Laurence Enzo Gusman (9 August 1947 – 18 December 2021) was a

Maltese Maltese may refer to: * Someone or something of, from, or related to Malta * Maltese alphabet * Maltese cuisine * Maltese culture * Maltese language, the Semitic language spoken by Maltese people * Maltese people, people from Malta or of Maltese ...

singer born in

Sliema Sliema ( ) is a town located on the northeast coast of Malta in the Districts of Malta#Northern Harbour District, Northern Harbour District. It is a major residential and commercial area and a centre for shopping, bars, dining, and café life. ...

Crown Colony of Malta The Crown Colony of the Island of Malta and its Dependencies (commonly known as the Crown Colony of Malta or simply Malta) was the British colony in the Maltese islands, that has become the modern Republic of Malta. It was established when the ...

.Maltese Biographies Of The Twentieth Century, Albert G. Storace, Malta 1997, p. 341 It was Malta's late comic actor Johnnie Navarro who discovered him and invited him as a resident singer on a programme called "TIC TAC" transmitted on the now-defunct Malta's Cable Radio system run by

Rediffusion Rediffusion was a business that distributed radio and TV signals through wired relay networks. The business gave rise to a number of other companies, including Associated-Rediffusion, later known as Rediffusion London, the first ITV (TV network ...

. In 1964, Gusman was the vocalist of the

pop-group "The Boys". In 1965, Gusman pursued a career in

banking A bank is a financial institution that accepts Deposit account, deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital m ...

, even when he emigrated to Canada in 1979. In later years, he would again spend several years living in Malta.

Career

As a singer, Gusman participated in several international song festivals, such as World Popular Song Festival,

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

; Festival Internacional De la Canción,

Viña del Mar Viña del Mar (; meaning "Vineyard of the Sea") is a List of cities in Chile, city and Communes of Chile, commune on Zona Central, Chile, central Chile's Pacific coast. Often referred to as ("The Garden City"), Viña del Mar is located withi ...

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

; Olympiad De La Chanson,

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

; Alexandria International Song Festival,

Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

; Castlebar International Song Festival,

Castlebar Castlebar () is the county town of County Mayo, Ireland. Developing around a 13th-century castle of the de Barry family, from which the town got its name, the town now acts as a social and economic focal point for the surrounding hinterland. Wi ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

; Cavan International Song Festival

Cavan Cavan ( ; ) is the county town of County Cavan in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The town lies in Ulster, near the border with County Fermanagh in Northern Ireland. The town is bypassed by the main N3 road (Ireland), N3 road that links Dublin ( ...

; Istanbul International Song Festival,

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

; Festival Menschen und meer Rostock,

East Germany East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...

; and Festival Golden Orpheus, Slantchev Bryag, Bulgaria. His major achievement was when he won the coveted ‘First Prize’ at the Golden Orpheus Festival in

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

. In Ireland, he was awarded the Best Foreign Artist at The Cavan International Song Festival, and in Turkey he was declared as the Best Interpreter in the Istanbul International Song Festival. Gusman wrote and composed several of his own songs, many of which are still very popular in Malta and in the Maltese

diaspora A diaspora ( ) is a population that is scattered across regions which are separate from its geographic place of birth, place of origin. The word is used in reference to people who identify with a specific geographic location, but currently resi ...

. Gusman won the Malta Song Festival five times. In Malta he was also a well known radio and television personality.

Personal life

Gusman was married to Carmen Schembri, a well-known singer in the Maltese light music scene and they had two daughters, Johanna and Greta. On 13 December 2011

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

George Abela awarded Enzo the " Midalja ghall-Qadi tar-Repubblika" (Service to the Republic) in recognition for his sterling work as a singer, composer and broadcaster. In August 2020, Enzo's family members denied rumours that he had died, albeit they declared that he was in intensive care, following a fall. On 7 August 2021, during the festival L-Għanja tal-Poplu, Gusman was awarded a special recognition for his great contribution to the Maltese music scene. During the festival, which was televised on

Television Malta Television Malta (; TVM) (formerly known as ''Malta Television Service;'' MTV and ''Xandir Malta'') is a Terrestrial television, terrestrial television network in Malta operated by the Public broadcasting, national broadcaster, Public Broadcasti ...

(TVM), Gusman delivered a short video-message from his recovery bed in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

Death

He died in his home in Canada on 18 December 2021, at the age of 74. His funeral was held 10 days later on 28 December. On 15 March 2023 a monument for Enzo was inaugurated in St. Mary Street in Sliema where Enzo was born and raised. Mario Borg. Lovin Malta 15 March 2023 :Monument For Popular Maltese Singer Enzo Gusman Inaugurated In Sliema. On-Line:https://lovinmalta.com/news/local/monument-for-popular-maltese-singer-enzo-gusman-inaugurated-in-sliema/ Retrieved: 18 November 2024

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gusman, Enzo 1947 births 2021 deaths 20th-century Maltese male singers 20th-century Maltese singers People from Sliema