Mario Escudero

Mario Escudero Valero Jiménez Valverde (October 11, 1928 – November 19, 2004) was one of a handful of Spanish flamenco guitar virtuosos who helped spread flamenco beyond their homeland when they migrated to the United States in the early 1950s. After completing his obligatory military service in Spain, he toured with the best known companies at the time (including Vicente Escudero, Jose Greco and Carmen Amaya). Eventually, his lifetime childhood friend, Juan Antonio Aguero, married Carmen Amaya, and Mario married her sister Maria, with whom he had a son (Juan Antonio Jesus). He soon travelled to the US as first soloist.Along with others such as Sabicas, Carlos Montoya and Juan Serrano, Escudero helped forge the viability of solo flamenco guitar as a concert instrument with lauded performances at New Yorks Carnegie Hall, Town Hall, and other venues. Invited to perform at the White House for President John F. Kennedy, Escudero was counted among the best in his era; Ramón Montoya called him the best flamenco guitarist of this new generation.

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