Manu Chao (born José-Manuel Thomas Arthur Chao on June 21, 1961 in Paris, France) is a French-born singer of Spanish origin. He sings principally in French, Spanish and English and occasionally in a number of other languages.

Early life

Chao's mother was from Bilbao, the Basque region in Northern Spain; his father, writer and journalist Ramón Chao, was Galician, from Vilalba. They moved to Paris to escape Francisco Franco's dictatorship, which lasted until the dictator's death in 1975. 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. Whilst growing up he was constantly surrounded by artists and intellectuals, most of whom were his father's acquaintances with wide multicultural diversity that influenced his personality to a large extent. He grew up with thoughts of social equality and a thirst for diversity which largely shows in the mixture of distinct exotic sound without boundaries in his music. http://www.rfimusique.com/siteen/biographie/biographie_6191.asp

Career

Early years and Mano Negra

Heavily influenced by the UK punk scene, particularly The Clash - Chao and other musicians formed the Spanish/English rockabilly group Hot Pants in the mid-80s. The group released a demo entitled "Mala Vida" in 1984, evincing plenty of local critical praise but otherwise gaining them little attention. 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 rockbilly and punk styles of Hot Pants. Los Carayos remained a side interest 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 band Mano Negra. Starting on a smaller label, the group released a re-worked version of the Hot Pants single "Mala Vida," which quickly became a hit in France. The group soon moved to Virgin, and their first album Patchanka was released the following year. Though the group never gained a foothold in the Anglo market, popularity throughout the rest of the world soon followed. Gained Top #5 in Netherlands, Italy and Germany, In South America, the band achieved some fame from 1992's "Cargo Tour," where the band played a series of shows in port cities, performing from a stage built into their tour ship's hold.http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/mano_negra/bio.jhtml Still, rifts began to grow among band members during that tour and the following year's train station tour throughout South America; 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 bandmates led Chao to disband the group in 1995.

Mano Negra's sound is mostly characterized by lively rhythms which transmit a vibrant energy, symbolized by the title of their first album, "Patchanka", derived from "pachanga" (which is a colloquial term for "party"), and a distinct informality which allows the audience to get involved and feel familiarly close to their sound. The mixing of music genres is present throughout their albums and one attempt to describe it would be as folkloric rock punk with reggae fragrances of a highly innovative nature.

Solo years with Radio Bemba

After arriving in Madrid, Chao and other bandmates 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 artists from widely varying groups such as Tijuana No! (from Mexico), Skank (from Brazil), and Todos Tus Muertos (from Argentina). 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.http://music.yahoo.com/ar-288472-bio--Manu-Chao 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. 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.

Chao's second album with Radio Bemba Sound System, Esperanza, was released in 2001. 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. The album was an instant hit, leading to a successful tour that resulted in the 2002 live album - Radio Bemba Sound System. 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 Wo?niak.

Manu Chao's next album La Radiolina was released on September 17th, 2007. This was the first international release since 2001's Próxima Estación: Esperanza. "Rainin in Paradise" was the first single from the album, available for download on his website before the release of the album.http://music.monstersandcritics.com/news/article_1296328.php/Manu_Chao%92s_plans_new_album_and_Coachella_appearance Concert reviews indicate that music from La Radiolina was already being performed live as early as April 2007's Coachella show.http://www.abqtrib.com/news/2007/may/04/rock-n-roll-celebrities-and-sun-abound-coachella-m/

Other works

Manu Chao and Tonino Carotone performed the theme song "La Trampa" for the short-lived improvisational comedy Drew Carey's Green Screen Show.

In 2003 he approached Amadou and Mariam and later produced their 2004 album Dimanche à Bamako (Sunday in Bamako).

His song "Me llaman Calle," written for the 2005 Spanish film Princesas, earned that film a Goya nomination for Best Original Song. It has been released in 2007's La Radiolina. Vocals from the song are included in the Go Lem System song "Calle Go Lem."

He is working on the soundtrack for the upcoming documentary film Maradona with Serbian film maker Emir Kusturica.

His song "Minha Galera" was featured in the movie Real Women Have Curves.

His song "Mr. Bobby" was covered by Hungarian rock band "Torres Dani and the Veni Styx" on the 2005 album Versus.

His 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. Bongo Bong has also been remixed or sampled by other artists resulting in a number of popular underground dance hits, notably the anti-war anthem 'President of the Bongos' by the Pakistani DJ and peace activist Disorientalist.

His song "Mala Vida" was covered by New York gypsy punk band Gogol Bordello.

Mano Negra's song "Santa Maradona" inspired the title (and the main titles) of the hip italian slacker comedy directed by Marco Ponti in 2001.

Style and influences

Manu Chao sings in French, Spanish, Arabic, Galician, Portuguese, English, and Wolof, often mixing them in the same song. His music has many influences: rock, French chanson, Iberoamerican salsa, reggae, ska, and Algerian raï. These influences were obtained from immigrants in France, his Iberian relations, and foremost his travels in Mesoamerica as a wandering nomad following the disbanding of Mano Negra.

Many of Chao's lyrics are about love, living in ghettos and immigration, and often carry a left-wing message. This reflects Chao's own political leanings—he is very close to the Zapatista movement, whose public spokesman, Subcomandante Marcos, is sampled heavily on Radio Bemba Sound System. His band Mano Negra is possibly a reference to an anarchist group. Chao is openly critical of the Bush administration in the US. He has many followers among the European left and the anti-globalization movement. Of his work, punk and reggae historian Vivien Goldman commented, "I was writing about Good Charlotte and The Police. 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." Interview with Vivien Goldman, David Shankbone, Wikinews, October 3, 2007.

Chao is also notable for his tendency to reuse music or lyrics from previous songs to form new songs. 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 US are exceedingly rare, Chao played a handful of dates in that country in 2006, including a headlining spot at Lollapalooza 2006. His final appearance on his 2006 U.S. tour was a benefit concert in the Prospect Park Bandshell in Brooklyn, New York on August 7th. In front of a jubilant, sweaty crowd, Chao performed a three and a half hour set that included an hour of encores.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. This was a semi-spontaneous endeavour between Thievery Corporation and Manu Chao facilitated by a new-found friendship developed during Lollapalooza 2006.

Discography

See Hot Pants, Los Carayos and Mano Negra for earlier recordings.

Studio Albums

• Clandestino (Virgin - 1998) Ger # 14
• Esperanza (Virgin - 2001) Ger # 4 Ita #1
• Sibérie m'était contéee [1], (Virgin - 2004)
• La Radiolina (Because/Nacional-September 17, 2007) US # 71, UK #41, Fra #2, Ita # 2, Spa #1, Ger # 5, Gr # 1

Live Albums

• Radio Bemba Sound System (live album) (Virgin - 2002) Ger # 32

DVD

• Babylonia en Guagua (2002)

Singles

• "Bongo Bong" (1999) Ger # 7
• "Clandestino" (2000)
• "Merry Blues" (2001)
• "Me Gustas Tú" (2001)
• "Mr. Bobby" (2002)
• "Rainin In Paradize" (2007)

Other appearances

• 1991 - Negu Gorriak, Gora Herria (EP)
• 1992 - Todos Tus Muertos, Dale Aborigen
• 1993 - En mi casa (???)
• 1994 - Negu Gorriak, Hipokrisiari Stop! Bilbo 93-X-30 (live album)
• 1996 - Skank, O Samba Poconé
• 1997 - Amparanoïa, El Poder de Machín
• 1997 - Anouk, Automatik Kalamity
• 1999 - World Playground (Compilation) - contributed "Bongo Bong"
• 1999 - Amparanoïa, Fiesta Furiosa
• 1999 - Fermin Muguruza, Brigadistak Sound System - contributes to "Maputxe"
• 1999 - Tonino Carotone, Mondo Difficile - contributes to "Me Cago en el Amor" (production and vocals) y Percatore (production)
• 1999 - Tonino Carotone, single "Me Cago en el Amor" and compilation "Fuerza"- contributes to La Trampa (production and vocals)
• 1999 - Idir, Identities - contributes on "A Tulawin (Une Algérienne Debout)," later reworked as "Denia" on Próxima Estación: Esperanza
• 1999 - Emmaüs Mouvement (Compilation for the profit of Abb%C3%A9_Pierre's association) - contributed "Tous les Jours"
• 2000 - Wagner Pá, Brazuca Matraca
• 2000 - Radical Mestizo dos punto mil (Compilation) - contributed "Luna y Sol"
• 2001 - Karamelo Santo, Los Guachos - produced and contributed vocals to some songs
• 2001 - Lumbalú, Me Voy con el Gusto - chorus on "Mariangola"
• 2001 - Digital Mestizo (Compilation)
• 2001 - Noir Désir, Des visages des figures - (guitars on "Le vent nous portera")
• 2002 - La Colifata (Compilation) - contributed "Put It On" (Bob Marley cover)
• 2002 - Barcelona Zona Bastarda (Double Compilation) - contributed "People Dance" with Miki-Lez
• 2002 - Ritier, A ta Santé mon Frère mini album tribute to Elno, singer of the French band Les Négresses Vertes - contributed "Mon Ami Elno"
• 2003 - Per Palestina (Compilation) - contributed "Put It On" (Bob Marley cover)
• 2003 - Il y a un Pays... Palestine (Compilation) - contributed "Denia"
• 2003 - Go Lem System, Viaje - (Spanish guitar in "See Me Dubbing")
• 2003 - Mouss & Hakim, La Gnake single (promo) - music & production. this was recorded for the French rugby team
• 2004 - Amadou & Mariam, Dimanche à Bamako (producer and "guest star")
• 2004 - Toots & the Maytals - "True Love" CD, bonus track of the European version - duet version of "Merry Blues" with Toots
• 2005 - Princesas (Spanish film) - contributed two songs, "Me llaman Caye" and "Cinco Razones"
• 2005 - RadioChango Añejo Reserva vol I (Compilation) - contributed "J'ai Besoin de la Lune"
• 2005 - The song "Mentira" is used throughout the 2005 film The Undocumented Documentary.
• 2005 - National Records "Sample This" compilation (promo) - contributed "Clandestino" in an acoustic version
• 2005 - Fermin Muguruza, "99-04" (DVD) - contributed "Police-Peligro"
• 2006 - Go Lem System, Cacería - the vocals for "Me llaman Calle" are used in the song "Calle Go Lem"
• 2006 - El Gafla, pA/Ris-Casbah - duet version of "Clandestino"
• 2007 - Roy Paci & Aretuska - "Toda gioia, toda beleza", vocals on the song
• 2007 Autumn Manu Chao and band played a concert at the so called Torsdags-demo, in solidarity with the Youth House (ungdomshuset) struggle.