Dúo Dinámico (''Dynamic Duo'' in English) is a

Spanish music In Spain, music has a long history. It has played an important role in the development of Western music, and has greatly influenced Latin American music. Spanish music is often associated with traditional styles such as flamenco and classical ...

al duo, which was very popular in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

in the 1960s. It is formed by Manuel de la Calva and Ramón Arcusa,

singers Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

, songwriters,

record producers A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure. Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...

and

actors An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), lite ...

. They were the main precursors of

pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former descri ...

in Spain.

Career

Manolo and Ramón met when they were 16 years old, working as

aeronautical engineering Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with the development of aircraft and spacecraft. It has two major and overlapping branches: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering. Avionics engineering is sim ...

apprentices Apprenticeship is a system for training a new generation of practitioners of a trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study (classroom work and reading). Apprenticeships can also enable practitioners to gain a ...

. The duo officially formed on 28 December 1958 in

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

. Their first performance before a live audience was on Radio Barcelona; they wanted to be called ''The Dynamic Boys'', but the show host, Enrique Fernández, said he did not speak English and introduced them as ''Dúo Dinámico'', a name the musicians accepted. After that came more radio performances and a contract to sing at La Masía, a famous restaurant in Barcelona, all while they still worked as engineers. Finally, in the summer of 1959 they quit their day jobs to dedicate themselves to their nascent music career. They recorded their first EP in the fall of 1959, and it was a sales success. From then on, their ascent was spectacular, and they frequently topped the Spanish charts throughout the 60's with hits like "Quince años tiene mi amor", "Quisiera ser", "Perdóname", "Bailando el twist", "Mari Carmen", "Esos ojitos negros", "Amor de verano" or "Mi chica de ayer". They also starred in four films. Their popularity among Spanish music fans was comparable, if not superior, to the one achieved by

The Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...

. The Duo often participated in the various music festivals that took place in Spain at the time. They won the Mediterranean Song Festival in Barcelona in 1966 with "Como Ayer"; the Costa Verde Festival in

Gijón Gijón () or () is a city and municipality in north-western Spain. It is the largest city and municipality by population in the autonomous community of Asturias. It is located on the coast of the Cantabrian Sea in the Bay of Biscay, in the cent ...

with "Somos Jóvenes"; and they were twice second in the

Benidorm International Song Festival The Benidorm International Song Festival ( es, Festival Internacional de la Canción de Benidorm), until 2004 simply Benidorm Song Festival ( es, Festival de la Canción de Benidorm, links=no), was an annual song contest held in the city of Benidor ...

, in 1962 and 1966, with "Quisiera ser" and "Amor amargo". But their greatest achievement came as composers, when their song "

La, la, la "La, la, la" is a song recorded by Spanish singer Massiel, written by Manuel de la Calva and Ramón Arcusa. It is best known as the Spanish winning entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 1968 in London. It was the first time that Spain won the C ...

" won the 1968 Eurovision Song Contest, performed by

Massiel María de los Ángeles Felisa Santamaría Espinosa (born 2 August 1947), professionally known as Massiel, is a Spanish pop singer. She won the Eurovision Song Contest 1968 with the song "La, la, la", beating the British pop singer Cliff Richard' ...

. This was the first time that Spain won this festival, and the only time that Spain has been the sole winner (Spain won again in 1969, but tied with other three countries). The song was originally going to be performed by the duo's friend

Joan Manuel Serrat Joan Manuel Serrat i Teresa (; born 27 December 1943) is a Spanish musician, singer and composer. He is considered one of the most important figures of modern, popular music in both the Spanish and Catalan languages. Serrat's lyrical style ...

, but he insisted on singing in Catalan, something that

Franco Franco may refer to: Name * Franco (name) * Francisco Franco (1892–1975), Spanish general and dictator of Spain from 1939 to 1975 * Franco Luambo (1938–1989), Congolese musician, the "Grand Maître" Prefix * Franco, a prefix used when ref ...

's regime would not allow. After the sales failure of their 1972 album ''Mejor que nunca'', recorded in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

with the collaboration of

George Martin Sir George Henry Martin (3 January 1926 – 8 March 2016) was an English record producer, arranger, composer, conductor, and musician. He was commonly referred to as the " Fifth Beatle" because of his extensive involvement in each of the ...

, the duo decided to retire, but they kept composing for other artists such as

Camilo Sesto Camilo Blanes Cortés (16 September 1946 – 8 September 2019), known professionally as Camilo Sesto "El Rey del Amor", was a Spanish singer, songwriter and music producer. There are various sales figures for him, ranging from 70 to 200 million ...

and

Nino Bravo Luis Manuel Ferri Llopis (3 August 1944 – 16 April 1973), better known by his stage name Nino Bravo, was a Spanish baroque pop and ballad singer. Early life Ferri Llopis was born in Aielo de Malferit (Valencia), Spain. His father, Luis M ...

, and producing for

Julio Iglesias Julio José Iglesias de la Cueva (; born 23 September 1943) is a Spanish singer, songwriter and former professional footballer. Iglesias is recognized as the most commercially successful Spanish singer in the world and one of the top record ...

, Miguel Gallardo or José Vélez. Due to the continuing popularity of their songs, included in the soundtracks of many popular Spanish films and TV shows, and the insistence of various entrepreneurs, the duo made a comeback in 1978. A greatest hits album was released in 1980, and in 1986, they started to record new songs under a new contract with

Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainme ...

. In 1990, one of them, " Resistiré", was included in the soundtrack of

Pedro Almodóvar Pedro Almodóvar Caballero (; (often known simply as Almodóvar) born 25 September 1949) is a Spanish filmmaker. His films are marked by melodrama, irreverent humour, bold colour, glossy décor, quotations from popular culture, and complex narra ...

's film '' Átame''. The duo was presented with the

Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award The Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award is an honor presented annually by the Latin Recording Academy, the same organization that distributes the Latin Grammy Awards, to commend performers "who have made contributions of outstanding artistic ...

in 2014. As of 2016, the duo are still active, performing their hits in yearly live tours throughout Spain. On 21 September 2007, the

jukebox musical A jukebox musical is a stage musical or musical film in which a majority of the songs are well-known popular music songs, rather than original music. Some jukebox musicals use a wide variety of songs, while others confine themselves to songs perf ...

''Quisiera ser'', featuring 24 hits of the Dúo Dinámico, premiered at the Teatro Nuevo Apolo in

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the Largest cities of the Europ ...

References

External links

Official page (in Spanish)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Duo Dinamico Musical groups from Catalonia Spanish musical duos Eurovision Song Contest winners Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winners

Career

See also

References

External links