A kiss and a flower, America, America, Noelia, Libre… I’m sure that just by listening to those titles, most of you will instinctively start humming one of those mythical songs. Nino Bravo. Because the Valencian continues to be one of the biggest stars of Spanish music, which This August 3rd he would have celebrated his 80th birthdayUnfortunately he left us very soon, 51 years ago, April 16, 1973 due to a traffic accidentleaving an irreplaceable void in the Spanish music of his generation. He was barely 28 years old. That day the myth was born.
It should be noted that The singer’s recording career lasted barely four yearsduring which he performed some 60 songs. But he managed to place his songs at number 1 on the charts in Spain and also in Latin America; he managed to generate a legion of fans who, half a century later, still remember him.
Luis Manuel Ferri Llopis (that was his real name), was born in the Valencian town of Ayelo de Malferit on August 3, 1944. At just 16 years old, “Manolito” began working as a lapidary in a jewelry store and later worked as a wine cellarer in a restaurant at Valencia Airport. He managed to combine these jobs with his passion for singing. At the age of 17, in 1962, he formed his first group, The Hispanicsalong with several friends. Then was part of Los Superson.
After military service, he worked in an office and made his debut as a solo singer at the La Vall d’Uixó Song Festival in 1968, adopting the name Nino Bravo when he was 24 years old.
Although there are many legends circulating about his artistic baptism, according to Darío Ledesma, author of the authorized biography Nino Bravo: voice and heart“behind this name change would be the one who was its first representative, Miguel Siurana radio host who, at that time, wanted to take over the reins of the Valencian singer’s career, although with many ups and downs.” Ledesma assures that Siurán came up with that nickname”thinking first of the composer Nino Rota and in the boom of Italian names at that time; and Bravo came up with it one sleepless night thinking about Nino’s personality.”
Success came with “I love you, I love you”
Success would come in the summer of 1969 when Augusto Algueró He offered to sing to her I love you I love youa song that Carmen Sevilla and Raphael had already recorded, but which would not succeed until Nino Bravo’s performance. A success that was followed by many others such as I’m looking for (1969), That will be my house, Door of love, Forgive me (1970), My great love (1971), Noelia, My dear mom, Yellow letters, A kiss and a flower, My land, Carolina y Libre (1972), among others. Also noteworthy is the enormous success of America, America (1973), which would succeed after the singer’s death.
Pieces of Iron and Chrome – Nino Bravo: I love you, I love you (End of the year, 1971)
In addition, Nino Bravo participated in the election of the Spanish representative at the Eurovision Song Contest on two occasions. In the first one, in 1970, he presented the theme That will be my home. He did not manage to reach the final, which was won by Julio Iglesias with Gwendolyne (with which he would finish 4th in Eurovision). The second and most remembered was in the program Passport to Dublin (1971), where she came in third place. The chosen one was the singer Karina, who came second with the song In a new world.
In 1971 Nino Bravo was already a big international star and traveled through Latin America (Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, Mexico, Puerto Rico and the cities of New York and Miami) Shortly after, the third album was released, entitled A kiss and a flowerwhich was also a great success in Spain and Latin America.
His death
As he said in one of his most famous songs, Nino Bravo could not leave the home where “the sky met the sea”Breaking the rule of most artists who moved to the capital of Madrid to develop their musical career, he chose to stay in his native Valencia. A decision that kept him close to his family, but forced him to spend half his life on the road. In one year, the singer could travel nearly 115,000 kilometers. Always on board that second-hand BMW 2800, the same car in which he would lose his life and in which, without knowing it, he would light the spark of an overwhelming melody that could never be heard and of his great posthumous song.
Occurred April 17, 1973. Along with him, on his last trip from Valencia to Madrid, were the musicians Fernando Romero and Miguel Ciaurriz, from the duo Humo, and his musical friend Pepe Juesas. The idea was to record some choruses for what was to be the Valencian’s fifth studio album. An LP for which several tracks had already begun to be recorded in London and which included songs such as America, Americaanother of his great hits.
That song was part of the album the singer was working on at the time: ...And volume 5, which had to be finished by his team with discards from other works and recovered recordings. Among the themes are that America, America and Laura and Mona Lisa, versions of the themes of Frank Sinatra y Nat King Cole. But among all there is one very special, Livethe only known song in whose composition the singer participated and which he wanted to dedicate to his wife, Mary. Vicente López and Pepe Juesas had to finish the song.
In the fabulous documentary of Must-haves dedicated to the singer on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of his death (Nino Bravo. Live), Juesas and López explain why it was so important to release that song posthumously, a song of which Nino had only written the chorus, but which would end up taking shape, after his death, with the arrangements of one of his closest accomplices.Juan Carlos Calderon. “This song injects you with so much vitality that it is clear that this has to be an encouragement for many people. It is a tremendous hymn to life“, Juesas says sadly in the documentary.
On September 12, 1973, just five months after the death of Nino Bravo, great artists held a concert in the Plaza de Toros in Valencia in honor of the singer and whose proceeds were a gift for his second daughter, Eva María, whom I cannot meet.since he was born on November 27, 1973. In that macro-concert, which was attended by more than 20,000 people, performed, among others, Julio Iglesias, Dova, Los Puntos, Manolo Escobar and Los Superson Jaime Morey, Yaco Lara, Dúo Humo, Control, Basilio, Mari Trini, Víctor Manuel, Los Mismos, Daniel Velázquez, 5 Xics, Fórmula V, Bruno Lomas, Mocedades, Juan Pardo…
If Nino Bravo taught us anything in his short life It is the importance of LiveAnd 80 years after his birth (and 51 after his death) Nino Bravo is more alive than ever in his songs.
Nino Bravo in an archive image
