- Nino Bravo
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This name uses Spanish naming customs; the first or paternal family name is Ferri and the second or maternal family name is Llopis.
Nino Bravo 
Background information Birth name Luis Manuel Ferri Llopis Born August 3, 1944
Aielo de Malferit, Valencia,Died April 16, 1973 (aged 28)
Villarrubio, Cuenca, SpainGenres Easy Listening Occupations Singer Labels Fonogram, Polydor Associated acts Los Hispánicos, Los Superson Website ninobravo.net Luis Manuel Ferri Llopis (August 3, 1944 — April 16, 1973), better known by his stage name Nino Bravo, was a Spanish pop singer.
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Early life
Bravo was born near Valencia. His father, Luis Manuel, a salesman, moved the family to Valencia, in search of better opportunities, when Bravo was three years old.
Nino Bravo was a shy child. He had a tendency to befriend older people, and, in 1958, he met bassist Vicente López. López introduced Bravo to other Valencian musicians, including the legendary Paco Ramón.
It had never occurred to Bravo, before he met López, that anyone would enjoy listening to him sing. Bravo realized that he could sing while he was on a trip with López and Ramón. López later recalled that he was surprised, upon waking up from a nap, to hear Bravo singing Domenico Modugno's hit "Libero". Deeply impressed, Lopez predicted that Nino Bravo would become a superstar.
Meanwhile, Bravo took a job as a jeweler, and also worked for his mother, who owned a supermarket. When he was sixteen, he became a fan of the famous Chilean singer Antonio Prieto, whose song, "La Novia" ("The Bride"), had become a number one hit in Spain. Bravo and his friends formed a band, "Los Hispanicos", and made a cover recording of "La Novia".
Singing
Bravo also enjoyed Rock & Roll music. He began singing at a hotel, where he sang his favorite English song, "Only You".
Eventually, Bravo was approached by a recording company agent who tried to convince him to sign with his label. Bravo declined because the projected contract would not include the entire "Los Hispanicos" band.
In 1964, "Los Hispánicos" changed their name to "Los Superson". At the same time, their luck changed. They won a local radio contest, then moved on to Benidorm, where they became quite popular.
Shortly thereafter Bravo was called up for military duty. Suffering from depression during his military service, Bravo contemplated quitting his singing career.
While Bravo was away in the military, López befriended Miguel Siuran, a radio personality, who was impressed by Los Superson's sound and wanted to help them get a recording contract, and wanted to include two of the band's songs on another singer's LP. López declined the offer, because he felt that Bravo should be included on the album as well.
When Bravo returned from the service, López talked to him enthusiastically about the contract, however Siuran scornfully asked if Bravo could sing like Tom Jones, Engelbert Humperdinck or John Rowles. Once Siuran heard Bravo's voice, however, the radio man was deeply impressed.
Siuran Miguel Siurán took Bravo to a music festival. Although Bravo did not win at the festival, Siurán became convinced that it was time for Bravo to become a star, and, soon afterwards, Siurán came up with the artistic name of Nino Bravo.
Bravo and Siurán first tried unsuccessfully to get a contract with RCA. They then went to Fonogram in Madrid.
Bravo and Siuran returned to Valencia, where Siurán published an newspaper ad announcing "Nino Bravo y Los Superson". Shortly thereafter, Fonogram called to offer a contract for an album with Bravo and Los Superson.
In March 1969, shortly after their album hit the market, Bravo sang before a live audience for the first time. After the concert, frenzied admirers tore down Bravo's concert posters.
Marriage
On April 20, 1970 he married Maria Amparo and their first daughter, Amparo, was born on January 1972. He also had a second daughter, Eva, who was born after he died.
Fonogram wanted Bravo to go solo, and in 1970, Siurán was replaced by José Meri as Bravo's manager.
Fame
In that same year, Bravo participated for the first time in the prestigious Barcelona Music Festival. He would not gain international acclaim until two festivals later, however. After Bravo received favorable reviews from a festival audience in Athens, Greece, he went on to impress festival goers at the Rio de Janeiro Festival.
After being exposed to international audiences in Europe and Latin America, Bravo and Meri parted ways, and Bravo took on a new manager. Bravo's first solo album was soon released, and the song "Te quiero, te quiero", by the composer Augusto Algueró, became an international hit, which is now considered a classic by many Hispanic music critics. Bravo's first album, "Tu Cambiarás" ("You Will Change"), sold well, particularly in Colombia, where Bravo became very popular.
Bravo then sang on the Spaniard television contest show, "Pasaporte a Dublín" ("Passport to Dublin)" in which the winner would represent Spain in 1971's Eurovision.
After the show, Bravo then went on tour in Colombia and Brazil, where he participated, for a second time in the Rio de Janeiro Festival.
Also in 1971, Nino Bravo recorded his second album, which went untitled. The album would later be posthumously released, in CD format, entitled "Puerta de amor" ("Love's Door").
Third album
In 1972, Bravo released his third album, "Libre" ("Free"). "Libre" proved to be both a huge success and a very controversial album for Bravo, as many Latin American dictators of the time banned the album's title song from being played in their countries, such as Cuba. As a consequence, Bravo was also banned from singing his banned songs in certain countries. His success, however, was such that he was widely known in Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Ecuador, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Republica Dominicana and among the Hispanic population of the United States. In Chile, the title song from the album, became a unifying element for all the followers of the new military regime which came into power on September 11, 1973, when Bigote Arrocet sang "Libre" in honour of Bravo during 1974 Festival de la Canción de Viña del Mar, in front of Augusto Pinochet and his wife.
In January 1973, Bravo's first daughter, Amparo, was born. A second daughter, Eva, would later arrive, but Nino never got to see her.
Bravo's words in a 1973 interview would prove to be prophetic: speaking of his last Latin American tour, he referred to a song named "Noelia" as "(his) last song". Another song that he released that same year, "Un beso y una flor" ("A Kiss and a Flower") became one of Bravo's greatest international hits.(Loosely translated, the song's chorus was "in departure, a kiss and a flower"). On March 14 of that year, Bravo performed his last concert, before his Valencia fans.
Death
On April 16, 1973, Bravo was driving his BMW 2800 along with the Humo duo and Miguel Diurni when his car was involved in an accident about 100 km southeast of Madrid. He died on the way to the hospital as consequence of his injuries. He had just signed a five year record deal with the European record label Polydor. At the time of his death, Nino Bravo was just 28 years old.
References
External links
- (Spanish) Un beso y una flor
- (Spanish) Nino Bravo En Libertad
- (Spanish) Por siempre Nino Bravo
Categories:- 1942 births
- 1973 deaths
- People from Vall d'Albaida
- Spanish singers
- Spanish male singers
- Spanish-language singers
- Road accident deaths in Spain
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