Los Bravos
| Los Bravos | |
|---|---|
Los Bravos in 1966
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Madrid, Spain |
| Genres | Rock, beat, pop, freakbeat |
| Years active | 1965–1968 |
| Labels | Decca (UK), Press and Parrot (US and Canada) |
| Past members | Mike Kogel Antonio Martinez Manuel Fernández Miguel Vicens Danus Pablo Gomez |
Los Bravos were a Spanish beat group, formed in 1965 and based in Madrid. Their single "Black Is Black" reached no. 2 in the United Kingdom in July 1966 and no. 4 in the United States (the first Spanish group to do so), selling over a million records.
Contents
Biography
The band was an amalgamation of two pop groups, Los Sonor from Madrid and The Runaways from Mallorca. Los Bravos' lead singer, Mike Kogel, was from Germany. His vocal styling was sometimes likened to Gene Pitney's. "Black is Black" reached no. 2 in the UK Singles Chart in July 1966,[1] no. 4 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, and sold over one million copies worldwide.[2] The track was written by Tony Hayes and Steve Wadey, in their recording studio for cutting demo discs in Hoo St Werburgh, near Rochester, Kent, England.[2] The song was later covered by Johnny Hallyday and the French-based outfit Belle Epoque, and in 1977 their disco version of the song coincidentally also reached No. 2 in the UK.
Los Bravos' follow-up single, "I Don't Care", reached no. 16 in the UK in October 1966.[1] In 1967, the band participated in the San Remo Music Festival, failing to qualify for the final with the song "Uno come noi" in Italian.[3] The band were the subjects of two Spanish comedic movies: in 1967 Los chicos con las chicas (The Boys With the Girls), directed by Javier Aguirre and in 1968, ¡Dame un poco de amooor...! (Give Me a Little Looove!), directed by José María Forqué and Francisco Macián. Their song "Going Nowhere" from the soundtrack to Los chicos con las chicas was re-issued as a part of the Rhino Records series, Nuggets II: Original Artyfacts from the British Empire and Beyond, 1964–1969.
One of Los Bravos' founding members, Manuel Fernández, committed suicide on 20 May 1967, at the age of 23,[4][5] after the death of his bride, Lottie Rey, in an auto accident.
Band members
- Michael 'Mike' Kennedy (born Michael Volker Kogel, 25 April 1944, Berlin) — vocals
- Antonio Martinez (3 October 1945, Madrid - 19 June 1990, Colmenar Viejo) — guitar. Martinez died in a motorcycle accident en route to his recording studio.[6][7]
- Manuel Fernández (29 September 1943, Seville, Andalucia — 20 May 1967) — electric organ
- Miguel Vicens Danus (born 21 June 1944, Ferrol, Galicia) — bass guitar
- Pablo Gomez (born 5 November 1943, Barcelona, Catalonia) — drums
- Jesus Gluck (born Jesus Gluck Sarasibar, 1941, Spain) - electric organ (from 1967)
- Anthony 'Tony' Anderson (born 1941, Accrington, Lancashire) - vocals
Discography
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US[8] | UK | AU | ||
| 1966 | "Black Is Black" | 4 | 2 | 3 |
| "I Don't Care" | - | 16 | 51 | |
| "Going Nowhere" | 91 | - | 99 | |
| 1968 | "Bring a Little Lovin'" | 51 | - | 48 |
Albums
- Black is Black (1966), Press Records — US no. 93
- Bring a Little Lovin' (1968), Parrot
- All the Best (1993), Decca[8] (compilation album)
See also
- RPM number-one hits of 1966
- List of artists under the Decca Records label
- List of 1960s one-hit wonders in the United States
- List of songs deemed inappropriate by Clear Channel following the September 11, 2001 attacks
- Music of Spain
References
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