It is a pleasure for me to approach and bring you closer to the artistic personality of William Cano –Bollullos Par del Condado, Huelva, 1973–, awarded in Mairena and La Unión, among others. He is one of the most accomplished and powerful singers of his generation. His arrival on the scene flamenco He made an impact more than twenty years ago, given his singing style and his undeniable passion and knowledge. After a period of absence, he returned with a vengeance. flamenco in 2019, with the help of a double album, New Anthological Vision of the Cante and of the Touch, with thirty-four canteon two CDs, with the guitar of music professor Paco Cruzado – plus a collaboration from Paco Escobar on the alboreá. It was part of the series Flamenco and University, directed by Rafael Infante, and had the collaboration of the Andalusian Institute of Flamenco. I had the honor of participating in the libretto with a brief study of each cante.
We see the dawn of this anthology:
After this, again as an absence, motivated, as we will see, by health problems. That's why I wonder, along with many fans, what happened to Guillermo Cano? Let's see what he tells us. I can't help but say that it saddens me that this singer of such high qualities can't continue to be at his best. cante, with the public. I hope he returns to cante and the public.
– Who is Guillermo Cano? How would you define yourself as a singer, as an artist?
– As an artist, I am a singer who is very respectful and demanding of tradition. Perhaps that is why I have always tried to highlight the importance of peñaYes, I think that's where we work and maintain the essence necessary for us to remain an indispensable art form. But above all, I consider myself an artist, and above all, a true fan.
– How were your beginnings in the flamenco and who were your teachers?
– I started with the Bollullero singer Ildefonso Pinto, with whom I formed a base of some cantewith which to start doing competitions. Then the Sevillian guitarist Antonio Carrión took me by the hand to some peñawhere I met Antonio Montoya, representative of flamenco who gave me all his support and with whom I established myself as a singer for fourteen uninterrupted years.
– An important moment in your career.
– Well, many, but to highlight some in the competitions I'll go with the Prize for Malagueñas de Cante Antonio Mairena, or the prize Flamenco Today 2008 to the best album of Cante Revelation. Beautiful moments to remember…
→ We heard it here on Malaga with Paco Cruzado's guitar live at the peña flamenca from Pozoblanco (Córdoba) in 2015:
– A special moment of “duende” (as a fan and as an artist).
– The night I performed at the Vicent Torrent Auditorium, sharing the bill with Miguel Poveda, who invited me to sing a toná duet, and the press described the evening as a clash of titans. I'll treasure that clip as something unforgettable and unrepeatable…
– How do you see the situation of the flamenco today, as of 2025?
– Well, I don't know if I should be honest. Over the years, you learn not to vent about questions that might upset fans, and especially some colleagues, indirectly. But I've been using the phrase "the past was always better" a lot lately.
«I like Eva la Yerbabuena for her elegance. Israel Galván, as an innovator and creator of forms that I believe will be the future of dance. And El Farru or Farruquito, it's all the same..., because only with them have I come to feel the equivalent of listening to a good third of Camarón"so that the sensible ones understand me"
– Your favorite dancer (historical and current).
– I admit that I haven't studied or followed as many singers as I should have. Perhaps because I came to this late, at thirty, I focused much more on studying the singers. But without knowing how to evaluate or value them, I like Eva la Yerbabuena for her elegance. Israel Galván, as an innovator and creator of forms that I undoubtedly believe will be the future of dance. And El Farru or Farruquito, it's all the same... because only with them have I come to feel the equivalent of listening to a good third of Camarón, so that the sensible ones understand me.
– Your favorite dancer.
From before, Carmen Amaya. From today, it's already answered.
– Your singer.
– Before, Pepe Marchena. Now, El Pele.
– Your singer.
In this case, I have a preference for Carmen Linares. Then and now.
– Your guitarist or tocaor.
– Vicente Amigo.
– A style of cante what do you like.
– The milonga. It will always be in my repertoire.
→ Here we can hear it live on Canal Sur TV in 2011 with Paco Cruzado on guitar:
– A style of dance.
– The soleá.
– A style of touch.
– By Levante, Moon Alley for example, from the disk From my Heart to the Air.
– A letter that you particularly like from any style.
– One of mine that I recorded for tonás in Rincón del Pensamiento:
I like to look straight ahead
I am a man of slow pace,
that man is not born man,
that is done over time.
– A few years ago you published a double CD, an anthology of thirty-four cantes, a project that excited you a lot, published in the collection Flamenco and University. Due to health problems at the time, you were unable to present and distribute it, which personally saddened me, because I think it was a great work that deserved more critical and public attention. The important thing, of course, was your health, but you feel something similar, I suppose, right? How do you remember that?
– It was quite a difficult job, since, if I remember correctly, practically forty or fifty styles of cantes. It was a tribute to great singers, highlighting a style of each of them where there was some contribution. Both the cantes like the guitar it is interesting to listen to them, since they are not the cantebasics of always in an anthology, but a vision of all the canteYes, but with the personality of each performer. I'd love to organize it and give it some momentum, even if it's through digital platforms, although I understand that albums no longer have the value and distribution they once did.
– What is your current employment situation and your current status as a singer?
– Right now, after three spinal surgeries and almost two years of inactivity, I'm starting to feel good and eager to get back to work. cante and do some peñas to know how I am now on the right path.
– Your dream is…
– It would be a nice dream to be able to see myself and feel good again on the stage of a peña flamencaA big, warm hug to all the fans.
A hug flamenco with my affection and love, with admiration, Guillermo Cano. My dream is also to see you in the peñaand theaters again, and I hope this interview has encouraged you to do so. I'm sure readers will enjoy your answers, just as they do your art. ♦
