Manzanita (singer)
José Manuel Ortega Heredia (Madrid, 7 February 1956 - Alhaurín de la Torre, Málaga, 6 December 2004) was a Spanish singer and guitarist. In 1978, with producer José Luis de Carlos, he recorded his first solo album, "Poco ruido y mucho duende", in a very personal style with flamenco nuances. The theme "Verde", adapted from a poem by Lorca, was a great success. In 1980, he recorded his second LP "Espíritu sin nombre" with the palmero Daniel Barba de las Arenas. With his third album, in 1981, "Talco y bronce", he surpassed half a million copies in Spain with  the singles "Un ramito de violetas" and "Por tu ausencia". They were followed by "Cuando la noche te envuelve" (1982), "La quiero a morir" (1983) and "Mal de amores" (1984). In 1986, he released "Echando sentencias", including Arab and Indian instruments. In 1988 he launched "En voz baja a las rosas", with adaptations of Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, Góngora and Lorca. In 1993 he made testimony to his faith in the album "Quédate con Cristo". After a long silence, in which he only sang for the Evangelical Church, he returned in 1998 with the album "Por tu ausencia , a live recording of greatest hits and new songs that became a gold record. In 1999 he repeated the gold record with the soundtrack of the film Sobreviviré". In 2000 he recorded "Dímelo", a new gold record, and in 2002 "Gitano cubano", accompanied by Raimundo Amador, Lolita and Cuban singers Lucrecia and David Montes. In 2004 he died in his house as a result of a heart attack.