FR

Dario Moreno

Man
Birth03/04/1921
Death01/12/1968
Age at death47 yearswould be 105 years today
NationalityTurkey

Biography

David Arugete (Hebrew: דריו מורנו; 3 April 1921 – 1 December 1968), commonly known under his stage name Dario Moreno, was a Turkish-Jewish polyglot singer, an accomplished composer, lyricist, and guitarist. He attained fame and made a remarkable career centred in France which also included films, during the 1950s and the 1960s. He became famous with his 1961 song Brigitte Bardot.

Dario Moreno was born to a large Turkish-Jewish family. He was orphaned in early childhood when his father, who worked at the train station in Aydın, was shot dead under tragic circumstances. He was placed in the Sephardic orphanage of Izmir (Nido De Guerfanos) by his mother and remained there until he was four.

After a primary education in the Jewish educational establishments of Izmir, he had many odd jobs during his early youth. He put great effort into continuing his education while simultaneously working to make a living.… He started working as an errand boy in the law firm of the city's prominent lawyers and was eventually trained to become an office clerk. In the evenings, he would study French in Izmir's Central Library. With a guitar that had fallen into his hands by chance, he also learned to play the guitar, mainly on his own with occasional tutoring from acquaintances.

He started singing at Bar Mitzvah celebrations as a second job. In his early twenties, he had already become a well-known singer in Izmir, and particularly among the Jewish community. During his military service in the Turkish Army, he was employed as a singer in officers' quarters in various garrisons and became more focused on music. His first truly professional musical performance started in his hometown after his discharge and was arranged through army connections. After he started making money from his music, he moved to the better-off Jewish quarter of Karataş and lived in a house in a street leading to the historic Asansör, one of the city's landmark buildings (whose name means the “Elevator” since it carried people by elevator to the upper part of the quarter which was separated from the lower coastal area by a steep slope). Nowadays, this street is named Dario Moreno Sokağı (Dario Moreno Street) after him.

Darío Moreno died of a heart attack after an argument between him and a member of the gate staff at Atatürk Airport in İstanbul. He was slightly late for a flight to Paris where he was going to give a concert and attend the first “Turkish Night” to take place in the French capital. The member of staff did not allow him to board the plane leading to a serious argument. Subsequently, 47-year-old Moreno had a heart attack. According to his will he wanted to be buried in İzmir, Turkey. Instead his mother Madam Roza had him buried in Holon, Israel.

Death

Died 1 December 1968 in Istanbul (myocardial infarction).

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA licence)

2Discography

Media
ArtistTitleYearFormatClassificationGem, favourite, must-listen
Album cover: Dario Moreno – Dario MorenoDario MorenoDario Moreno© & ℗1970

Vinyl LP, Album, Compilation, Stereo

Humour
Album cover: Dario Moreno – Oh ! Qué Dario !Dario MorenoOh ! Qué Dario !© & ℗1994

CD Compilation

Humour

32Songs

SongYearRecords
Adiós, Muchachos1970
Amor, Amor1994
Amor, Amor, Amor1970
Brigitte Bardot1994
C'est Magnifique1994
Coucouroucoucou1970
¿Dónde Estás, Corazón?1970
El Manisero (The Peanut Vendor)1970
Eso Es El Amor1994
Exodus (Thème Du Film)1970
Istanbul1994
L'Air Du Brésilien (Extrait de ''La Vie Parisienne)1970
La Bamba1970
La Marmite1994
La Pachanga1994
La Quête1994
Les Mouettes De Mikonos1979
Malagueña1970
Mambo Italiano1994
Oh ! Qué Mambo1994
Papa Loves Mambo1994
Perfidia1994
Plegaria1970
Pour Toi1994
Quand Elle Danse1994
Quizas, Quizas, Quizas1970
Rock A Conga1994
Si Tu Vas A Rio1970
Tiens, Tiens, Tiens1994
Tout L'amour1994
Tumba Le Le1994
Vérité1994