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Parchís was a children's music group from Spain which enjoyed great success in the Spanish-speaking world in the 1980s. Their significance in Hispanic popular culture comes from being perceived as an archetype of this type of band at the time. Parchís' original five members were Constantino Fernández Fernández (the red pawn), Yolanda Ventura Román (the yellow pawn), Oscar Ferrer Cañadas (the blue pawn), Gemma Prat Termens (the green pawn), and David Muñoz Forcada (the rolling die, which is singular for dice). After several line-up changes, the group disbanded in 1985 with various members continuing successful careers in the world of entertainment.
The group's name is a reference to the board game parchís (an adaptation of pachisi), where each player represents a different colored pawn (red, yellow, blue, and green). In the same way, each member of the group dressed in one of these four colors with the fifth member representing the dice.
Parchís was created in 1979, after executives from the Belter Records company placed a newspaper ad in Barcelona, asking children to attend auditions to form a musical group. At first, Belter Records intended to employ the group members during summers only; the company's executives figured out that would be the best season of the year for Parchís albums and concerts to sell.
Parchís was neither a boy or girl band. Eventually, the band expanded to have six members at the same time. Gemma Prat Termens, David Muñoz Forcada, Oscar Ferrer Cañadas, Constantino Fernández Fernández (better known as Tino), and Yolanda Ventura (daughter of the well-known trumpet player, Rudy Ventura) were the first five kids to be chosen as members of Parchís.
Tino was the heartthrob of the group; Gemma was the shy one; Yolanda was every boy's crush; Frank, who joined in 1981 after Oscar left, was the extroverted redhead; and David, a blonde-haired boy, was the best dancer and the life of the party.[1]
Parchís' first single, "En La Armada", was a Spanish version of the Village People's disco hit, "In the Navy". "En La Armada" became a major hit in Spain, giving way for a number of important music composers to start working with Parchís. "En La Armada" was followed by what was arguably the group's biggest hit, "Durante la Espera de Parchís" ("During Parchís' Wait"). This song became a number one hit in Mexico. Later on, the group also became successful in Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador and other American countries.
Personal problems forced Oscar Ferrer Caňadas out of the band in 1981. He was substituted by Francisco Díaz Terez, known by fans simply as "Frank". Brothers Miguel Ángel Gómez Cambronero (born in Germany) and Jesús Gómez Cambronero joined the band after Tino and David left the group in 1983.
Losing Tino proved lethal to the group, however. With Menudo reaching unprecedented (for a Hispanic children's music group) success levels in Latin America as well as in Spain, and other Latin American groups like Los Chamos and Los Chicos also providing Parchís with the competition, and with Ferrer Cañadas' considerable number of fans going, Parchís began to wane.
In Spain, however, the group remained popular enough to release a 1983 movie, Parchís Entra en Acción (translated as Parchís Gets Into Action in English), alongside Alberto Fernández de Rosa.
In 1985, Parchís broke up. The group had recorded a number of albums that were successful in Spain and Latin America. More than a decade later, the group would reunite for one television show engagement.
On February 10, 2008, Parchís made an appearance on the Mexican television show "Muévete". It was the first time in 25 years that they were all together on the same stage. They were introduced and sang the song "Parchís" with everyone in attendance. Tino spoke of a comeback and wanting to sing again. They were interviewed for about one hour and spoke about their romances and adventures during their tour. They announced plans to tour again and come out with a new album. In the opening sequence, they all stood on a colored circle and the curtains came up, but there was a problem with Gemma's circled curtain that didn't come up in time, but she continued to sing. This was the highest viewed program in Mexico for the year so far.
Constantino "Tino" Fernández Fernández (born March 25, 1967, in Barcelona, Spain; Member from 1979 to 1983), the red pawn, lead vocalist, and leader of the group. He began a solo career after his time in the group, releasing three albums with little success. He later worked for Artel. During this time, he lost his left arm in a car accident in Murcia.[2] He is currently working as a radio sports commentator in Barcelona and is married with no children.
Yolanda Ventura (born October 21, 1968, in Barcelona, Spain; Member from 1979 to 1985), the yellow pawn, and daughter of Spanish musician Rudy Ventura. After Parchís, Yolanda began acting in television shows in Spain, before relocating to Mexico where she works exclusively for Televisa. She had a son with her first husband, actor Alejandro Aragon,[3] and is now in a relationship with Odiseo Bichir, another actor.
Gemma Prat Termens (born October 22, 1968, in Barcelona, Spain; member from 1979 to 1985), the green pawn. She went on to run a kindergarten in Barcelona. She is now working as a clerk and is married with a daughter.
David Muñoz Forcada (born March 23, 1970, in Barcelona, Spain; member from 1979 to 1984), the white die, and the group's dancer. After Parchís, he went to Scotland to study economics and currently works for an advertisement company. He is married and lives in the United States.
Óscar Ferrer Cañadas (born November 20, 1971, in Barcelona, Spain; member from 1979 to 1981), the blue pawn, and the first band member to leave. He subsequently graduated with a degree in journalism and political science, and now works as a marketing manager in a communication group. He is married.
Francisco "Frank" Díaz Terez (born August 6, 1971, in Barcelona, Spain; member from 1981 to 1985), Oscar's replacement as the blue pawn. Frank already had experience as an advertising model before joining the group. He formed a rock band after leaving Parchís, and is now an entrepreneur, with a wife and daughter.
Jesús "Chus" Gómez Cambronero (born May 14, 1969, in Madrid, Spain; member from 1983 to 1985), the red pawn, and Tino's replacement as the group's leader. After Parchís, he formed a band called Platón (duet) with his brother Michel.
Miguel "Michel" Ángel Gómez Cambronero (born September 8, 1966, in Hamburg, Germany; member from 1984 to 1985), the white die, David's replacement, and the last new member to join. After Parchís, he and his brother Chus formed the group Platón in 1992.
