Luis Manuel Ferri Llopis (August 3, 1944 — April 16, 1973), better known by his
stage nameA stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
Nino Bravo, was a
SpanishSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
pop singer.
Early life
Bravo was born near
ValenciaValencia or València is the capital and most populous city of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third largest city in Spain, with a population of 809,267 in 2010. It is the 15th-most populous municipality in the European Union...
. His father, Luis Manuel, a salesman, moved the family to Valencia, in search of better opportunities, when Bravo was three years old.
Nino Bravo was a shy child. He had a tendency to befriend older people, and, in 1958, he met
bassistA bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
Vicente López. López introduced Bravo to other Valencian
musicMusic is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
ians, including the legendary Paco Ramón.
It had never occurred to Bravo, before he met López, that anyone would enjoy listening to him sing. Bravo realized that he could sing while he was on a trip with López and Ramón. López later recalled that he was surprised, upon waking up from a nap, to hear Bravo singing
Domenico ModugnoDomenico Modugno was an Italian singer, songwriter, actor, and later in life, a member of the Italian Parliament. He is known for his 1958 international hit song "Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu "...
's hit "Libero". Deeply impressed, Lopez predicted that Nino Bravo would become a superstar.
Meanwhile, Bravo took a job as a jeweler, and also worked for his mother, who owned a supermarket. When he was sixteen, he became a fan of the famous
ChileChile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
an singer Antonio Prieto, whose song, "La Novia" ("The Bride"), had become a number one hit in Spain. Bravo and his friends formed a band, "Los Hispanicos", and made a cover recording of "La Novia".
Singing
Bravo also enjoyed Rock & Roll music. He began singing at a
hotelA hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
, where he sang his favorite
EnglishEnglish is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
song, "
Only You"Only You " is a pop song composed by Buck Ram. It was recorded most successfully by The Platters, with lead vocals by Tony Williams, in 1955....
".
Eventually, Bravo was approached by a recording company agent who tried to convince him to sign with his label. Bravo declined because the projected contract would not include the entire "Los Hispanicos" band.
In 1964, "Los Hispánicos" changed their name to "Los Superson". At the same time, their luck changed. They won a local
radioRadio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
contest, then moved on to
BenidormBenidorm is a coastal town and municipality located in the comarca of Marina Baixa, in the province of Alicante, Valencian community, Spain, by the Western Mediterranean....
, where they became quite popular.
Shortly thereafter Bravo was called up for
militaryA military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
duty. Suffering from
depressionMajor depressive disorder is a mental disorder characterized by an all-encompassing low mood accompanied by low self-esteem, and by loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities...
during his military service, Bravo contemplated quitting his singing career.
While Bravo was away in the military, López befriended Miguel Siuran, a radio personality, who was impressed by Los Superson's sound and wanted to help them get a recording contract, and wanted to include two of the band's songs on another singer's LP. López declined the offer, because he felt that Bravo should be included on the album as well.
When Bravo returned from the service, López talked to him enthusiastically about the contract, however Siuran scornfully asked if Bravo could sing like
Tom JonesSir Thomas John Woodward, OBE , known by his stage name Tom Jones, is a Welsh singer.Since the mid 1960s, Jones has sung many styles of popular music – pop, rock, R&B, show tunes, country, dance, techno, soul and gospel – and sold over 100 million records...
,
Engelbert HumperdinckEngelbert Humperdinck is a British pop singer, best known for his hits including "Release Me " and "After the Lovin'" as well as "The Last Waltz" .-Early life:...
or
John RowlesJohn Edward Rowles OBE is a New Zealand singer. He was most popular in the 1970s and early 1980s, and most famous for his song Cheryl Moana Marie, which he had written about his kid sister back home in New Zealand.Rowles is part Māori. His father, Eddie Hohapata Rowles, played for the 1938 Māori...
. Once Siuran heard Bravo's voice, however, the radio man was deeply impressed.
Siuran Miguel Siurán took Bravo to a music festival. Although Bravo did not win at the festival, Siurán became convinced that it was time for Bravo to become a star, and, soon afterwards, Siurán came up with the artistic name of Nino Bravo.
Bravo and Siurán first tried unsuccessfully to get a contract with
RCARCA Corporation, founded as the Radio Corporation of America, was an American electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986. The RCA trademark is currently owned by the French conglomerate Technicolor SA through RCA Trademark Management S.A., a company owned by Technicolor...
. They then went to Fonogram in Madrid.
Bravo and Siuran returned to Valencia, where Siurán published an
newspaper ad announcing "Nino Bravo y Los Superson". Shortly thereafter, Fonogram called to offer a contract for an album with Bravo and Los Superson.
In March 1969, shortly after their album hit the market, Bravo sang before a live audience for the first time. After the concert, frenzied admirers tore down Bravo's concert posters.
Marriage
On April 20, 1970 he married Maria Amparo and their first daughter, Amparo, was born on January 1972. He also had a second daughter, Eva, who was born after he died.
Fonogram wanted Bravo to go solo, and in 1970, Siurán was replaced by José Meri as Bravo's manager.
Fame
In that same year, Bravo participated for the first time in the prestigious Barcelona Music Festival. He would not gain international acclaim until two festivals later, however. After Bravo received favorable reviews from a festival audience in Athens, Greece, he went on to impress festival goers at the Rio de Janeiro Festival.
After being exposed to international audiences in
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and
Latin AmericaLatin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
, Bravo and Meri parted ways, and Bravo took on a new manager. Bravo's first solo album was soon released, and the song "Te quiero, te quiero", by the composer
Augusto AlgueróAugusto Algueró Dasca was a Spanish arranger, composer and music director.Algueró studied both music and medicine...
, became an international hit, which is now considered a classic by many
HispanicHispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
music critics. Bravo's first album, "Tu Cambiarás" ("You Will Change"), sold well, particularly in
ColombiaColombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, where Bravo became very popular.
Bravo then sang on the Spaniard
televisionTelevision is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
contest show, "Pasaporte a Dublín" ("Passport to Dublin)" in which the winner would represent Spain in 1971's
EurovisionThe Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
.
After the show, Bravo then went on tour in Colombia and Brazil, where he participated, for a second time in the Rio de Janeiro Festival.
Also in 1971, Nino Bravo recorded his second album, which went untitled. The album would later be posthumously released, in CD format, entitled "Puerta de amor" ("Love's Door").
Third album
In 1972, Bravo released his third album, "Libre" ("Free"). "Libre" proved to be both a huge success and a very controversial album for Bravo, as many Latin American
dictatorA dictator is a ruler who assumes sole and absolute power but without hereditary ascension such as an absolute monarch. When other states call the head of state of a particular state a dictator, that state is called a dictatorship...
s of the time banned the album's title song from being played in their countries, such as
CubaThe Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
. As a consequence, Bravo was also banned from singing his banned songs in certain countries. His success, however, was such that he was widely known in
ArgentinaArgentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
,
ChileChile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
,
MexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
,
EcuadorEcuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
,
Puerto RicoPuerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
,
VenezuelaVenezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
, Republica Dominicana and among the Hispanic population of the United States. In
ChileChile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, the title song from the album, became a unifying element for all the followers of the new
military regimeChile was ruled by a military dictatorship headed by Augusto Pinochet from 1973 when Salvador Allende was overthrown in a coup d'etat until 1990 when the Chilean transition to democracy began. The authoritarian military government was characterized by systematic suppression of political parties and...
which came into power on September 11, 1973, when Bigote Arrocet sang "Libre" in honour of Bravo during 1974 Festival de la Canción de Viña del Mar, in front of
Augusto PinochetAugusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte, more commonly known as Augusto Pinochet , was a Chilean army general and dictator who assumed power in a coup d'état on 11 September 1973...
and his wife.
In January 1973, Bravo's first daughter, Amparo, was born. A second daughter, Eva, would later arrive, but Nino never got to see her.
Bravo's words in a 1973 interview would prove to be prophetic: speaking of his last Latin American tour, he referred to a song named "Noelia" as "(his) last song". Another song that he released that same year, "Un beso y una flor" ("A Kiss and a Flower") became one of Bravo's greatest international hits.(Loosely translated, the song's chorus was "in departure, a kiss and a flower"). On March 14 of that year, Bravo performed his last concert, before his Valencia fans.
Death
On April 16, 1973, Bravo was driving his BMW 2800 along with the Humo duo and Miguel Diurni when his car was involved in an accident about 100 km southeast of Madrid. He died on the way to the hospital as consequence of his injuries. He had just signed a five year record deal with the European record label Polydor. At the time of his death, Nino Bravo was just 28 years old.
External links
Un beso y una flor Nino Bravo En Libertad Por siempre Nino Bravo