UManolo tena usweleke eneminyaka engama-64 ubudala, ngokweenkcukacha ezivela kwi-SGAE ne-Efe. Imvumi yamkelwa kwisibhedlele saseGregorio Marañón eMadrid ngenxa yomhlaza wesibindi, kwafunyaniswa ngoDisemba ophelileyo.
Wayehlala nomfazi wakhe kunye nentombi encinci, kwaye wayenabanye abantwana ababini abadala. Emva kweminyaka esixhenxe ethe cwaka, wabuyela eqongeni nge «Coincidences», othengisa kakhulu. Iprojekthi yakhe yokugqibela eyaziwayo yayikwinkqubo «a mi modo», yasasazwa nguLa Sexta, kunye namanye amagcisa afana noMarta Sánchez, David de María, Sole Giménez, Antonio Carmena, Nacho García Vega noMikel Erentxun, apho wabalisa khona Amanqanaba akhe amabi abalulekile kubo bonke ababukeli.
Iqela labo lokuqala elaziwayo labuyela kwi-1977, kunye neqela Cucharada. Ngo-1983 yayiza kuba yiAlarm. Ukuya kunyaka we-1988 waqala yedwa nge-albhamu «Inqabile kakhulu». Umsebenzi wakhe ubonakaliswa yiMadrid movida edumileyo, apho uManolo wayebalasele ngobuntu bakhe, amazwi akhe kunye nomculo wakhe.
UManolo Tena wayengunyana ka-Extremadura wahlala eMadrid, kwaye kwiminyaka yakhe yobudala wayidlala Iintlobo ngeentlobo zentengiso, ezinje nge-bellboy, uweta, urhwebo, kunye nomntu ohlekisayo. Waqala izifundo kwi-Philology, kodwa akazange abagqibe. Uzifundise ngesiNgesi nakwigitare, wabhala iingoma zabaculi abanjengoMiguel Ríos, Los Secretos, Ana Belén, Luz Casal kunye neSiniestro Iyonke.
Esinye seziganeko ezibalulekileyo zomsebenzi wakhe, "Igazi laseSpain" ngo-1992, lithengisa ngaphezulu kwesiqingatha sesigidi seekopi kwaye umenzele udumo. Kwiminyaka kamva uqala ukwehla kwakhe esihogweni nehlabathi leziyobisi, nto leyo emenza anyamalale kwindawo leyo.
Uvela kwakhona ngo-2015 evuma ukuba uhambe kumaziko ahlukeneyo okuvuselela, enye yazo eCuba uqobo, ixesha elizinikele ekubhaleni ezinye zeengoma zecwecwe lakhe elitsha. Phakathi kwezicwangciso zakhe zekamva kwangoko yayikukuhamba kwekonsathi kuyo yonke iSpain, eyayinesihloko esithi "Renacido".