Los Bravos
Los Bravos is a Spanish rock group, with the summer hit Black is Black brought out a million-seller in 1966 and became known as one- hit wonder in the annals of rock music.
Band History
This group was created in 1965 from the merger of the groups " Los Sonor " and " Mike Rat & The Runaways ". The driving force was the Berlin -born Michael Kogel on 25 April 1944. He had a solo record She was recorded in 1962, a girl of 17 years / A girl made to measure ( Polydor # 24841 ). In 1964 he appeared with his band The Fireballs or Michael & The Firebirds in Cologne in the glass palace, a beat local in the Ehrenfeld district, on. There he was discovered by the Cologne-based music producers Nils Nobah. Nobah produced the first single of the band, the Scoop Mausi Müller / We are a band Dancing ( Ariola # 10 690 ), which appeared in mono in 1964. The A-side was a German -language cover version of Freddie Cannon's title Abigail Beecher. The following 1965 My secret / Fairplay ( Ariola # 18438 ) and let them go / Make Me Happy ( Star Club # 148 515 ). In the same year he appeared in the Formation Council Mike & The Runaways ( with Spanish group members ) on the single order order order order order / Ja Da ( EMI SCDL # 69040 ), which played live at Cologne Cascade Beat Club.
The former Electrola producer Nils Nobah brought Michael Kogel in 1966 with the Spanish band " Los Sonor " together, which at that time was looking for a singer. With the French music producer Alain Milhaud traveled the renamed " Los Bravos " "savages" ( as the German translation ) in search of a suitable song material and a record label in April 1966 to London. They found the first ever composition of the team Tony Hayes / Steve Wadey / Michelle Grainger under the title Black is Black. The fellow composer Hayes and Wadey had a recording studio in the village of Hoo near Rochester (Kent ), where a demonstration recording of the title originated. It was her first song, all the British bands had rejected. The song was produced in April 1966 by Ivor Raymonde in London with Alain Milhaud. From union reasons only Kogel was asked to sing, it played British session musician, including Jimmy Page. Since Kogels voice were very similar by Gene Pitney, there were rumors later that Pitney had sung in place of Kogel. It is characteristic of the song driving bass, which gives the title to the sound of a Blue - Eyed Soul. The Single Black is Black / I Want A Name was released in the UK ( Decca F # 22419 ) on 17 June 1966, sold over a million copies, thanks to the intensive airplay by the pirate station Radio Caroline.
This organ -heavy party song was a worldwide hit. It reached number two in the British charts, and Rank 4 in Germany and the United States. They had a second hit with the similarly produced title I Do not Care, which came in at number 16 in German and 15 in the UK singles chart. 1967 overshadowed the suicide of organist Manuel Fernandez the further development of the band. 1968 rose from Michael Kogel for a solo career under the pseudonym Mike Kennedy. For him, came one after Bob Wright and Anthony Anderson. Mike Kennedy in 1975 returned back to Los Bravos.
Still play Los Bravos on Oldie Festival.
Band Members
- Antonio Matinez ( born October 3, 1945 in Madrid) - guitar
- Manuel Fernandez ( born September 29, 1943 in Seville, † May 20, 1967 ) - Electronic Organ
- Miguel Vicens Danus ( born June 21, 1944 in Ferrol ) - Bass
- Pablo Gomez Sanllehí ( born November 5, 1943 in Barcelona) - drums
Discography
- Los Bravos ( 1966).
- Los chicos con las chicas (1967).
- Dame un poco de amor (1968).
- Ilustrísimos Bravos (1969).
- Los Bravos Forever ( 1986).