Born in Seville’s famous flamenco’s neighborhood “Triana”, he studied with master Flamenco guitarists Isidoro Carmona and Manolo Sanlúcar.
At the age of fourteen he won the most important awards for flamenco guitar: The National Flamenco contests of Cordoba and Jerez. This last one, twice. From then he is considered as a first class artist on Flamenco guitar. He has also won the annual award by the Flamenco jornalists as well as Andalucia’s Gold Medal granted by the regional goverment. He has worked with major Spanish artists such as Rocío Jurado, María Jiménez, Mario Maya, Juan José Amador, Juana la del Revuelo, Fosforito, José Menese, Lebrijano, Enrique Morente and many others.
But the most inportant works has been done as a solo guitar player. His first record, Juego de Niños, was registered in Madrid, produced by Ricardo Pachón with some special collaborations of musicians from Seville. Soon after recorded in Germany his second album, Flamenco, of solo guitar. His following record, Mi tiempo, opened new ways on his music, including a string quartet.
End of the eighties, he moved to Madrid, where he is living now. In 1989 composed the music for the theatre play La reina andaluza, first production of the Centro Andaluz de Teatro (CAT).

In 1990, presented in concert at the Seville’s Flamenco Biennal the show Mi tiempo, with a great success from audience and press.
Rafael has opened for Flamenco a new concept on music and harmony, totally different from the ways known before. His following recorded project, Suite Sevilla, was written for two guitars. Due to his passion on classical and religoius music is the arrangement he did for guitar of the famous song Amargura, original by Manuel Font y de Anta, considered an hymn for the “Semana Santa” of Seville.
He has been also interested on knowing other styles of music and has collaborated with artists as different as Al Di Meola, Mathias Fray, Anouar Brahem, Rainer Brünninghaus, Vargas Blues Band, Bill Whelan, among others. In 1993, organised by the Asociación Cultural España Abierta, he first play in Cordoba the Gipsy Concert, written by Sabicas and F. Cofiner. He wrote the music for the show Flamenco para Misa en Navidad, with main artists as Carmen Linares, Chano Lobato and Javier Barón. Following year recorded the album Maestros, dedicated to the great Flamenco guitar players Sabicas, Niño Ricardo y Estéban de Sanlúcar. In 1996 released the album Alcázar de Cristal, which has been reedited including two books with scores o the music.
Riqueni is now working on new projects to be recorded soon and is playing guitar concerts in Spain and abroad.