Celtas Cortos

Celtas Cortos formed in Valladolid, Spain in 1984 with a lineup that included vocalist Jesús Cifuentes, guitarist Alberto García, bassist Carlos Soto, drummer Miguel Herrero, and violinist Paco Díez. Their early years were lean, but they built a following through live shows. In 1989, their debut album 'Salida de Emergencia' broke through, mixing Celtic instrumentation with folk melodies and lyrics that often touched on social issues.

Songs like 'Cuéntame Un Cuento' and 'El Vals de La Poltrona' became staples, carrying a blend of upbeat rhythms and thoughtful, sometimes political, writing. The band kept recording through the 1990s with albums like 'Tranquilo Majete' in 1991 and 'Nos Vamos de Aquí' in 1995, maintaining their core sound while letting it evolve naturally.

They weathered that and kept going, staying true to their mix of Celtic folk and message-driven songwriting without becoming a purely political act. The music always came first, even when the lyrics pointed somewhere specific.