Manu Chao
Manu Chao (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈmanu ˈtʃao]; born José Manuel Tomás Arturo Chao Ortega on 21 June 1961) is a French-Spanish singer. He sings in French, Spanish, English, Italian, Arabic, Catalan, Galician, Portuguese, Greek, and occasionally in other languages. Chao began his musical career in Paris, busking and playing with groups such as Hot Pants and Los Carayos, which combined a variety of languages and musical styles. With friends and his brother Antoine Chao, he founded the band Mano Negra in 1987, achieving considerable success, particularly in Europe. He became a solo artist after its breakup in 1995 and since then tours regularly with his live band, Radio Bemba.
Manu Chao
José Manuel Tomás Arturo Chao Ortega
Oscar Tramor
21 June 1961
Paris, France
Musician, record producer
- Vocals
- guitar
- bass
- keyboard
1984–present
Early life[edit]
Chao's mother, Felisa Ortega, is from Bilbao, Basque Country, and his father, writer and journalist Ramón Chao, is from Vilalba, Galicia. They emigrated to Paris to avoid Francisco Franco's dictatorship—Manu's grandfather had been sentenced to death.[1] Shortly after Manu's birth, the Chao family moved to the outskirts of Paris, and Manu spent most of his childhood in Boulogne-Billancourt and Sèvres. As he grew up he was surrounded by many artists and intellectuals, most of whom were acquaintances of his father.[2] Chao cites much of his childhood experience as inspiration for some songs.[3] As a child, he was a big fan of Cuban singer-pianist Bola de Nieve.[4]
