Fito Cabrales
Encyclopedia
Bilbao
Bilbao ) is a Spanish municipality, capital of the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country. With a population of 353,187 , it is the largest city of its autonomous community and the tenth largest in Spain...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
), is a songwriter, singer and guitarist.
Biography
Adolfo Cabrales, known as "Fito", was born in the Zabala neighborhood in BilbaoBilbao
Bilbao ) is a Spanish municipality, capital of the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country. With a population of 353,187 , it is the largest city of its autonomous community and the tenth largest in Spain...
, and spent part of his childhood and adolescence in Laredo, Cantabria
Laredo, Cantabria
Laredo is a town in the Northern Spanish province and autonomous community of Cantabria.Located between the cities of Santander and Bilbao, Laredo is known in the region and nationally for "La Salvé", its 5 km long beach and for the historic part of town dating back to Roman times...
, and Málaga
Málaga
Málaga is a city and a municipality in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, Spain. With a population of 568,507 in 2010, it is the second most populous city of Andalusia and the sixth largest in Spain. This is the southernmost large city in Europe...
. In his youth he worked as a barman in a brothel his father owned. In these early periods of his musical career he admits to having consumed drugs, although now he declares himself "clean".
In 1989 Fito joined Iñaki "Uoho" Antón, Juantxu "Mongol" Olano and Jesús "Maguila" García, raised also in Fito's neighborhood, and formed the group Platero y Tú
Platero y Tú
Platero y Tú was a Spanish rock band founded in Bilbao in the 1980s, and disbanded in 2001. Their lyrics speak mainly of drugs, bar issues and love, and their style, being mainly influenced by bands like Status Quo or Leño, and guitarists like John Fogerty from Creedence Clearwater Revival, broke...
. They recorded their first album in 1991, Voy a acabar borracho ("I will end up drunk"). During the 90s, Platero made a name in the Spanish rock scene, and formed links to other important artists such as La Polla Records
La Polla Records
La Polla Records is a Spanish punk rock band. They were formed in 1979 in Salvatierra/Agurain, a small town in the Basque Country . Its founders were Evaristo Páramos, Maleguin, Txarly and Sume...
(Evaristo has a collaboration in the song Juliette), Rosendo Mercado
Rosendo Mercado
Rosendo Mercado Ruiz is a Spanish rock singer and songwriter. He was part of the groups Ñu and Leño, and is a prominent exponent of the so-called urban rock in Spain.- First steps :...
(Sin solución) and, most prominently, the group Extremoduro
Extremoduro
Extremoduro is a Spanish rock band from Plasencia, Extremadura. The band is led by Roberto Iniesta, also known as "Robe", who is often referred as "El rey de Extremadura" ....
, with whom they made a joint tour in 1996.
In 1998, and in parallel to Platero y Tú, the group Fito & Fitipaldis
Fito & Fitipaldis
Fito & Fitipaldis is a Spanish band, formed in 1998. It was created by Fito Cabrales with the intention of publishing songs which were not in the style of his other band, Platero y Tú...
is formed, with the aim of publishing the songs that do not fit in the Platero repertoire. At first both groups coexisted without problems, but after Platero y Tú dissolved in 2001, Fito worked exclusively in his new group, obtaining an even greater success.
Fito is remarkable both in style and personality. He is thin and short (around 1.64 m and 50 kg), usually wears long sideburns and a shaved scalp. He is nearly always seen wearing a flat cap
Flat cap
A flat cap is a rounded men or women's cap with a small stiff brim in front. Cloths used to make the cap include original wool, tweed , and cotton. Less common materials may include leather. Cord flat caps are also worn in various colours. The inside of the cap is usually lined with silk for...
, which he used to give them away after the concerts (when he was with Platero y Tú.)
He currently lives in the town of Guernica, Biscay
Biscay
Biscay is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the Basque Country, heir of the ancient Lord of Biscay. Its capital city is Bilbao...
.
Influences
Despite the differences between the Platero y Tú rock & roll, and the bluesBlues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
, soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
and jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
mix of Fito & Fitipaldis, Fito has always sung of personal stories, often revolving around night-life, bars, drugs and women.
He refers to his time working in a brothel and other run-down areas of Bilbao in some of his songs: in the Platero y Tú
Platero y Tú
Platero y Tú was a Spanish rock band founded in Bilbao in the 1980s, and disbanded in 2001. Their lyrics speak mainly of drugs, bar issues and love, and their style, being mainly influenced by bands like Status Quo or Leño, and guitarists like John Fogerty from Creedence Clearwater Revival, broke...
album Muy deficiente, there is a song devoted to the Cantalojas bridge, and a "girl of the Cortes" (a prostitute in the neighborhood by that name.)
With Platero y Tú
- Voy a acabar borracho, (1991), Welcome. Reedited by DRODro RecordsDro Records is a Spanish record label founded in 1982 by the band Aviador Dro. During the 80s Dro became the most important independent record label from Spain publishing artists that would define the decade....
in 1996. - Burrock'n'roll, (1992), DRO.
- Muy deficiente, (1992), DRO.
- Vamos tirando, (1993), DRO.
- Hay poco Rock & roll, (1994), DRO
- A pelo, (live, 1996), DRO
- 7, (1997), DRO
- Correos, (2000), DRO
- Hay mucho Rock'n'Roll, "Volumen I" (2002) and "Volumen II" (2005), DRO
With Fito & Fitipaldis
- A puerta cerrada, (1998), DRO
- Los sueños locos, (2001), DRO
- Lo más lejos a tu lado, (2003), DRO
- Vivo… para contarlo, (live, 2004), DRO
- Por la boca vive el pez, (2006), DRO
- Antes de que cuente diez, (2009), DRO