José el de la Tomasa’s professional life has been a natural extension of a family tradition. Having prestigious singer Manuel Torre for a great-uncle and Pepe Torre for a grand-father, and having been born in 1951 the son of “Pies de Plomo” and “Tomasa”, José was destined to be one of the most important Flamenco singers of the last 50 years. As a child José performed at family gatherings as well as private parties. His first public appearance was successful in that he won the contest of Mairena del Alcor in 1973, followed by two more awards at the same festival in 1974 and 1975. In 1976 he was the winner of the Manuel Torre prize for the best rendition of the Seguiriyas and Tonás style of the prestigious National Contest of Flamenco Art of Córdoda. From then on José made his way into the professional world, where his talent was very much in demand in clubs as well as important Flamenco festivals such as La Cumbre Flamenca of Madrid, the Bienal of Sevilla, and the Flamenco Flamenco Festival of Mont-de-Marsan. In 1977 José’s first recording appeared on the market, Herencia, in which he was accompanied at the guitar by Juan “Habichuela”. For his second recording, Al Compás del Sueño, José chose Pedro Bacán, Manolo Franco, and José Luis Postigo as his musical companions. In 2007 José recorded Aliado Bronce with Pedro Bacán. José was praised by critics when he participated in several stage productions, including a show called El Flamenco es Vida which led him to travel to several Spanish festivals as well as international venues such as the Festival of Mont-de-Marsan, the Opera House of Bordeaux, and the Lincoln Theatre in Miami. De la Tomasa is well-known for his numerous and powerful performances as “saetero” during Holy Week in Seville. José is also the author of two books of Flamenco lyrics: Alma de Barco and Balcones de la Pasión. As representative and defender of traditional cante, José has been responsible for teaching Flamenco styles at the Fundación Cristina Heeren de Arte Flamenco since the school’s creation in 1996.