Los Bravos
| Company type | Music group |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1965 |
| Headquarters | Madrid , Spain |
| Products | Music recordings, singles, albums |
Los Bravos were a Spanish beat group established in 1965 and headquartered in Madrid. They gained widespread recognition with their debut hit "Black Is Black", which climbed to No. 2 on the UK charts in July 1966 and reached No. 4 in the US, marking the first time a Spanish band achieved such a ranking, with sales exceeding one million copies worldwide.
Biography
The formation of the band resulted from merging two pop ensembles: Los Sonor from Madrid and The Runaways from Mallorca. The lead vocalist, Mike Kogel (also known as Mike Kennedy or Mike Keller), originally from Germany, possessed a singing style often compared to that of Gene Pitney. Their track "Black Is Black" not only secured the top spot on the Canadian Singles Chart but also attained No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart in July 1966 and No. 4 on the US Billboard Hot 100, selling over one million units internationally.
Composed by Michelle Grainger, Tony Hayes, and Steve Wadey at their studio near Rochester, Kent, England, "Black Is Black" was subsequently covered by artists such as Johnny Hallyday and the French disco group Belle Epoque, whose rendition also reached No. 2 in the UK in 1977.
Their next single, "I Don't Care," peaked at No. 16 on the UK charts in October 1966. In 1967, Los Bravos competed unsuccessfully at the Sanremo Music Festival with the song "Uno come noi." The band appeared in two Spanish comedy films: Los chicos con las chicas (1967) and ¡Dame un poco de amooor...! (1968). From the soundtrack of the former, their song "Going Nowhere" was reissued on Rhino Records' compilation Nuggets II: Original Artyfacts from the British Empire and Beyond, 1964–1969 and reached No. 55 in Canada.
Their single "Bring a Little Lovin'," penned by Harry Vanda and George Young, achieved a peak position of No. 22 in Canada during July 1968.
Tragically, founding member Manuel Fernández died by suicide in May 1968 at age 23 following his wife's accidental death. That same year, Kogel departed to pursue a solo career under the name Mike Kennedy; he was succeeded by Bob Wright and later Tony Anderson as lead vocalists. Anderson had previously been a member of The Warriors (British band), performing alongside his brother Jon Anderson.
Kogel briefly rejoined Los Bravos during 1975 and 1976.
In 1990, guitarist Antonio Martínez lost his life in a motorcycle accident while en route to his studio.
Bassist Miguel Vicens passed away from pneumonia in Palma on 12 February 2022 at age 78.
Reunions
The band reunited in 2004 featuring Pablo Sanllehí, Miguel Vicens Danus, and Mike Kogel/Kennedy.
In 2015, Mike Kennedy collaborated once again with Miguel Vicens Danus under the Los Bravos name to produce a new studio version of "Black Is Black", which was released on iTunes accompanied by a music video.
By 2019, Miguel Vicens Danus and Pablo Sanllehí enlisted Bruce Game as lead vocalist to record a fresh album. They issued two singles in 2020 followed by four additional tracks in 2021 available on iTunes and Spotify, including titles such as "Gotta Be Strong" and "Chariot."
Legacy
On 20 March 2019, Quentin Tarantino’s film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood featured Los Bravos' "Bring a Little Lovin'" on its soundtrack and teaser trailer.
Band members
- Michael 'Mike' Kennedy (born Michael Volker Kogel, 25 April 1944, Berlin, Germany) — vocals
- Anthony 'Tony' Anderson (born 1941, Accrington, Lancashire, UK) — vocals, harmonica
- Antonio Martínez Salas (3 October 1945, Madrid – 19 June 1990, Spain) — guitar
- Manuel Fernández Aparicio (29 September 1943, Seville, Spain – 20 May 1968) — organ
- Miguel Vicens Danus (21 June 1943, Ferrol, Galicia – 12 February 2022) — bass guitar
- Pablo Sanllehí Gomez (born 5 November 1943, Barcelona, Spain) — drums
- Jesús Glück (born Jesús Glück Sarasibar, 1941, Valencia, Spain – 24 January 2018) — organ (from 1967)
- Ari Leeonx (born Paris, France) — vocals (1974–75)
- Bruce Game (born Behrouz Ghaemi, 9 March 1980, Qazvin, Iran) — vocals
Filmography
- Los Chicos con las Chicas (1967)
- Dame un Poco de Amooor! (1968)
See also
- RPM number-one hits of 1966
- List of artists under the Decca Records label
- List of 1960s one-hit wonders in the United States
- Music of Spain
External links
- 1965 establishments in Spain
- 1971 disestablishments in Spain
- Spanish pop rock music groups
- Beat groups
- Freakbeat groups
- Musical groups established in 1965
- Musical groups disbanded in 1971
- Decca Records artists
- Parrot Records artists
- Musical groups from Madrid
- English-language musical groups from Spain
- Musical groups disestablished in 1971