David Arugete (; 3 April 1921 – 1 December 1968), commonly known under his stage name Darío Moreno, was a Turkish-Jewish

polyglot Multilingualism is the use of more than one language, either by an individual speaker or by a group of speakers. When the languages are just two, it is usually called bilingualism. It is believed that multilingual speakers outnumber monolin ...

singer, an accomplished composer, lyricist, and guitarist. He attained fame and made a remarkable career centred in France which also included films, during the 1950s and the 1960s. He became famous with his 1961 song ''Brigitte Bardot''.

Biography

Darío Moreno was born to a large Turkish-Jewish family. He was orphaned in early childhood when his father, who worked at the train station in

Aydın Aydın ( ''EYE-din''; ; formerly named ''Güzelhisar; Greek: Τράλλεις)'' is a city in and the seat of Aydın Province in Turkey's Aegean Region. The city is located at the heart of the lower valley of Büyük Menderes River (ancient ...

, was shot dead under tragic circumstances. He was placed in the

Sephardic Sephardic Jews, also known as Sephardi Jews or Sephardim, and rarely as Iberian Peninsular Jews, are a Jewish diaspora population associated with the historic Jewish communities of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) and their descendant ...

orphanage of Izmir (Nido De Guerfanos) by his mother and remained there until he was four. After a primary education in the Jewish educational establishments of Izmir, he had many odd jobs during his early youth. He put great effort into continuing his education while simultaneously working to make a living. He started working as an errand boy in the law firm of the city's prominent lawyers and was eventually trained to become an office clerk. In the evenings, he would study French in Izmir's Central Library. With a guitar that had fallen into his hands by chance, he also learned to play the guitar, mainly on his own with occasional tutoring from acquaintances. He started singing at

Bar Mitzvah A ''bar mitzvah'' () or ''bat mitzvah'' () is a coming of age ritual in Judaism. According to Halakha, Jewish law, before children reach a certain age, the parents are responsible for their child's actions. Once Jewish children reach that age ...

celebrations as a second job. In his early twenties, he had already become a well-known singer in Izmir, and particularly among the Jewish community. During his military service in the

Turkish Army The Turkish Land Forces () is the main branch of the Turkish Armed Forces responsible for Army, land-based military operations. The army was formed on November 8, 1920, after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. Significant campaigns since the ...

, he was employed as a singer in officers' quarters in various garrisons and became more focused on music. His first truly professional musical performance started in his hometown after his discharge and was arranged through army connections. After he started making money from his music, he moved to the better-off Jewish quarter of

Karataş Karataş (Turkish language, Turkish for ''black stone'') is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Adana Province, Turkey. Its area is 862 km2, and its population is 23,499 (2022). The town itself has 10,293 inhabitants. It is o ...

and lived in a house in a street leading to the historic Asansör, one of the city's landmark buildings (whose name means the "Elevator" since it carried people by elevator to the upper part of the quarter which was separated from the lower coastal area by a steep slope). Nowadays, this street is named ''Dario Moreno Sokağı'' (Dario Moreno Street) after him. Darío Moreno died of a heart attack after an argument between him and a member of the gate staff at Atatürk Airport in İstanbul. He was slightly late for a flight to Paris where he was going to give a concert and attend the first "Turkish Night" to take place in the French capital. The member of staff did not allow him to board the plane leading to a serious argument. Subsequently, 47-year-old Moreno had a heart attack. According to his will he wanted to be buried in

İzmir İzmir is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, third most populous city in Turkey, after Istanbul and Ankara. It is on the Aegean Sea, Aegean coast of Anatolia, and is the capital of İzmir Province. In 2024, the city of İzmir had ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. Instead his mother Madam Roza had him buried in Holon,

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

.Akşam Gazetesi: Batı müziğini ülkemize getiren Moreno anıldı

Ya Mustafa

'' Ya Mustafa'' is one of the best remembered of Moreno's songs. It was very famous in the 1950s and early 1960s. The original version of this catchy song and the identity of its composer are disputed. It appeared in one of the films of the Egyptian actor Ismail Yassin in the 1950s, and in another Egyptian film of

Sabah Sabah () is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah has land borders with the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and Indonesia's North Kalima ...

from the same era. Dario Moreno performed it in the late 1950s. In Europe, the song became popular with the help of Bob Azzam (a Lebanese singer who was born in Egypt in 1925 and died in

Monte Carlo Monte Carlo ( ; ; or colloquially ; , ; ) is an official administrative area of Monaco, specifically the Ward (country subdivision), ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino is located. Informally, the name also refers to ...

in 2004), who released it in 1960 in France with lyrics consisting of at least 3 languages: "Chérie je t'aime, chéri je t'adore – come la salsa del pomodoro" (Darling, I love you, darling, I adore you – like tomato sauce).

Bruno Gigliotti Orlando Productions is a French record label, owned by Bruno Gigliotti, brother of singer Dalida, for whom he used to be the manager. In the late 1960s, he founded the Orlando label as a vehicle to release and to control Dalida's musical output. ...

, (Orlando) the brother of famous singer

Dalida Iolanda Cristina Gigliotti (; 17 January 1933 – 3 May 1987), professionally known as Dalida (, ; ), was an Italian naturalized French singer and actress. Leading an international career, Dalida has sold over 140 million records worldwide. Some ...

, also covered the song. This song, with its polyglot lyrics, can be considered a historical documentation of the cosmopolitan era in the Egyptian city of Alexandria. During that era, a large cosmopolitan polyglot community, mainly Turks, Greeks, Jews, Armenians and Italians, lived in the Egyptian city. A sizable portion lived in the Attareen district, where the events of the song take place.

Films

* '' No Vacation for Mr. Mayor'' (1951) – Le maharadjah * ''Deux de l'escadrille'' (1953) * '' Le salaire de la peur'' (1953) (by Henri-Georges Clouzot with

Yves Montand Ivo Livi (; 13 October 1921 – 9 November 1991), better known as Yves Montand (), was an Italian-born French actor and singer. He is said to be one of France's greatest 20th-century artists. Early life Montand was born Ivo Livi in Stignano, a ...

Charles Vanel Charles-Marie Vanel (21 August 1892 – 15 April 1989) was a French actor and director. During his 65-year film career, which began in 1923, he appeared in more than 200 films and worked with many prominent directors, including Alfred Hitchcock, ...

and Peter van Eyck) – Hernandez * '' Sins of Paris'' (1953) * '' La môme vert-de-gris'' (1953) (by

Bernard Borderie Bernard Borderie (10 June 1924 in Paris – 28 May 1978 in Paris) was a French film director and screenwriter. His father, Raymond Borderie, was one of the producers of ''Children of Paradise, Les Enfants du Paradis'' (''Children of Paradise'', 194 ...

with Eddie Constantine, Howard Vernon, Dominique Wilms and Maurice Ronet) – Joe Madrigal * '' Quay of Blondes'' (1954) (by Paul Cadéac with

Michel Auclair Michel Auclair (born Vladimir Vujović, sr-cyr, Владимир Вујовић; 14 September 1922 – 7 January 1988) was an actor of Serbian and French ancestry, known best for his roles in French cinema. Auclair was born to a Serbian fat ...

) – Lucky * '' The Women Couldn't Care Less'' (1954) – Perera, the Head Waiter * '' The Sheep Has Five Legs'' (1954) – Un matelot américain * '' Forgive Us Our Trespasses'' (1956) * '' Burning Fuse'' (1957) – Jeff * '' An Eye for an Eye'' (1957) – Le cafetier de Toluma * '' Anyone Can Kill Me'' (1957, by

Henri Decoin Henri Decoin (18 March 1890 – 4 July 1969) was a French film director and screenwriter, who directed more than 50 films between 1933 and 1964. He was also a swimmer who won the national title in 1911 and held the national record in the 500 ...

with

Anouk Aimée Nicole Françoise Florence Dreyfus (; 27 April 1932 2024), known professionally as Anouk Aimée () or Anouk, was a French film actress who appeared in 70 films from 1947 until 2019. Having begun her film career at age 14, she studied acting and ...

) – Luigi Falconi * ''Incognito'' (1958) – Fernando * '' La femme et le Pantin'' (1959) (by

Julien Duvivier Julien Duvivier (; 8 October 1896 – 29 October 1967) was a French film director and screenwriter. He was prominent in French cinema in the years 1930–1960. Amongst his most original films, chiefly notable are ''La Bandera (film), La Bandera'', ...

with

Brigitte Bardot Brigitte Anne-Marie Bardot ( ; ; born 28 September 1934), often referred to by her initials B.B., is a French former actress, singer, and model as well as an animal rights activist. Famous for portraying characters with Hedonism, hedonistic life ...

) – Arabadjian * ''Oh! que mambo'' (1959) (by John Berry with Magali Noël) – Miguel Montero * '' Marie of the Isles'' (1959) (by Georges Combret with Belinda Lee) – Desmarais – le traître * '' Nathalie, Secret Agent'' (1959) – Docteur Alberto / Don José * ''Voulez-vous danser avec moi ?'' (1959) (by Michel Boisrond with Henri Vidal,

and

Noël Roquevert Noël Roquevert (born Noël Louis Raymond Bénévent; 18 December 1892 – 6 November 1973) was a French stage and film actor. He appeared in more than 180 films between 1932 and 1972. Roquevert was born in Doué-la-Fontaine and was married ...

) – Florès * ''Touchez pas aux blondes'' (1960) – Rodinoff * '' Candide ou l'Optimisme au XXe siècle'' (1960) (by Norbert Carbonnaux with Jean-Pierre Cassel and Daliah Lavi) – Un dictateur sud américain / South American Dictator * '' The Revolt of the Slaves'' (1960) – Massimiano * '' Tintin et le mystère de la toison d'or'' (1961) (by Jean-Jacques Vierne with

and Georges Wilson) – Midas Papos * ''Le tout pour le tout'' (1962) (by Patrice Dally with Karen Blanguernon and Dirk Sanders) * ''

The Merry Widow ''The Merry Widow'' ( ) is an operetta by the Austria-Hungary, Austro-Hungarian composer Franz Lehár. The Libretto, librettists, Viktor Léon and Leo Stein (writer), Leo Stein, based the story – concerning a rich widow, and her countrymen's ...

'' (1962) – Camillo, Valenciennes Mann * ''El hub keda'' (1962) * ''Les femmes d'abord'' (1963) – L'aubergiste * ''No temas a la ley'' (1963) – Bruno Suárez * ''Le bon Roi Dagobert'' (1963) (by Pierre Chevalier with Fernandel and Gino Cervi) – Charibert – le frère de Dagobert * ''Le dernier tiercé'' (1964) – Guido * '' Dis-moi qui tuer'' (1965) – Pitou * '' Hotel Paradiso'' (1966) – The Turk * '' Le Saint prend l'affût'' (1966) * '' La Prisonnière'' (1968) – Sala (final film role)

Albums

* Granada- Adios Amigos * Bossa Nova * Calypso * Le coco * Canım İzmir * Si Tu Vas A Rio / Viens * Long Bos * Moreno Poy poy * Mulata Ye Ye Ye * Hatıralar Hayal Oldu / Olam Boyun Kurbanı * Tropical Dario * Oh Que Dario

Awards

* 1958 Grand Prix Du Disque in France

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Moreno, Dario 1921 births Smyrniote Jews 20th-century Turkish male singers Turkish male composers Turkish male film actors Turkish Jews 20th-century Sephardi Jews 1968 deaths Jewish singers Jewish composers Arts in İzmir People from Aydın Jewish male actors 20th-century Turkish male actors 20th-century Turkish composers Turkish expatriates in France Turkish people of Italian descent Burials at South Cemetery in Israel