Nino Bravo
| Nino Bravo | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Luis Manuel Ferri Llopis |
| Born |
3 August 1944 Aielo de Malferit, Valencia, Spain |
| Died | 16 April 1973 (aged 28) Villarrubio, Cuenca, Spain |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Years active | 1969-73 |
| Labels | Fonogram, Polydor |
| Associated acts | Los Hispánicos, Los Superson |
| Website | www |
Luis Manuel Ferri Llopis (3 August 1944 – 16 April 1973), better known by his stage name Nino Bravo, was a Spanish pop singer.
Ferri Llopis was born in Aielo de Malferit, Valencia, Spain. His father, Luis Manuel, a salesman, moved the family to Valencia, in search of better opportunities, when his son was three years old. Young Luis met, in 1958, bassist Vicente López, who introduced him to other Valencian musicians. Ferri Llopis discovered he could sing while on a trip with López and Paco Ramón. López recalled that he was surprised, upon waking up from a nap, to hear him singing Domenico Modugno's hit "Libero". Deeply impressed, Lopez predicted that Ferri Llopis would become a superstar.
Meanwhile, Ferri Llopis took a job as a jeweler, also working for his mother, who owned a supermarket. At age 16 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 Hispánicos", and made a cover recording of "La Novia".
Bravo also enjoyed Rock & Roll music. He began singing at a hotel, where he sang his favorite English song, "Only You". Ferri Llopis was later approached by a recording company to sign with their label but he declined as the projected contract would not include the entire "Los Hispánicos" band. In 1964, "Los Hispánicos" changed their name to "Los Superson". They won a local radio contest, then moved on to Benidorm, where they became quite popular.
Ferri Llopis was soon after called up for military duty. Suffering from depression, he later contemplated quitting singing. While Ferri Llopis was away on military duty, his empresario López befriended Miguel Siurán, a radio personality, who was impressed by Los Superson's sound and wanted to help them get a recording contract. López declined as he felt Ferri Llopis should be included. When Ferri Llopis returned from his military service, López talked to him about the contract, but Siurán was initially doubtful, questioning the young man's singing ability, asking if he could sing like Tom Jones, Engelbert Humperdinck or John Rowles.
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