It is one of the best known French groups internationally. In 1987, The Gipsy Kings exploded worldwide with an album which contained several hits, starting with Jobi, Jobi et Bamboléowho will cross the borders of France to make them stars all over the planet. At their head, we find (real name Jahloul Bouchikhi), one of the co-founders of the group, who has released his memoirs in recent days.
With Chico – Under the Gypsy Stars – My life with the gypsies (Robert Laffont, 2024), the singer, now 70 years old, tells his life story. “I fell low in order to rise again. With this story, I want to show an example of life in a time where everything is complicated. You have to transcend yourself to move towards the light”he explains in an interview with Figarothis Monday, November 18. also talks about his fleeting adventure within the Gipsy Kings, he who was excluded in 1991, before founding his own group: Chico and the Gypsies. Only four years after exploding in the eyes of the world, the singer of the group therefore finds himself obliged to leave his partners.
Money stories at the heart of the problem
“Things are turning sour for sordid money stories“our colleagues reveal today when discussing this exclusion from the group. “Being a ‘gadjo’ (someone who does not belong to the gypsy community, editor’s note) will come back to him like a boomerang”specifies Le Figaro. But time has done its work and Chico and the Gipsy Kings have reconciled last year, they who had not spoken to each other for almost thirty years. “With the help of good lawyers, they plan to ‘clean up the place of all the fake Gipsy Kings. We didn’t work all this to be invaded by parasites. Who would accept that there are twenty Rolling Stones groups?'”explains Chico Bouchikhi.
Great news for Gipsy Kings fans, who could have the chance to see Chico again at the head of the group soon. While waiting to see him cover the group’s greatest hits, the singer has been very busy lately. “These days, I am touring churches, particularly in Alsace, to accompany the release of my album of sacred songs. I am an ecumenical humanist, open-minded. I am very happy to sing in churches and to light candles there”concludes Chico Bouchikhi.
