The Gipsy Kings are from France and are largely responsible for bringing the sounds of progressive pop-oriented flamenco to the world. The band started out in southern France during the 1970s as "Los Reyes“, later to become "Gipsy Kings".
Though they had devoted fans, the Gipsy Kings then had yet to gain wider recognition. That was until 1986, when they met producer Claude Martinez, who could see that the Kings had the makings of a world-class band.
They became popular with their self-titled first album, Gipsy Kings, which included the songs "Djobi Djoba“, "Bamboleo“ and the romantic ballad "Un Amor". The song "Volare" on their fourth album Mosaïque is a rumba version of Domenico Modugno's Italian hit "Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu". The Gipsy Kings were popular in Africa and throughout Europe, as well as in the Middle East.
In 1989, Gipsy Kings was released in the United States, and it spent 40 weeks on the charts, one of few Spanish language albums to do so. They covered "I've Got No Strings" on the 1991 Disney video and compilation album Simply Mad About the Mouse. Their cover version of "Hotel California" is an example of fast flamenco guitar leads and rhythmic strumming (this version was featured in the Coen Brothers' movie The Big Lebowski, as well on the HBO series Entourage). The 2010 film Toy Story 3 featured a version of "You've Got a Friend in Me" performed and recorded by the Gipsy Kings; the Spanish release featured the Spanish version, titled "Hay un Amigo en Mi" and played in a flamenco style.