Los Bravos were a Spanish
beat group
Beat music, British beat, or Merseybeat is a British popular music genre that developed, particularly in and around Liverpool, in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The genre melded influences from American rock and roll, rhythm and blues, skiffl ...
, formed in 1965 and based in
Madrid
Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...
. They are most well known for their debut single "
Black Is Black
"Black Is Black" is a song by the Spanish rock band Los Bravos, released in 1966 as the group's debut single for Decca Records. Produced by Ivor Raymonde, it reached number two in the UK,
number four in the US,
and number one in Canada.
W ...
" which 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 worldwide.
Biography
The band was an amalgamation of two pop
groups
A group is a number of persons or things that are located, gathered, or classed together.
Groups of people
* Cultural group, a group whose members share the same cultural identity
* Ethnic group, a group whose members share the same ethnic ide ...
, Los Sonor from
Madrid
Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...
and The Runaways from
Mallorca
Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest island in the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain and located in the Mediterranean.
The capital of the island, Palma, is also the capital of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. The Bale ...
. Los Bravos' lead singer,
Mike Kogel, is from
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...
. His vocal styling was sometimes likened to
Gene Pitney
Gene Francis Alan Pitney (February 17, 1940 – April 5, 2006) was an American singer-songwriter and musician.
Pitney charted 16 top-40 hits in the United States, four in the top ten. In the United Kingdom, he had 22 top-40 hit singles, inclu ...
's. "
Black is Black
"Black Is Black" is a song by the Spanish rock band Los Bravos, released in 1966 as the group's debut single for Decca Records. Produced by Ivor Raymonde, it reached number two in the UK,
number four in the US,
and number one in Canada.
W ...
" reached No. 1 in Canada, No. 2 in the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
in July 1966,
No. 4 in the US
''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart
A chart (sometimes known as a graph) is a graphical representation for data visualization, in which "the data is represented by symbols, such as bars in a bar chart, lines in a line chart, or slices in a pie chart". A chart can represent ...
, and has sold over one million copies worldwide.
"Black is Black" was written by Michelle Grainger, Tony Hayes, and Steve Wadey in their recording studio for cutting demo
discs in
Hoo St Werburgh
Hoo St Werburgh, commonly known as Hoo, is a large village and civil parish in the Medway district of Kent, England. It is one of several villages on the Hoo Peninsula to bear the name ''Hoo'', a Saxon word believed to mean "spur of land" or ...
, near
Rochester, Kent, England.
The song was later
covered
Cover or covers may refer to:
Packaging
* Another name for a lid
* Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package
* Album cover, the front of the packaging
* Book cover or magazine cover
** Book design
** Back cover copy, part of copy ...
by
Johnny Hallyday and then by French-based outfit
Belle Epoque
Belle may refer to:
* Belle (''Beauty and the Beast'')
* Belle (given name), a list of people and fictional characters
* Belle (surname), a list of people
Brands and enterprises
* Belle Air, a former airline with headquarters in Tirana, Albania ...
, whose
disco
Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric p ...
version coincidentally also reached No. 2 in the UK in 1977.
Los Bravos' follow-up single, "I Don't Care", reached No. 16 in the UK in October 1966.
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. The band was the subject 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
José María Forqué Galindo (8 March 1923 – 17 March 1995) was a Spanish screenwriter and film director.
Biography
He was the father of the actress Verónica Forqué and the director Álvaro Forqué. He died on 17 March 1995 in Madrid ...
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
A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species ...
series, ''
Nuggets II: Original Artyfacts from the British Empire and Beyond, 1964–1969''. The song had reached No. 55 in Canada.
Their 1968 song "Bring A Little Lovin' " reached No. 22 in Canada, July 13, 1968.
One of Los Bravos' founding members, Manuel Fernández, committed suicide on 20 May 1968, at the age of 23, after the death of his bride, Lottie Rey, in an auto accident. Also that year, Kogel left the group to develop a solo career under the name Mike Kennedy. He was replaced as singer by Bob Wright and then Anthony (Tony) Anderson. Anderson sang with
The Warriors, with his brother
Jon Anderson
John Roy Anderson (born 25 October 1944) is an English singer, songwriter and musician, best known as the lead singer of the progressive rock band Yes, which he formed in 1968 with bassist Chris Squire. He was a member of the band across thre ...
, before joining Los Bravos.
In 1975 and 1976, Kogel rejoined the group.
Reunions
In 2004, the group reformed with Pablo Sanllehí, Miguel Vicens Danus and Mike Kogel/Kennedy.
In 2015, Mike Kennedy reunited with Miguel Vicens Danus under the name Los Bravos, to record a new studio version of "
Black Is Black
"Black Is Black" is a song by the Spanish rock band Los Bravos, released in 1966 as the group's debut single for Decca Records. Produced by Ivor Raymonde, it reached number two in the UK,
number four in the US,
and number one in Canada.
W ...
." The new recording was officially released on
iTunes
iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mu ...
and edited to create a music video.
In 2019, Miguel Vicens Danus and Pablo Sanllehi inducted Bruce Game as the new lead singer to record a new album. They have released two singles in 2020 followed by four more singles in 2021 on
iTunes
iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mu ...
and
Spotify
Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active use ...
under the name Los Bravos. These include "Gotta Be Strong" and "Chariot".
Miguel Vicens died of pneumonia in
Palma
Palma or La Palma means palm in a number of languages and may also refer to:
Geography Africa
* Palma, Mozambique, city
** Palma District
* La Palma, one of the Canary Islands, Spain
** La Palma (DO), a ''Denominación de Origen'' for wines from ...
on 12 February 2022, at age 78.
Legacy
On 20 March 2019, "Bring a Little Lovin'" by Los Bravos was featured on the soundtrack and first teaser trailer for ''
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
''Once Upon a Time in Hollywood'' is a 2019 comedy-drama film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. Produced by Columbia Pictures, Bona Film Group, Heyday Films, and Visiona Romantica and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing, it is ...
'' film written and directed by
Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American film director, writer, producer, and actor. His films are characterized by stylized violence, extended dialogue, profanity, dark humor, non-linear storylines, cameos, ensembl ...
.
Band members
*Michael 'Mike' Kennedy (born Michael Volker Kogel, 25 April 1944,
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitu ...
, Germany) — vocals
*Anthony 'Tony' Anderson (born 1941,
Accrington
Accrington is a town in the Hyndburn borough of Lancashire, England. It lies about east of Blackburn, west of Burnley, east of Preston, north of Manchester and is situated on the culverted River Hyndburn. Commonly abbreviated by locals to ...
, Lancashire, United Kingdom) — vocals, harmonica
*Antonio Martinez Salas (3 October 1945,
Madrid
Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...
– 19 June 1990,
Colmenar Viejo, Spain) — guitar. Martinez died in a motorcycle accident en route to his recording studio.
*Manuel Fernández Aparicio (29 September 1943,
Seville
Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Penins ...
, Spain – 20 May 1968) — organ
*Miguel Vicens Danus (21 June 1943,
Ferrol, Galicia – 12 February 2022) — bass guitar
*Pablo Sanllehí Gomez (born 5 November 1943,
Barcelona
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
, Spain) — drums
*Jesús Glück (born Jesús Glück Sarasibar, 1941,
Valencia
Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. The wider urban area al ...
, Spain – 24 January 2018, Madrid)
— organ (from 1967)
*Ari Leeonx (born, Paris, France) — (1974-75) — vocals
*Bruce Game (born Behrouz Ghaemi, 9 March 1980,
Qazvin
Qazvin (; fa, قزوین, , also Romanized as ''Qazvīn'', ''Qazwin'', ''Kazvin'', ''Kasvin'', ''Caspin'', ''Casbin'', ''Casbeen'', or ''Ghazvin'') is the largest city and capital of the Province of Qazvin in Iran. Qazvin was a capital of the ...
, Iran) — vocals
Discography
See also
*
RPM number-one hits of 1966
*
List of artists under the Decca Records label
Decca Records is a recording label. A division of Universal Classics, it is also known as ''Decca Music Group''.
Classical
Vocal artists
* Roberto Alagna
* Ada Alsop
* Elly Ameling
* Arleen Auger
* Janet Baker
* Cecilia Bartoli
* Teresa Berg ...
*
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
In Spain, music has a long history. It has played an important role in the development of Western music, and has greatly influenced Latin American music. Spanish music is often associated with traditional styles such as flamenco and classical ...
Notes
References
External links
*
*
Video for "Black is Black"Video for "Going Nowhere"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bravos, Los
1965 establishments in Spain
1971 disestablishments in Spain
Spanish pop rock music groups
Beat groups
Musical groups established in 1965
Musical groups disestablished in 1971
Decca Records artists
Parrot Records artists
Musical groups from Madrid
English-language singers from Spain