Rock is in mourning. Michael Vicensthe bassist of The Bravesone of the few Spanish bands that had international repercussions in the crazy 60s, especially thanks to their hit Black is Black, He passed away this Saturday at 77 years.
Founding member of the historic group, he was preparing these days with his partner Pablo Sanllehí the concert that they were going to offer at the Trui Teatre on March 5a return that they faced full of hope following Quentin Tarantino chose one of their songs for the soundtrack of his film.
Born in El Ferrol, Miguel Vicens boasted of dual nationality, Galician and Majorcan. His father was a sailor and eight months following he was born he was assigned to Mallorca, establishing his residence in Sóller. The harmonica was his first instrument, followed by the guitar and, finally, the bass. “I started playing the guitar in the military service, in Cabrera, on the rocks. In Saint-Tropez I met the Majorcan Sinatra, Toni Obrador, and I earned a living for a while passing the hat. I also had a duet with Leo, the one who I would be the bassist of Beta Quartet, with whom we did versions of the Dynamic Duo, and when Leo went to Beta they asked me if I might play the bass”told this newspaper in 2019, on the occasion of the publication of the volume Historias de Los Bravos.
With Los Bravos, Vicens and the rest of the group members, including the singer Mike Kennedy, they touched the sky. “Less money, Los Bravos has given me everything. At that time we were young and we lived. Thanks to the group I was able to meet the Beatles and the Stones, alternate with Jimmi Hendrix… A very pleasant experience”, remembered. But not everything was sweet. Vicens would also experience dramatic episodes: “We musicians were quite persecuted by anti-drug groups. One day they took me out of Barbarela at gunpoint because they were told that they had found a piece of cigarette paper inside my car. Because of a package that they put in my I was in jail in the car. They sentenced me to three years and I served regarding eight months. You also learn things in there.”
In 2019, more than half a century following Los Bravos burst onto the music scene, the group experienced its umpteenth resurrection with a godfather of luxury: Quentin Tarantino. your theme Bring a little lovin conquered the famous filmmaker, who incorporated him into the BSO of Once upon a time…in Hollywood, film starring DiCaprio and Brad Pitt.
Bring a little lovin was the song that gave Los Bravos the most international success following Black is Black, a song that, according to Vicens, was originally performed by the Australian group Easybeats, until the producer Alain Milhaud acquired the rights and put it in the orbit of the group led by Mike Kennedy. “Our song was much more powerful than the Easybeats”claimed Vicens.
“When they told me we were going to put music to a Tarantino movie, he gave me a high, and above with DiCaprio and Brad Pitt, two monsters. Without a doubt, this will increase our popularity,” confessed Vicens, who had recovered his enthusiasm for music in recent years.