Manu Chao

Manu Chao, born José Manuel Tomás Arturo Chao Ortega in 1961, is a French-Spanish troubadour who treats borders as a suggestion. He sings in French, Spanish, English, Italian, Arabic, Catalan, Galician, Portuguese and Greek, and he learned his trade busking in Paris and knocking around with groups such as Hot Pants and Los Carayos, bands that already threw languages and styles into one pot.

In 1987 he founded Mano Negra with his brother Antoine Chao and a gang of friends, and they became a sensation, especially in Europe. When that band fell apart in 1995, he went solo, and Clandestino, in 1998, was the result: a hazy, gently rolling blend of reggae, ska and Latin American music, stitched together like a travel diary from a life on the road. The title track still drifts onto rock radio countdowns.

The prizes followed, from French Victoires in 1999 and 2002 to the MTV Europe Music Award for Best French Act in 2001 and a Latin Grammy for Best Alternative Song in 2007. He has kept touring with his live band, Radio Bemba Sound System, turning every show into a borderless street party.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.