Bayzo (3 April 1947 – 1 February 2018) was a Maltese singer born in

St. Paul's Bay St. Paul's Bay ( mt, San Pawl il-Baħar) is a town in the Northern Region of Malta, sixteen kilometres () northwest of the capital Valletta. Saint Paul's Bay is the largest town in the Northern Region and the seat of the Northern Regional Comm ...

. He is known for his unique voice and songs such as "Qalu li raw", which was played at the

Malta Song Festival Although Malta is a small island in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea with a small population, it is nonetheless rich in its history and its culture. When in the 1950s, in nearby Italy the San Remo Festival, and later in Switzerland, the Eurovi ...

in 1986.

Career

The Malta Bums

During his sixty-year-long career, he had been one of the main singers of ''The Malta Bums''. His song ''L-Ewwel Tfajla li ħabbejt'' remains known. Bayzo, along with Freddie Portelli, Brethren Paul, Mario Pirrone, Tony Muscat and Tony Bartolo, and later member

Freddie Scicluna Freddy or Freddie may refer to: Entertainment * Freddy (comic strip), a newspaper comic strip which ran from 1955 to 1980 *Freddie (Cromartie), a character from the Japanese manga series''Cromartie High School'' *Freddie (dance), a short-lived 196 ...

were meeting in the fields of St Paul's Bay areas and singing. From there, ''The Malta Bums'', originally known as ''The Bums'', were founded. With The Malta Bums, Bayzo lived and played in Germany for six months, where he originated Viva Malta at the end of 1967.

Festivals

After having been separated from the Malta Bums, he merged his group with ''Freddie Scicluna'','' Bayzo's Clikka'', which was active in many hotels and nightclubs, and took part in numerous festivals and musicals. He went to a tour in Australia, Canada and the United States, where he sang and played for Maltese emigrants. He represented Malta in some contests, in which it took part in Poland and Slovakia.

Film

Bayzo was given a part in the RAI film "Cristoforo Colombo" (1984), parts of which were filmed in Malta and also in the Dominican Republic. Bayzo spent six weeks on this set, along with actors

John Suda John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

and

Lino Mintoff Lino may refer to: * Lino, short for linoleum, a common flooring material * Lino, slang for linesman, the former name (still in widespread common use) for an assistant referee in football * Lino, slang for a habitual user of the narcotic cocain ...

Rock operas

He had taken part in Dream, the first rock opera from Malta, which first played at the Manoel Theatre in 1974. In 1982, he was one of the singers of a popular rock opera in Malta known as The Lord, and was respected for his unique style as well as the meekness he always held.

Awards

* 27 June 2013: l-Midalja Ġieħ San Pawl il-Baħar

Death

The Labour Party considered the death of Bayzo as a major loss to the Maltese musical scene because for years, he was known as one of the main personages in the Maltese musical field. While they recalled his international performances which promoted Maltese music, it referred especially to Bayzo's performance in rock operas.

References

External links

Bayzo
on

Discogs Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the la ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bayzo 1947 births 2018 deaths 20th-century Maltese male singers 20th-century Maltese singers 21st-century Maltese male singers 21st-century Maltese singers