BIOGRAPHICAL DETAILS
Description: Band, Spain
Known For: “Black Is Black,” which got to number four in the U.S.
Instruments: guitar,bass,Voice,keyboards,drums
Music Styles: Rock, latin
Location: Madrid, Spain
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BIOGRAPHICAL PROFILE
Los Bravos
A Spanish beat group, formed in 1965, and based in Madrid.
The band was an amalgamation of two pop groups, Los Sonor from Madrid and The Runaways from Mallorca. Los Bravos’ lead singer, Mike Kogel, was from Germany. His vocal styling was sometimes likened to Gene Pitney’s. “Black is Black” reached no. 2 in the UK Singles Chart in July 1966, no. 4 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, and sold over one million copies worldwide. The track was written by Tony Hayes and Steve Wadey, in their recording studio for cutting demo discs in Hoo St Werburgh, near Rochester, Kent, England. The song was later covered by Johnny Hallyday and the French-based outfit Belle Epoque, and in 1977 their disco version of the song coincidentally also reached No. 2 in the UK.
Los Bravos’ follow-up single, “I Don’t Care”, reached no. 16 in the UK in October 1966. In 1967, the band participated in the San Remo Music Festival, failing to qualify for the final with the song “Uno come noi” in Italian. The band were the subjects of two Spanish comedic movies: in 1967 Los chicos con las chicas (The Boys With the Girls), directed by Javier Aguirre and in 1968, ¡Dame un poco de amooor…! (Give Me a Little Looove!), directed by José María Forqué and Francisco Macián. Their song “Going Nowhere” from the soundtrack to Los chicos con las chicas was re-issued as a part of the Rhino Records series, Nuggets II: Original Artyfacts from the British Empire and Beyond, 1964–1969.
One of Los Bravos’ founding members, Manuel Fernández, committed suicide on 20 May 1967, at the age of 23, after the death of his bride, Lottie Rey, in an auto accident.
The group never achieving the heights of their first hit they did have minor hits with.
’I Don’t Care’ – 1966
’Going Nowhere’ – 1966
’Bring a Little Lovin’ – 1968.
Members include
Michael Volker ‘Mike’ Kogel (born 25 April 1945, Berlin) — vocals
Antonio Martinez (born 3 October 1945, Madrid) — guitar. Martinez died in a motorcycle accident en route to his office in 1990.
Manuel Fernandez (29 September 1943, Seville, Andalucia — 20 May 1967) — electric organ
Miguel Vicens Danus (born 21 June 1944, Ferrol, Galicia) — bass guitar
Pablo Gomez (born 5 November 1943, Barcelona, Catalonia) — drums