Toni Iordache, born Niculae Mihai Iordache on December 17, 1942, in Bâldana, Romania, was an instrumentalist and performer of folk music, who was known as the king of the tsambal. He started playing the dulcimer at age four, following his family's musical tradition. Iordache won the gold medal at the "Weltjugendfeier" in Vienna in 1958 and joined the Ciocârlia folk music ensemble in 1960, performing with them until 1969. He collaborated with notable musicians such as Gheorghe Zamfir and released several albums, including Un Virtuose Du Cymbalum (1971) and Țambal IV (1981). Iordeche later faced health issues, including diabetes, which led to an amputation in 1985. He died on February 20, 1988, in Bucharest.
