Willie and Lobo, “Fandango Nights” from the Album “Fandango Nights”

Willie Royal was born in El Paso, Texas, the son of an Air Force lieutenant colonel. His father’s job took young Royal over the world including Turkey, Germany and France. At the age of eight he began classical violin lessons, quickly becoming proficient enough to become the concertmaster of his high school orchestra. Inspired by the music of jean-Luc Ponty and Stephane Grappelliand, as well as sitting in with Greg Allman and Dicky Betts, Willie traveled the world, absorbing numerous musical styles before moving to Mexico in the ‘80s.

Wolfgang “Lobo” Fink was born in the Bavarian town of Teisendorf. At 18, while in the German navy, he picked up his first guitar. Listening to an album by gypsy guitarist Manitas de Plata drew him to the music. Upon leaving the navy, he found de Plata in a gypsy camp in Southern France and spent a while with him and his people. Returning to Germany, Lobo formed a flamenco group named Lailo, touring Europe for three years and helping to popularize the modern gypsy sound. His searches led him to Granada, Spain, living with gypsies in the caves of Sacromonteand studying their ways. He traveled to Mexico in 1980 as a solo act.

The pair first met in San Miguel de Allende, in Mexico, where they were both working at Mama Mia’s restaurant. Willie on fiddle and Lobo on flamenco guitar jammed on occasion, searching for an individual sound. The owner of a local bar they were both playing at suggested they perform together.