Manu Chao
Manu Chao performing at the 2007 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
Background information
Birth name	José-Manuel Thomas Arthur Chao
Also known as	Oscar Tramor
Born	June 26, 1961 (1961-06-26) (age 46) Paris, France
Genre(s)	World music, reggae
Occupation(s)	Musician, record producer
Instrument(s)	Voice, guitar
Years active	1984–present
Label(s)	Nacional Records (U.S.) Because Music (France) Virgin Records
Associated acts	Mano Negra Radio Bemba Sound System
Website	http://www.manuchao.net/

Manu Chao (born José-Manuel Thomas Arthur Chao on June 21, 1961 in Paris, France) is a French-born singer and political activist of Spanish (Galician-Basque) origin. The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (commonly known as Coachella) is a three-day (formerly a one or two-day annual music and arts festival organized by Goldenvoice Events 363 - Roman Emperor Julian is killed during the retreat from the Sassanid Empire. Year 1961 ( MCMLXI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other The term world music includes Traditional music (sometimes called Folk music or roots music of any culture that are created and played by indigenous musicians Reggae is a Music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s A musician is a person who plays or writes Music. Musicians can be classified by their roles in creating or performing music An instrumentalist plays a In the Music industry, a record producer or music producer has many roles among them controlling the recording sessions coaching and guiding the musicians organizing A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified for the purpose of making Music. The guitar is a Musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles In the Music industry, a record label can be a Brand and a Trademark associated with the Marketing of music recordings and Music Nacional Records is an ADA/Warner-distributed independent record label based in North Hollywood California The United States of America —commonly referred to as the This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Virgin Records is a British Record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell Mano Negra was a French band fronted by Manu Chao. The band was founded in 1987 by Manu his brother Antoine and his cousin Santiago Casariego Radio Bemba Sound System is a Live album by Manu Chao that was released in 2002 Events 524 - Godomar, King of the Burgundians defeats the Franks at the Battle of Vézeronce. Year 1961 ( MCMLXI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, which is often contrasted with Speech. Activism, in a general sense can be described as intentional action to bring about social or political change He sings mainly in French, Spanish and English and occasionally in a number of other languages. French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States Chao began his musical career with Hot Pants, a French band that combined several musical styles and languages. Hot Pants is one of the numerous groups involving the French / Latin singer-songwriter Manu Chao and his cousin drummer Santi The musician then founded the interracial band Mano Negra with several friends in 1987, becoming a solo artist after it disbanded. Mano Negra was a French band fronted by Manu Chao. The band was founded in 1987 by Manu his brother Antoine and his cousin Santiago Casariego

Early life

Chao's mother was from Bilbao, in the Basque region of Biscay, Spain; his father, writer and journalist Ramón Chao, was from Galicia. Bilbao, (also Bilbo) in the North of Spain, is the largest city in the Basque Country and the capital of the province of Biscay (Basque Population Of the 1133444 people who live in Biscay about 35% live in the capital Bilbao and 88% in its metropolitan area. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Ramón Chao (born 1935 in Vilalba, Lugo) is a Galician writer who emigrated to France in 1956 in order to escape Francisco Franco 's regime Galicia (occasionally Galiza) is an autonomous community in northwest Spain. They moved to Paris to escape Francisco Franco's dictatorship—Manu's father had been sentenced to death. Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo Franco y Bahamonde (born December 4, 1892 in Ferrol, died November 20, 1975 in Madrid A dictatorship is usually defined as an autocratic Form of government in which the Government is ruled by a Dictator. ^[1] Shortly after Manu's birth, the Chao family moved to the outlying suburbs of Paris, and Manu spent most of his childhood in Boulogne-Billancourt and Sèvres. Boulogne-Billancourt (often colloquially called simply Boulogne or Boulbi) is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France. Sèvres is a commune in the southwestern suburbs of Paris, France. While growing up he was around many artists and intellectuals, most of whom were his father's acquaintances. ^[2] Chao cites much of his childhood experience as inspiration for some songs. ^[3]

Career

Manu Chao performs live

Early years and Mano Negra

Heavily influenced by the UK rock scene, particularly The Clash^[2] and Dr. Feelgood,^[4] Chao and other musicians formed the Spanish/English rockabilly group Hot Pants in the mid-1980s. For the debut album by The Clash see The Clash (album The Clash were Dr Feelgood are a British pub rock band, which was formed in mid 1971 Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of Rock and roll music and emerged in the early 1950s Hot Pants is one of the numerous groups involving the French / Latin singer-songwriter Manu Chao and his cousin drummer Santi The group released a demo entitled "Mala Vida" in 1984, which received plenty of local critical praise but otherwise gained them little attention. A demo version or demo of a song (shortened from the word "demonstration" is one recorded for reference rather than for release By the time the group released their first album in 1986 the Parisian alternative music scene had taken flight, and Manu, his brother Antoine Chao, and friends such as Alain from Les Wampas formed Los Carayos to incorporate this sound with the rockabilly and punk styles of Hot Pants. "Wampas" redirects here For the Star Wars fictional creature see Wampa. Los Carayos was a French band which released four albums between 1986 and 1994 Los Carayos remained a side project of the artists for eight years, releasing three albums in the first two years followed by a final album in 1994.

In 1987, the Chao brothers and their cousin Santiago Casariego founded the multiracial band Mano Negra. Mano Negra was a French band fronted by Manu Chao. The band was founded in 1987 by Manu his brother Antoine and his cousin Santiago Casariego Starting on a smaller label, the group released a reworked version of the Hot Pants single "Mala Vida," which quickly became a hit in France. The group soon moved to Virgin Records, and their first album Patchanka was released the following year. Virgin Records is a British Record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell Though the group never gained much fame in the English-speaking market, popularity throughout the rest of the world soon followed, reaching the Top #5 in the Netherlands, Italy and Germany. The band achieved some fame in South America with 1992's Cargo Tour, where it played a series of shows in port cities, performing from a stage built into their tour ship's hold. ^[5] Mano Negra also performed a tour through much of South America in a retired train. ^[1] Still, rifts began to grow among band members during the port tour and the following year's train tour; many band members, including Manu's brother Antoine, had left the group by the end of 1994. Following that year's release of their final album, Casa Babylon, Manu Chao moved the band to Madrid, but legal problems with former band mates led Chao to disband the group in 1995. Madrid (pronounced in English in Spanish and colloquially in Spain) is the Capital and largest city of Spain. ^[2]

Mano Negra's sound is mostly characterized by energetic, lively rhythms, symbolized by the title of their first album, Patchanka, derived from the word pachanga (which is a colloquial term for "party"), and a distinct informality which allows the audience to get involved and feel close to their sound. Mixed music genres are present throughout their albums.

Solo years with Radio Bemba

Manu Chao in Prospect Park, Brooklyn, June 2007

After arriving in Madrid, Chao and other band mates from Mano Negra formed a new group, Radio Bemba Sound System (named for the communication system used in the Sierra Maestra by the Castro- and Guevara-led rebels in the Cuban Revolution), featuring groups from diverse backgrounds, such as Mexican Tijuana No!, Brazilian Skank, and Argentinian Todos Tus Muertos. Prospect Park is a 585 acre (24 km² public Park in the New York City borough of Brooklyn located between Park Slope, Brooklyn (named after the Dutch town Breukelen) is one of the five boroughs of New York City. For the Cuban son bandsee Sierra Maestra (music. Sierra Maestra is a Mountain range that runs westward across the south of the old Oriente Province The Cuban Revolution refers to the revolution that led to the overthrow of the United States proxy ruler General Fulgencio Batista 's regime on January 1, The United Mexican States ( or commonly Mexico (ˈmɛksɪkoʊ () is a federal constitutional Republic in North America. Tijuana No! is a Ska, Rock and Punk Mexican band from Tijuana BC, México. |utc_offset = -2 to -4 |time_zone_DST = BRST |utc_offset_DST = -2 to -5 |cctld Skank is a Brazilian Britpop / Reggae band begun in 1991, in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Argentina topics. Todos Tus Muertos ( TTM) is a punk and Reggae band from Argentina created in 1985 Members Cristian drums ^[2] The goal was to replicate the sound of street music and bar scenes from a variety of cultures; to that end, Chao and the group spent several years travelling throughout South and Central America, recording new music as they went. ^[6] The resulting music differed drastically from Mano Negra; the songs were primarily sung in Spanish with far fewer French tracks and the musical style had shifted from punk and alternative styles to the street vibe Chao was aiming for. The songs were collectively released as Clandestino in 1998, under Manu Chao's own name. Clandestino is the first full-length album released by Manu Chao in 1998 his first solo effort Though not an instant success, the album gained a steady following in France with hits such as "Bongo Bong" and "Clandestino", and the album eventually earned the Best World Music Album award in 1999's Victoires de la Musique awards. " Bongo Bong " is the first solo single by Manu Chao from his first album Clandestino. " Clandestino " is the second single and the title track from Manu Chao 's first album Clandestino. Victoires de la musique ( Music's Victories) is an annual French award ceremony that recognises the best singers of the year It sold in excess of 5 million copies. ^[1]

Chao's second album with Radio Bemba Sound System, Próxima Estación: Esperanza, was released in 2001. Próxima Estación Esperanza (Next Station Hope is an album by Manu Chao. This album, named after one of the Madrid metro station stops (the title translates to "next station: Hope"), features similar sounds to Clandestino but with heavier Caribbean influences than the previous album. This is a list of the stations of the metro system in Madrid, Spain (see Madrid Metro) The Caribbean (ˌkærəˡbiən kæ'rəbiən Cariben|Caraïben or Caraïben; Caraïbe or more commonly Antilles; Caribe is a Region consisting The album was an instant hit, leading to a successful tour that resulted in the 2002 live album Radio Bemba Sound System. A live album &ndash commonly contrasted with a Studio album &ndash is a recording consisting of material (usually music recorded during stage performances Radio Bemba Sound System is a Live album by Manu Chao that was released in 2002 Two years later, Chao returned to his French roots with the French-only album Sibérie m'était contée, which included a large book featuring lyrics to the album and illustrations by Jacek Woźniak. Sibérie m'était contéee or Siberie m'etait contéee (" story of Siberia was told/recited to me" but see discussion below is ^[2][1]

Manu Chao's next album La Radiolina ("little radio" in Italian) was released on September 17, 2007. La Radiolina is the fifth solo album (fourth studio album by Manu Chao. Events 1176 - The Battle of Myriokephalon is fought 1462 - The Battle of Świecino (or Battle of Żarnowiec Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. This was the first international release since 2001's Próxima Estación: Esperanza. "Rainin in Paradize" was the first single from the album, available for download on his website before the release of the album. ^[7] Concert reviews indicate that music from La Radiolina was already being performed live as early as April 2007's Coachella show. The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (commonly known as Coachella) is a three-day (formerly a one or two-day annual music and arts festival organized by Goldenvoice ^[8]

Other works

In 2003 he approached Amadou & Mariam and later produced their 2004 album Dimanche à Bamako ("Sunday in Bamako"). Amadou and Mariam are a Musical duo from Mali, composed of the couple Mariam Doumbia (vocals (born in Mali's capital Bamako 15 April 1958 and Dimanche à Bamako (Sunday in Bamako is an album by the Malian duo Amadou & Mariam featuring and produced by Manu Chao. His song "Me llaman Calle," written for the 2005 Spanish film Princesas, earned that film a Goya nomination for Best Original Song. Princesas is a 2005 film by Spanish director Fernando León de Aranoa. The Goya Awards, known in Spanish as los Premios Goya, are Spain 's main national Film awards considered the Spanish equivalent to the American It has been released in 2007's La Radiolina. Vocals from the song are included in the Go Lem System song "Calle Go Lem". Time magazine named "Me Llaman Calle" one of The 10 Best Songs of 2007, ranking it at #8. Time (trademarked in capitals as TIME) is a weekly American Newsmagazine, similar to Newsweek and Writer Josh Tyrangiel observed,

Chao's warm singing over José Manuel Gamboa and Carlos Herrero's leaping Flamenco counter melody creates a direct emotional line to the core of this mid-tempo ballad. With its easy melody and universal rhythm Me Llaman Calle walks proudly in the shadow of Bob Marley, the last guy who made world music this disarmingly simple. ^[9]

He is working on the soundtrack for the upcoming documentary film Maradona with Serbian filmmaker Emir Kusturica. Maradona is a documentary on the life of Argentine footballer Diego Maradona, directed by the award-winning Serbian filmmaker Serbia (Србија Srbija) officially the Republic of Serbia (Република Србија Republika Srbija) is a Landlocked Country Emir Nemanja Kusturica, OF ( Serbian Cyrillic: Емир Кустурица ˈku ^[4] Manu Chao and Tonino Carotone performed the theme song "La Trampa" for the short-lived improvisational comedy Drew Carey's Green Screen Show. The phrase theme music usually refers to that of a radio program, Television program, or Movie. Improvisational theatre (also known as improv or impro) is a form of Theatre in which the Actors use Improvisational acting techniques Drew Carey's Green Screen Show was an Improvisational comedy Television series that aired in the fall of 2004 on The WB Television Network

The songs "Bongo Bong" and "Je ne t'aime plus", which appear back-to-back on Clandestino, were covered by British singers Robbie Williams and Lily Allen, who recorded them as a single track, "Bongo Bong and Je Ne T'Aime Plus" and released it as a single in selected countries, including Mexico and the Czech Republic. Clandestino is the first full-length album released by Manu Chao in 1998 his first solo effort Robert Peter Maximilian Williams (born 13 February 1974) is an English singer Lily Rose Beatrice Allen (born 2 May 1985) is an English Singer-songwriter and television presenter. " Bongo Bong " and " Je Ne T'Aime Plus " are two pop songs originally written and performed by Manu Chao.

Style and influences

Manu Chao sings in the English, Spanish, Galician, Portuguese, French, Arabic and Wolof languages, often mixing them in the same song. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States Portuguese ( or língua portuguesa) is a Romance language that originated in what is now Galicia (Spain and northern Portugal. Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language His music has many influences: punk, rock, French chanson, Iberoamerican salsa, reggae, ska, and Algerian raï. Rock and roll (also known as rock 'n' roll) is a form of Music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s with roots in mostly African A chanson ( French for " Song " from Latin cantio) is in general any lyric -driven French songs usually Polyphonic Salsa music is a diverse and predominantly Latin American Caribbean genre that is popular across Latin America and among Latinos abroad Reggae is a Music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s Ska ( pronounced /ska/ or in Jamaican Patois /skja/ is a Music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and which was the precursor Raï (راي is a form of folk music, originated in Oran Algeria from Bedouin Shepherds mixed with Spanish, French, These influences were obtained from immigrants in France, his Iberian relations, and foremost his travels in Mesoamerica as a nomad following the disbanding of Mano Negra. The Iberian Peninsula, or Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe, and includes modern day Spain, Portugal, Andorra Mesoamerica or Meso-America (Mesoamérica is a Region extending approximately from central Mexico to Honduras and Nicaragua, defined Nomadic people, (from the νομάδες nomádes, "those who let pasture herds" also known as nomads, are communities of people that

Many of Chao's lyrics are about love, living in ghettos, immigration, and often carry a left-wing message. Lyrics (in singular form Lyric) are a set of words that accompany music either by speaking or singing Love is any of a number of Emotions and experiences related to a sense of strong Affection. A ghetto is described as a "portion of a city in which members of a minority group live especially because of social legal or economic pressure Immigration refers to the movement of people among countries While the movement of people has existed throughout human history at various levels modern immigration implies long-term This reflects Chao's own political leanings—he is very close to the Zapatistas and its public spokesman, Subcomandante Marcos. The Zapatista Army of National Liberation ( Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional, EZLN) is an armed Revolutionary group based in Chiapas Subcomandante Marcos, also known as Delegado Cero in matters concerning the Other Campaign, describes himself as the spokesman for the Mexican rebel ^[1] His band Mano Negra is possibly a reference to an anarchist group. Anarchism is a Political philosophy encompassing theories and attitudes which support the elimination of all compulsory Government, i Chao is openly critical of the Bush administration in the United States. George Walker Bush ( born July 6 1946 is the forty-third and current President of the United States. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the He has many followers among the European left and the anti-globalization movement. " Anti-globalization " is a term that encompasses a number of related ideas Punk and reggae historian Vivien Goldman commented of his work, "I was writing about Good Charlotte and The Police. Vivien Goldman is a British journalist writer and musician She was born in London the child of two German-Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany Good Charlotte is an American rock band from Waldorf Maryland that formed in 1996 The Police were a three-piece rock band consisting of Sting ( vocals, Bass guitar) Andy Summers ( Guitar, They adopted the trappings of punk. They aren’t bad groups, but the punk aspect is more manifested by somebody like Manu Chao. He’s one of the punkiest artists out there I can think of. It's an inclusionary spirit that is punk. "^[10]

Manu Chao performs in Paris, France

Chao also has a tendency to reuse music or lyrics from previous songs to form new songs. Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The hit single "Bongo Bong," in contemporary French style, takes its lyrics from the earlier Mano Negra hit "King of the Bongo," which owes more to The Clash. The musical backdrop for "Bongo Bong," in turn, was used in several other Chao songs, including "Je ne t'aime plus" from the same album and "Mr Bobby" and "Homens" from Próxima Estación: Esperanza. The music from that album's "La Primavera" is used in several other songs on that album, while lyrics for a few songs on Sibérie m'était contéee are repeated several times with different music, leading the lyrics to be interpreted in various ways depending on the mood of the track. Several musical themes and clips from that album also appear on Amadou & Mariam's Chao-produced Dimanche à Bamako, which were being produced at approximately the same time.

Though Manu Chao is one of the world's best selling artists, he is less well-known in the English-speaking world. Tours in the United States with Mano Negra never led to much success in that country, and Chao seems inclined to focus his efforts in Europe and Latin America, where his musical style finds its roots. Though his live performances in the U. S. are exceedingly rare, Chao played a handful of dates in that country in 2006, including a headlining spot at Lollapalooza 2006. Lollapalooza is an American music festival featuring Alternative rock, hip hop, and Punk rock bands Dance and Comedy performances ^[11] His final appearance on his 2006 U. S. tour was a benefit concert in the Prospect Park Bandshell in Brooklyn, New York on August 7. Prospect Park is a 585 acre (24 km² public Park in the New York City borough of Brooklyn located between Park Slope, Brooklyn (named after the Dutch town Breukelen) is one of the five boroughs of New York City. New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous He returned to that venue in the summer of 2007 for two concerts, part of the multicultural "Celebrate Brooklyn" concert series. The crowd was treated to a nearly two-hour performance, including two encores. Manu Chao also appeared at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland to a sellout crowd on June 23, 2007. Merriweather Post Pavilion (MPP named for cereal heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post, is an outdoor concert venue located among Symphony Woods a 40-acre (162000-m² Columbia is a Census-designated place and planned community in Howard County, Maryland, United States. Events 1180 - First Battle of Uji, starting the Genpei War in Japan 1305 - The Flemish Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. This was a semi-spontaneous endeavour between Thievery Corporation and Manu Chao facilitated by a new-found friendship developed during Lollapalooza 2006. Thievery Corporation is a Washington DC -based recording artist and DJ duo consisting of Rob Garza and Eric Hilton and their supporting ^[11]

Discography

Main article: Manu Chao discography

• Clandestino (Virgin, 1998)
• Próxima Estación: Esperanza (Virgin, 2001)
• Sibérie m'était contéee (Virgin, 2004)
• La Radiolina (Because/Nacional, 2007)

References

Further reading

• Chao, Ramón. Mano Negra en Colombia. Un tren de hielo y fuego (originally Un train de glace et de feu), 1994. A chronicle of Mano Negra's 1993 tour on Colombia's decrepit railway through small, rural villages, written by Manu's father, Ramón Chao. The name of the train, Expresso de Hielo, was inspired by the opening line of Gabriel García Márquez's novel One Hundred Years of Solitude. Gabriel José de la Concordia García Márquez (born March 6 1927 is a Colombian One Hundred Years of Solitude (Cien años de soledad is a novel by Nobel Prize winning Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez that was first

External links

• Official site
• Manu Chao at MySpace