Ríos was born in La Cartuja, a neighborhood of Granada. The youngest of seven children, he went to work in a local bar at the age of fifteen after little formal education. His interest in rock and roll led him to participate in a song contest at Cenicienta 60 radio station, in which he and his friends won a prize for singing the Paul Anka song "You Are My Destiny". With his mother's permission (his father died a few months earlier), he moved to Madrid in 1961 at the age of sixteen, where he recorded his first four songs. In popular circles he became known as Mike Ríos, the King of Twist. As "Mike Ríos" he obtained some television popularity during the first half of the 1960s. In 1964 he resumed using his real name which cost him the support of his group, Los Relámpagos (the Lightning). He made his first incursion into cinema with a movie titled Dos chicas locas, locas (Two Crazy Girls). An introspective search for his true identity resulted in some rocky times. In 1967 he recorded Vuelvo a Granada, El río, Contra el cristal, El cartel, y Mira hacia ti. It was in 1970 that he came to be known as a superstar in Spain. His song Himno de la alegría (Hymn of joy) was an extract of the last movement of the ninth symphony of Beethoven and appeared at the height of what was known as symphonic rock. He sold three million copies worldwide and was number one on some foreign music charts. It was released in English as "A Song Of Joy", and reached Number 14 on the Billboard charts in 1970. The artistic career of Rios was a one-decade success. He was arrested and jailed for possession of hashish shortly after his Rock y Amor (Rock and Love) concert. But he made a successful return to the music scene in 1982 with Santa Lucia and Rock and Rios, a double album recorded in Madrid.