Manu Chao's Background: Manu Chao was born Jose-Manuel Thomas Arthur Chao on June 21, 1961 in Spain to a Galician father and a Basque mother, and moved to Paris as a very young child, when his parents decided to escape the dictatorship of Francisco Franco.
Manu Chao's Early Musical Projects: In the 1980's, Manu Chao experimented with a number of different genres of music, including punk and rockabilly, before starting his band Mano Negra with his brother Antoine and some friends. His "stage name" in Mano Negra was Oscar Tramor. Mano Negra played a combination of rock, punk, rockabilly, ska and Latin music, and became wildly popular in Europe and South America.
Manu Chao's Solo Sound: After the breakup of Mano Negra, Manu Chao began to perform as a solo artist. His music is even more experimental than that of Mano Negra, with an even heavier focus on Ska, Rai and Latin Music. He plays the guitar, and is usually accompanied by a band called Radio Bemba Sound System, which includes horns, keyboards and various world musical instruments.
Manu Chao's Lyrics: Manu Chao's lyrics touch on a variety of issues, from the mundane and even silly ("King of the Bongo") to love, poverty and world politics. He sings in at least seven languages: French, Spanish, Portuguese, Galician, English, Arabic and Wolof, often in the same sound.
Manu Chao's Politics: Manu Chao is decidedly left-wing, politically, and is very critical of various governmental regimes around the world, including the Bush Administration. He is very supportive of the Zapatista movement in Mexico, as well.
Amadou et Mariam: Manu Chao moved into the role of producer in 2004 when he produced the Grammy-nominated Dimanche A Bamako for blind Malian couple Amadou et Mariam. The album carries heavy traces of Manu Chao's distinct style, and helped skyrocket Amadou et Mariam to fame.
Discography:
Clandestino - 1998 (Compare Prices)
Proximo Estacion: Esperanza - 2001 (Compare Prices)
Live Album: Radio Bemba Sound System - 2002 (Compare Prices)
Siberee M'etait Conteee - 2004
DVD: Live: Babylonia en Guagua - 2002 (Compare Prices)
La Radiolina - 2007 (Compare Prices)
Clandestino - 1998 (Compare Prices)
Proximo Estacion: Esperanza - 2001 (Compare Prices)
Live Album: Radio Bemba Sound System - 2002 (Compare Prices)
Siberee M'etait Conteee - 2004
DVD: Live: Babylonia en Guagua - 2002 (Compare Prices)
La Radiolina - 2007 (Compare Prices)
