Bravo was born near Valencia. The son of a salesman, he moved to Valencia at the age of three, along his father, who went to Valencia to look for better economic opportunities, and the rest of his family.
Nino Bravo was a shy child. He had a tendency to befriend older people, and, in 1958, he met bassist Vicente Lopez. Lopez later on helped Bravo become friends with other Valencia musicians, such as Paco Ramon, who later on also went on to become a Spaniard musical legend.
Bravo had no idea, before meeting Lopez, that his singing voice would be liked by anyone. He and Lopez discovered his singing voice during a short trip that Bravo, Lopez and Ramon, among others, went on. The trip was supposed to be just a hang-out trip between friends; Lopez was surprised as he awoke from a nap to Bravo's voice as Bravo sang Domenico Modugno's hit "Libero". So impressed was Lopez by Bravo's voice, that he predicted Bravo would become a superstar right after awakening.
Nino Bravo soon began working as a jeweler and supermarket assistant. The supermarket where he worked at was owned by his mother. When Bravo was sixteen, 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 made an attempt at recording this song, forming a band and calling themselves "Los Hispanicos" (not to be confused with "Los Hispanos", a far more famous group). The attempt to have their own version of "La Novia" failed.
Bravo also was a Rock & Roll music fan. Soon after, he found a job singing at a hotel, where he would sing one of his favorite English songs, "Only You". Bravo was approached by a recording company agent who tried to convince him to sign with his label. He declined, because he felt unconfortable that only he, and not the rest of "Los Hispanicos", would be featured in the album.
In 1964, "Los Hispanicos" changed their name to "Los Superson", and, with this, their luck changed a little, as they won a local radio contest, then moved on to Benidorm, where they built a relatively large base of female fans. Bravo was called for military duty, however, and he went through a bout of depression. He almost decided to quit his singing career during this period of his life.
During Bravo's time away in the military, Lopez befriended a radio personality, who was impressed by "Los Superson"s sound and wanted them signed. "The Superson"s album debut would have been nothing but two songs included in another singer's LP. But, that time around, it was Lopez who declined being signed, based on the fact that he wanted his friend and band's leader to be in the album as well.
When Bravo returned from the service, Lopez was so enthusiastic, that the radio host asked him if he thought Bravo could sing like Tom Jones, Engelbert Humperdinck or John Rowles. Upon hearing Bravo's voice, however, the radio man was impressed too.
The radio host, Miguel Suiran, took Bravo to a singing festival. Although Bravo did not win the festival, Suiran became convinced that it was time for Bravo to become a star on his own, and, soon after, Suiran came up with the artistic name of Nino Bravo.
Bravo and Suiran tried for Bravo to be signed by the RCA label; although Bravo got some RCA executives interested in signing him, the label, ultimately led by a decision made by one executive, declined to sign Bravo. Bravo and Suiran then went to the Fonogram recording studio, where executives asked the pair to await a couple of weeks to see if they wanted to sign Bravo. Both RCA and Fonogram's studios were located in Madrid.
Back in Valencia, Suiran published a newspaper ad announcing "Nino Bravo y Los Superson". Soon after, Fonogram called, letting Bravo and Suiran know that they had decided to sign Bravo and "Los Superson" to an album deal.
In March of 1969, shortly after their album hit the market, Bravo sang in front of a live audience for the first time. In a show of fan support, a large number of admirers tore off Bravo's concert posters after his first concert was over.
Fonogram wanted Bravo to go solo, and by 1970, Suiran had been substituted by Jose Meri as Bravo's manager.
That year, Bravo participated at the prestigious Barcelona music festival, but, once again, he did not win. It would be two other festivals, however, what would lead Bravo to obtain international fame: after receiving favoring reviews from a festival audience in Athens, Greece, he went on to impress the public at another festival, the Rio de Janeiro festival.
After being exposed to international audiences in Europe and Latin America, he went through another change in management, as the famous singers' manager, Augusto Alguero, relieved Jose Meri from his duties. Bravo's first solo album was soon released, and his song, "Te Quiero, te quiero..", went on to become an international hit that is now considered to be a classic song by many Hispanic music critics. Bravo's first album was named "Tu Cambiaras" ("You Will Change"), and it sold in large numbers, particularly in Colombia, where Bravo became a very popular singer.
Nino Bravo then spent ten weeks in a row singing in the Spaniard television show, "Pasaporte a Dublin" ("Passport to Dublin)". The winner of the show would represent Spain in 1971's Eurovision contest, and Bravo came in second place.
Bravo then went on another Latin American tour, visiting Colombia for the first time ever, and stopping in Brazil to participate in his second Rio de Janeiro festival. Tied for first place at the festival, he eventually lost during a recount to an American singer.
Also in 1971, Nino Bravo recorded his second album, which went untitled. The album would later on be posthumously released on CD format and named "Puerta de amor" ("Love's Door").
In 1972, Bravo launched his third album, "Libre" ("Free"). "Libre" proved to be both a huge success and a very controversial album for Bravo, as many Latin American dictators of the time banned the album's title song from being played in their countries, and, as a consequence, Bravo was also banned from singing them in certain countries. Bravo's success, however, was such that he was widely known in places like Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Puerto Rico Venezuela and among the Hispanic population of the United States.
In January of 1973, his daughter Amparo was born. A second daughter, Eva, would later arrive, but Nino never got to see her.
Some of the words that Nino Bravo said in 1973 proved to be tragically prophetic: talking about his last Latin American tour, he referred to a song named "Noelia" as "(his) last song". Another song that he released that same year, "Un Beso y una Flor" ("A Kiss and a Flower") became one of Bravo's largest international hits. Loosely translated into English, the song's chorus would say "A Kiss and a Flower during my good-bye". On March 14 of that year, he performed his last concert, in front of his Valencia fans.
Nino Bravo was on his way to Madrid driving his BMW 2800 with a singing duo on April 16 when he was involved in a car accident just outside of Spain's capital city. He died instantly as a consequence of the injuries suffered during the accident. Bravo had just signed a five year record deal with the European record company, Polydor.
Mi Gran Amor
Nino Bravo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
has sido tú
aurora, cielo y paraíso
de juventud,
mi gran amor,
si no es por ti
mi vida vacía
sin luz estaría.
Mi gran amor
(mi gran amor)
quisiera ser,
(quisiera ser)
mendigo, rey y centinela
de tu querer,
poder soñar sin despertar
que soy tu alegría
de noche y de día
y siempre tuyo vida mía.
Mi gran amor,
te conocí,
pues siglos antes
de encontrarnos
te presentí,
mi corazón por tu pasión
sin darme yo cuenta
se ha vuelto canción.
Ya soy feliz
(ya soy feliz)
mi gran amor
(mi gran amor)
y el árbol seco
de mi vida
ya tiene flor,
y se cantar al despertar
que soy tu alegría
de noche y de día
y siempre tuyo vida mía
y siempre tuyo vida mía
(mi gran amor has sido tú
mi gran amor)
The lyrics of Nino Bravo's song "Mi Gran Amor" describe a profound love for someone who has brought meaning and joy to the singer's life. The song begins by addressing the subject of the love, describing them as the dawn, sky, and paradise of the singer's youth. Without this person, the singer's life would be empty and devoid of light. Their love is depicted as all-encompassing, capable of transforming the singer from a beggar to a king, and always present in their dreams and reality.
The lyrics continue on to reveal the mysterious nature of this love, suggesting that the two souls were meant to be together even before they met in this lifetime. The singer's heart was drawn to the passion of the other, and the feeling has become a song without them even realizing it. The final verse presents a picture of happiness, with the once-dry tree of the singer's life now blossoming with flowers. The singer is finally content because they have found their great love, and the love will always be theirs.
Overall, the lyrics to "Mi Gran Amor" are an ode to profound love that transforms the singer's life, brings joy, and provides meaning. The song captures the intensity of love that many people can relate to, as it navigates the complexities of human emotion and the quest for something more.
Line by Line Meaning
Mi gran amor
The person whom I love deeply.
has sido tú
It has always been you whom I have loved.
aurora, cielo y paraíso
You are like a sunrise, a heaven, and a paradise to me.
de juventud,
Like the sweet memories of my youth.
si no es por ti
If it were not for you.
mi vida vacía
My life would be empty.
sin luz estaría.
Without light, without hope.
quisiera ser,
I wanted to become.
mendigo, rey y centinela
A beggar, a king, and a guard.
de tu querer,
For your affection and love.
poder soñar sin despertar
To dream without waking up.
que soy tu alegría
That I am your happiness.
de noche y de día
In the day and at night.
y siempre tuyo vida mía.
And always, I am yours, my love.
te conocí,
I met you.
pues siglos antes
As if ages before.
de encontrarnos
We found each other.
te presentí,
I had a premonition about you.
mi corazón por tu pasión
My heart, for your passion and love.
sin darme yo cuenta
Without me realizing it.
se ha vuelto canción.
Has become a song.
Ya soy feliz
Now I am happy.
y el árbol seco
And the dry tree.
de mi vida
In my life.
ya tiene flor,
Now has flowers.
y se cantar al despertar
And I sing when I wake up.
que soy tu alegría
That I am your happiness.
y siempre tuyo vida mía
And always, I am yours, my love.
y siempre tuyo vida mía.
And always, I am yours, my love.
(mi gran amor has sido tú
My great love has always been you.
mi gran amor)
My great love)
Contributed by Grayson M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Andrés Antonio Valdivieso Gómez
Mi gran amor has sido tú,
aurora, cielo y paraíso
de juventud.
Mi gran amor si no es por ti
mi vida vacía
sin luz estaría.
Mi gran amor quisiera ser
mendigo, rey y centinela
de tu querer.
Poder soñar sin despertar
que soy tu alegría
de noche y de día
y siempre tuyo, vida mía.
Mi gran amor, te conocí
pues siglos antes de encontrarnos
te presentí.
Mi corazón por tu pasión
sin darme yo cuenta
se ha vuelto canción.
Ya soy feliz, mi gran amor,
y el árbol seco de mi vida
ya tiene flor.
Y sé cantar al despertar
que soy tu alegría
de noche y de día
y siempre tuyo, vida mía.
Y siempre tuyo vida mía.
Alejandro Arrabal Ruiz
Escuchar a Nino es como encontrar la conexión con tu alma. Su voz te llena el corazón. Es sin duda el mejor cantante que he escuchado y escucharé. Tengo 19 años, llevo escuchándole desde los 3 años que tenga memoria y es asombroso advertir cómo cada vez que escucho al gran Nino se me ponga la piel de gallina; inmediatamente soy feliz. Una lástima que nos dejara tan pronto, la de canciones que habrían llenado nuestros corazones... pero su legado será eterno. Pongan esta música a sus hijos, algún día lo agradecerán. Gracias por tu legado Nino, eternamente agradecidos❤❤
Angelica Arellano
Nino Bravo fuiste y serás el mejor cantante,tus hermosas canciones quedaron para toda la vida.
CS
recuerda, Camiloe es tenor, tenor lírico, dramático, espinto, Soprano, Mezzo Soprano, semi barítono y nina? SOLO TENOR no tiene nada más, nina es una voz débil que cuando sube se le va lo de tenor, solo tiene voz grave en notas bajas nunca en notas altas y Camilo siii así que calla hijo, cállate. No, recuerda Camilo Sesto en voz es mucho más bravo que nino, nino canta bien pero Camilo está unos peldaños más arriba que nino, la voz de Camilo fluctúa va desde Tenor, a bajo, de bajo a semi barítono y barítono y puede llegar hasta Soprano y a Mezzo Soprano, TENOR DRAMÁTICO lírico y nino solo es TENOR nada más, en conclusión Camilo es mucho más completo Vocalmente que nino. No lo olvides
juan jose escriva segui
Cómo nos emocionas después de tantos años que te fuiste,tu hermosa voz nos acompañará hasta el fin de los tiempos.
Hernan Dario
Que hermosa canción, que tema!!!, Dios te tenga en su santa gloria Nino!!
Il RoSsonero Omeñaca
Por que ya no hacen canciones como esta?
Maldito trap, reggaeton y toda esa moda fome
TREMENDA OBRA DE ARTE!!!!
NORMI CAS
Porque rompieron todo…la sociedad va para atrás
Il RoSsonero Omeñaca
@NORMI CAS ke lamentable. Que bueno que aún hay gente que le gusta buena música.
Saludos
Nestor Elgueta
Dios bendice el amor
Il RoSsonero Omeñaca
@Nestor Elgueta siii así sea siempre!!!