José Soto Soto, known professionally as José Mercé, born April 19, 1955, in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, is a Spanish flamenco cantaor of Romani heritage. Mercé recorded a debut album in 1968 accompanied by guitarists Manolo Sanlúcar and Paco de Lucía, and later performed at Torres Bermejas and in Cádiz. Breakthrough success came with Verde Junco (1985), produced by Manuel Sánchez Pernía and featuring Tomatito. Subsequent albums such as Caminos reales del cante (1987), Hondas raíces (1991), Del amanecer (1998), Aire (2000), and Lío (2002) expanded Mercé's audience. Mercé became the first cantaor to perform at the Teatro Real and released Ruido (2009). Mercé has sold one million records and received the Medalla de Andalucía (2010) and the Medalla de Oro al Mérito en las Bellas Artes (2024).
