UAE fans of the Gypsy Kings are scratching their heads in confusion over who are the true inheritors of the group's crown. The confusion was sparked by the claims and counter-claims of three groups who claim blue-blooded lineage from the Gypsy Kings.

Last night Mario Reyes and Gypsis Family, one of the three groups claiming links to the Gypsy Kings, performed at the Irish Village. A second Gypsy King style group Chico Castillo and the Gypsy have been booked to appear at Nad Al Sheba on New Year's Eve and a third group, Chico and the Gypsies, are due to perform in Dubai next March.

Chico Bouchiki, leader of Chico and the Gypsies, yesterday claimed he has the right to invoke the Gypsy Kings' name as a founder member of the group. Not so, said Chico Castillo, leader of Chico Costello and the Gypsy, who also claims to have performed with the original Gypsy Kings.

Both, however, agreed on one thing: Mario Reyes and Gypsis Family had no right to use the Gypsy King name. But hang on. Weren't Mario Reyes and Gypsis Family described as the original Gipsy Kings in pre-concert publicity? Well, yes they were. But that was a mistake according to the Aviation Club, blaming an uncorrected press cutting.

Last night Andrew Maclean, Sales and Marketing Manager for the Aviation Club, said, "After many calls and on further investigation it was revealed that the press pack issued to the Aviation Club had the following inaccuracy: "Mario Reyes and Gypsis Family are the original Gypsy Kings". It should have read "Mario Reyes and Gypsis Family are from the Gypsy Kings family."

"The Aviation Club takes great care to reflect accuracy in its communications. We are committed to bringing the best available entertainment to Dubai and thoroughly check the background of our artists and this has been no exception."

The saga began when the Aviation Club announced that Mario Reyes and Gypsis Family would be performing at the Irish Village and linked them directly to the Gypsy Kings. George Reyes, a member of the group, is the son of Nicholas Reyes, patriach of the Gypsy Kings. Mario Reyes is a cousin.

News of the concert angered Algerian born Chico Bouchiki and his agent Bernard Biglione.Chico Bouchiki, whose real name is Ahmed, married one of Nicholas Reyes' daughters and sang with the Gypsy Kings until 1991 when he fell out with the group's manager Claude Martinez. He claims to have renamed the group Gypsy Kings in 1983, dispensing with the original name Los Reyes.

After hearing about the Irish Village concert Biglione described the group's publicity as "scandalous." Biglione said: "There is deceit. Mario is a cousin of the family of Nicholas Reyes as are many others. Nevertheless, he doesn't play with the group Gypsy Kings."

Meanwhile, an associate of Bouchiki, Phillip Robert, took aim at Chico Castillo, casting doubt on his right to link himself to the Gypsy Kings' name. And he accused Castillo, real name Jose Luis Castillo, of deliberately muddying the waters by using the name Chico.

Enter CSM Entertainment in the form of Managing Director Pancho Campo. CSM are promoting Chico Castillo's concert at Nad Al Sheba. Campo said: "The confusion comes because there are two Chicos who played with the Gypsy Kings.

"The first is Chico Bouchiki who played with the Gypsy Kings and was brother in law to one of the band's founder members. He was expelled from the group in the early '90s and has had several court cases brought against him for using the Gypsy Kings' name.

"The second is Chico Castillo who will be coming to Nad Al Sheba. He is not related to any band members, nor was he a founder of the original Gypsy Kings group - but he did play with them for a period of time, and has paid for the rights to sing some of their songs."

Campo said that CSM lawyers would be considering legal action against Bigleon and Robert. Speaking to Gulf News from Paris about the confusion, Martinez, who still manages the real Gypsy Kings - yes they are still touring - called the practice of bands profiteering from the name "pure robbery".

"All this confusion starts because people use the Gypsy Kings' name for their own purposes.
"We have sued four bands for doing this because although they change the name slightly, it's still very similar. On the promotional posters, the changed part of the title is only in small letters so that people don't see it properly, and think they are watching the original Gypsy Kings.

"These people are robbing the public, causing lots of confusion and should not be associating themselves with the genuine band at all."