Lole y Manuel was a Spanish Romani musical duo which composed and performed innovative flamenco music. Dolores Montoya Rodríguez (1954) and Manuel Molina Jiménez (1948-2015) are Lole and Manuel. This duo was formed in 1972. This couple was the first exponent of flamenco music aimed at a non-exclusively flamenco audience. They were one of the first precursors of the musical stream called "New flamenco".
Manuel Molina and Dolores Montoya are members of Romani families of artistic descent. Manuel was the son of Manuel Molina Acosta, better known as "El Encajero", who was a professional guitar player. Lole is the daughter of flamenco singer and dancer Antonia Rodríguez Moreno, better known as "La Negra", and her father was the dancer Juan Montoya.
Their groundbreaking first album Nuevo Día fused traditional Spanish flamenco Romani with Arabic rhythms and styles. The music is recognized for the emotive, yet sweet voice of Lole Montoya and the operatic, flashy guitar of Manuel. They recorded eight albums, "Nuevo Día/El Origen De Una Leyenda" (1975), "Pasaje del Agua" (1976), "Lole y Manuel" (1977), "Al Alba Con Alegría" (1980), "Casta" (1984), "Lole y Manuel Cantan a Manuel de Falla" (1992), "Alba Molina" (1994) and "Una Voz y Una Guitarra. Grabado en directo desde el Teatro Monumental de Madrid" (1995).
The music of Lole and Manuel is present in the cinema. Films as significant as "Manuela" by Gonzalo García Pelayo, "Flamenco" by Carlos Saura, "Siesta" by Mary Lambert, as well as in the soundtrack of "Kill Bill: Volume 2" by Quentin Tarantino.
On May 19, 2015, Manuel Molina died at the age of 67 at his home in San Juan de Aznalfarache, Spain.
