Nino Bravo
Luis Manuel Ferri Llopis (3 August 1944 – 16 April 1973), better known by his stage name Nino Bravo, was a famous Spanish singer of the seventies.
Biography
Nino was a shy child with a tendency to befriend older people. In 1958, he met bassist Vicente López. López introduced Bravo to other Valencian musicians, including the legendary Paco Ramón. Bravo had been attracting acclaim since 1959 when he sang with the youthful pop group, Aielo De Malferit. He continued his success as a member of early '60s trio, "Los Hispanicos", and after serving a breif stint in the military, with the group, "Uamado Superson". Launching his solo career with a recital at theatre "Prinicpal" of Valencia in 1968, Bravo signed a five year recording contract with Fonogram. Bravo reached his apex in 1972. Shortly after marrying vocalist Maria Amparo, he represented Spain with a crowd-pleasing set at the Festival de Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. When he died in an automobile accident on April1 6, 1973, the world lost one of its greatest romantic balladeers.
Banned for political reasons
In 1972, Bravo released his third album, "Libre" (Free). The song 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. The refrain of the song says:
Free as the sun at dawn,
I am free, like the sea.
Free as a bird who escaped from its prison
and can finally fly.
Free as the wind which picks up my sorrow and my grief,
I keep walking for the truth
and I will finally know what freedom is[1].
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 Spain as well as in most Latin American countries and among the Hispanic population of the United States.
