Peret

This article is about the Spanish musician. For the similarly titled Ancient Egyptian calendar season, see Season of the Emergence.

Pedro Pubill Calaf (Spanish: [ˈpeðɾo puˈβil kaˈlaf], Catalan: [puˈβiʎ kəˈlaf]; 24 March 1935 – 27 August 2014),^[1][2] better known as Peret, was a Catalan Romani singer, guitar player and composer of Catalan rumba from Mataró (Barcelona).^[3]

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Pubill and the second or maternal family name is Calaf.

Peret
Peret in 1971
Background information
Born	Pedro Pubill Calaf (1935-03-24)24 March 1935 Mataró (Barcelona), Spain
Died	27 August 2014(2014-08-27) (aged 79) Barcelona, Spain
Genres	Catalan rumba
Occupations	Singer-songwriter composer musician actor
Instruments	Vocals guitar
Years active	1957–2014

Peret performing in 2007

Career

Known for his 1971 single, "Borriquito" (Ariola Records), Peret represented Spain at the Eurovision Song Contest 1974 with the song "Canta y sé feliz" and performed during the closing ceremony at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona.^[4] In 2001, Peret recorded and released Rey De La Rumba (King of the Rumba) an album of updated versions of his older songs with guest musicians including Jarabe de Palo, El Gran Silencio, David Byrne of Talking Heads, and more.

In 1982, Peret withdrew from the music industry, joining the Iglesia Evangélica de Filadelfia,^[5] a large religious community of the Spanish Roma (gypsies) devoting himself in the following years exclusively to preaching and religious activities. After leaving the church in 1991, he resumed his music activity and recorded new albums. In 1992, he was honored for all his body of work when he sang as representative of Catalonia at the Olympic Games in Barcelona during the closing ceremonies.

Death

Peret died in Barcelona in 2014 from lung cancer, aged 79.^[2][6][7]

Discography

Vinyl albums

• 1967: Peret (Discophon)
• 1968: Rumba pa'ti (Discophon)
• 1968: Una lágrima (Vergara)
• 1969: Lamento gitano (Discophon)
• 1969: Gipsy Rhumbas (Discophon)
• 1970: Canta para el cine (Vergara)
• 1971: Borriquito (Ariola)
• 1972: Una lágrima (Ariola)
• 1973: Mi santa (Ariola)
• 1974: Lo mejor de Peret (Ariola)
• 1974: Peret y sus gitanos (EMI)
• 1974: Canta y sé feliz (Ariola)
• 1978: Saboreando (Ariola)
• 1978: Lágrimas negras (Ariola)
• 1978: El joven Peret (CBS)
• 1980: El jilguero (Belter)
• 1981: De cap a la palla (Belter)
• 1988: De coco a la paja (Belter)

CD albums

• 1991: No se pué aguantar (PDI)*
• 1992: Gitana hechicera (PDI)*
• 1992: Rumbas de la clausura a co-album with Los Manolos and Los Amaya (PDI)*
• 1993: Cómo me gusta (PDI)*
• 1995: Que disparen flores (PDI)*
• 1996: Jesús de Nazareth (PDI)*
• 2000: Rey de la Rumba (Virgin)
• 2007: Que levante el dedo (K Industria Cultural)
• 2009: De los cobardes nunca se ha escrito nada (Universal Music)

*Re-released in 2008 by Picap

Posthumous albums

• 2014: Des del Respecte / Desde el Respeto (Satélite K)

Compilation albums

• 1979: El cancionero nº 1 (Belter)
• 1982: El forat (Impacto) (Cassette release - Side A in Catalan, side B tracks from De cap a la palla and De coco a la paja)
• 1989: Rumbas de oro (Divucsa)
• 1990: Peret es la rumba (Ariola)
• 1994: La vida por delante (Sony/BMG)
• 1996: Siempre Peret (PDI)
• 1998: Sus grabaciones en Discophon (Rama Lama/Blanco y Negro)
• 2000: Don Toribio Carambola (Arcade)
• 2000: Chica Vaivén (Sony/BMG)
• 2000: Número 1 en rumba (PDI)
• 2001: La salsa de la rumba (Sony/BMG)
• 2004: Singles Collection (Divucsa)
• 2006: Mano a mano (Divucsa)
• 2008: Sus 20 grandes éxitos (O.K.)

Singles

(Selective international hits)

• 1971: "Borriquito"
• 1971: "Voy voy"
• 1972: "Ni fu ni fa"
• 1973: "El mosquito"
• 1974: "Canta y sé feliz"
• 1988: "Borriquito" (Mix)

other hits:

• 1964: "Sapore di sale" / "Salomé" / "Qué suerte" / "Si yo fuera" (Discophon), 1964)
• 1965: "Jugando" / "Caliente" (Ariola, 1975)
• 1978: "Saboreando"
• 1980: "Pa amb oli" / "De cap a la palla" (Belter)
• 1982: "El forat" / "Estem fotuts"
• 2001: "Marujas asesinas" (Virgin)

Charts

Year	Single	Peak positions			Certification	Album
		NED Dutch Top 40	NED Single Top 100	GER
1971	"Borriquito"	1	1	1		Borriquito
	"Voy voy"	22	16	-
1974	"Canta y sé feliz"		Tip			Canta y sé feliz

Filmography

• 1969: Amor a todo gas
• 1970: El meson del gitano
• 1971: A mi las mujeres ni fu ni fa
• 1973: Que cosas tiene el amor
• 1974: Si fulano fuese mengano

Various supporting roles and extras

• 1963: Los Tarantos
• 1967: Las cuatro bodas de Marisol
• 1968: El taxi de los conflictos
• 1968: Un dia despues de agosto
• 1969: Alma gitana
• 2001: Marujas asesinas
• 2008: Lazos rotos

Related bibliography

• Peret, l'ànima d'un poble., by Cèlia Sànchez-Mústich. Edicions 62 (2005)^[8]
• Peret: Biografía de la Rumba Catalana., by Juan Puchades. Global Rhythm Press (2011).