at the Feria de Sevilla in 1959. Accompanied in those early years by his sister Ana Parrilla, a dancer, and later by maestros of Jerez cante Tío Borrico, Terremoto and Sordera. After working in the tablaos such as the Cueva del Pájaro Azul in Cádiz, La gaditana in Ibiza and Los Canasteros in Madrid, he joined El Duende, the Madrid tablao owned by Pastora Imperio and Gitanillo de Triana and played for Terremoto, Sernita and La Perla de Cádiz. Later he played for artists such as Lola Flores and La Paquera de Jerez, the singer whom he has accompanied for over thirty years. Curro Malena, Enrique Morente, Manuel Agujetas, Antonio Mairena, Chocolate, Calixto Sánchez, Naranjito de Triana, Luis de Córdoba, Pansequito and La Macanita are just some of the other singers for whom he has played live and also on their studio recordings. As a solo artist Parrilla de Jerez has produced four records, including ‘Nostalgia’ (VDE-Gallo, 1999) and ‘Jondura’ (Midwest Records, 1996). His professional career, during which he has also tried to revive some of Jerez’s Christmas folklore and has composed the processional march ‘Virgen de la Piedad’, has seen him recognised by the Cátedra de Flamencología de Jerez (Professoship of Flamenco studies in Jerez), which awarded him the National Guitar prize in 1973.