Los Bravos

{{Infobox musical artist|

| name = Los Bravos

| image = Los Bravos.png

| landscape = yes

| caption = Los Bravos in 1966

| background = group_or_band

| alias =

| origin = Madrid, Spain

| genre = Beat, blue-eyed soul, rock, pop, freakbeat

| years_active = 1965–1971, 2004, 2015–present

| label = Decca, Press, Parrot

| associated_acts =

| website =

| current_members =

| past_members = Mike Kogel
Antonio Martínez
Manuel Fernández
Miguel Vicens Danus
Pablo Gómez
Bob Wright
Tony Anderson
Pablo Sanllehí
Jesús Glück
Ari Leeonx
Bruce Game

}}

Los Bravos were a Spanish beat group, formed in 1965 and based in Madrid. They are most well known for their debut single "Black Is Black" which reached No. 2 in the United Kingdom in July 1966 and No. 4 in the United States (the first Spanish group to do so), selling over a million records worldwide.

Biography

The band was an amalgamation of two pop groups, Los Sonor from Madrid and The Runaways from Mallorca. Los Bravos' lead singer, Mike Kogel (aliases: Mike Kennedy, Mike Keller), is from Germany. His vocal styling was sometimes likened to Gene Pitney's. "Black Is Black" reached No. 1 on the Canadian Singles Chart,{{cite web|url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/028020/f2/nlc008388.8245.pdf| title=RPM Top 100 Singles - October 10, 1966}} No. 2 in the UK Singles Chart in July 1966,{{cite book

| first= David

| last= Roberts

| year= 2006

| title= British Hit Singles & Albums

| edition= 19th

| publisher= Guinness World Records Limited

| location= London

| isbn= 1-904994-10-5

| page= 329}} No. 4 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, and has sold over one million copies worldwide.{{cite book

| first= Joseph

| last= Murrells

| year= 1978

| title= The Book of Golden Disc

| edition= 2nd

| publisher= Barrie and Jenkins Ltd

| location= London

| pages= [https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/206 206/207]

| isbn= 0-214-20512-6

| url-access= registration

| url= https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/206

}}

"Black Is Black" was written by Michelle Grainger, 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 then by French-based outfit Belle Epoque, whose disco version coincidentally also reached No. 2 in the UK in 1977.

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 Sanremo Music Festival, failing to qualify for the final with the song "Uno come noi" in Italian.Marcello Giannotti, L'enciclopedia di Sanremo: 55 anni di storia del festival dalla A alla Z, Gremese, 2005 [https://books.google.com/books?id=o1HE8o8RTXgC&dq=los+bravos+sanremo&pg=PA136] The band was the subject 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. The song had reached No. 55 in Canada.{{cite web|url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/028020/f2/nlc008388.5757.pdf| title=RPM Top 100 Singles - December 26, 1966}}

Their single release of the Harry Vanda/George Young penned song, "Bring a Little Lovin'", reached No. 22 in Canada on 13 July 1968.{{cite web|url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/028020/f2/nlc008388.5858.pdf| title=RPM Top 100 Singles - July 13, 1968}}

One of Los Bravos' founding members, Manuel Fernández, committed suicide on 20 May 1968, at the age of 23,{{citation |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/latin/8526131/los-bravos-bring-a-little-lovin-once-upon-a-time-in-hollywood |title=Los Bravos Interview |magazine=Billboard |date=5 August 2019 |accessdate=12 November 2019}} after the death of his wife, Lottie Rey, in an auto accident. Also that year, Kogel left the group to develop a solo career under the name Mike Kennedy. He was replaced as singer by Bob Wright and then Anthony (Tony) Anderson.{{Cite web|url=http://www.los-bravos.com/english/biography.html|title=The history of LOS BRAVOS |website=Los-bravos.com}} Anderson sang with The Warriors, with his brother Jon Anderson, before joining Los Bravos.

In 1975 and 1976, Kogel rejoined the group.

In 1990, guitarist Antonio Martínez died in a motorcycle accident en route to his recording studio.{{cite web|author=Doc Rock |url=http://thedeadrockstarsclub.com/1990.html |title=The Dead Rock Stars Club 1990 – 1991 |publisher=Thedeadrockstarsclub.com |accessdate=21 July 2013}}{{cite web |url=http://thedeadrockstarsclub.com/1990.html |title=Muere Toni Martínez, guitarrista de Los Bravos, en accidente de moto |author=Ignacio Saenz de Tejada |publisher=El Pais | language=Spanish |year=1990 |accessdate=24 October 2013}}

Miguel Vicens died of pneumonia in Palma on 12 February 2022, at age 78.{{cite web |url=https://www.majorcadailybulletin.com/news/local/2022/02/12/97207/bravos-bassist-dies-mallorca-aged-78.html|title=Los Bravos bassist dies aged 78|date=12 February 2022|accessdate=15 July 2022|publisher=Majorca Daily Bulletin}}

Reunions

In 2004, the group reformed with Pablo Sanllehí, Miguel Vicens Danus and Mike Kogel/Kennedy.

In 2015, Mike Kennedy reunited with Miguel Vicens Danus under the name Los Bravos, to record a new studio version of "Black Is Black."{{cite web |url= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xj4nU5dOkn8 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211213/Xj4nU5dOkn8 |archive-date=2021-12-13 |url-status=live|title= Los Bravos – Black is Black (Videoclip Oficial) (2015) |via=YouTube |date= 12 May 2015}}{{cbignore}} The new recording was officially released on iTunes and edited to create a music video.{{cite web |url= http://www.diariovasco.com/gente-estilo/201502/08/hijo-amor-201502081201.html |title= Mike Kennedy: "Soy un hijo del amor" (2015) |publisher=El Diario Vasco |date= 8 February 2015}}

In 2019, Miguel Vicens Danus and Pablo Sanllehí inducted Bruce Game as the new lead singer to record a new album. They released two singles in 2020 followed by four more singles in 2021 on iTunes and Spotify under the name Los Bravos. These include "Gotta Be Strong"{{cite web |url= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbqtLs3lxes |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211213/DbqtLs3lxes |archive-date=2021-12-13 |url-status=live|title= Los Bravos – Gotta Be Strong (Videoclip Oficial) (2015) |via=YouTube |date= 18 Dec 2020}}{{cbignore}} and "Chariot".{{cite web |url= https://open.spotify.com/album/3UM28gwnDYtt5qgYuCMm2A?si=CpF4UA51Q-S9McNjnun43g |title= Los Bravos – Chariot (music) (2015) |via=Spotify |date= 18 December 2020}}

Legacy

On 20 March 2019, the Los Bravos song "Bring a Little Lovin'" was featured on the soundtrack and first teaser trailer for the film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood written and directed by Quentin Tarantino.{{cite news |last1=Singer |first1=Matt |title=What Are the Songs in the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Trailer? |url=https://screencrush.com/what-are-the-songs-in-the-once-upon-a-time-in-hollywood-trailer/ |accessdate=21 March 2019 |website=ScreenCrush.com |date=20 March 2019 }}

Band members

Michael 'Mike' Kennedy (born Michael Volker Kogel, 25 April 1944, Berlin, Germany) — vocals
Anthony 'Tony' Anderson (born 1941, Accrington, Lancashire, United Kingdom) — vocals, harmonica
Antonio Martínez Salas (3 October 1945, Madrid – 19 June 1990, Colmenar Viejo, 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, Madrid){{cite web|url=https://musicalics.com/en/composer/Jes%C3%BAs-Gl%C3%BCck|title=Jesús Glück|date=25 January 2018|website=Musicalics.com|accessdate=24 April 2018}} — organ (from 1967)
Ari Leeonx (born, Paris, France) — (1974-75) — vocals
Bruce Game (born Behrouz Ghaemi, 9 March 1980, Qazvin, Iran) — vocals