Manu Chao, born in Paris in 1961 to Spanish parents, fronted Mano Negra before going solo with Clandestino (1998) — a worldwide hit that moved over five million copies. He sings in French, Spanish, English, and more, folding reggae, ska, and Latin rock into one border-crossing songbook. Dig into Manu Chao vinyl, CDs, and reissues at Wax Trax Records.
José-Manuel Thomas Arthur Chao was born in Paris, France on June 21, 1961 to Spanish parents who fled Franco's Spain. He founded the band Mano Negra in 1987 with his brother Antoine Chao (Tonio) and others - the band became defining figures in the Rock-en-français movement until their 1995 dissolution. His solo career launched with Clandestino (1998), which became a international hit and one of the most commercially successful French-language albums in history (over 5 million copies sold). He sings in French, Spanish, English, Portuguese, Italian, Galician, and Arabic across his catalog. He has been involved in social justice causes, particularly around globalization, migration, and Latin American politics.
Manu Chao's sound combines world music, Latin alternative, reggae, ska, rock en español, Latin rock, dub, and folk rock with his distinctive multilingual vocal delivery (combining French, Spanish, English, and other languages), and arrangements drawing on global musical traditions and contemporary alternative music influences.
Virgin France and Because Music pressings of the Manu Chao catalog have been issued in multiple color variant editions and limited deluxe pressings.
Listeners new to Manu Chao typically start with Clandestino (1998) or Próxima Estación: Esperanza (2001).
