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Basque singer and songwriter Mikel Laboa dies

Staff

12/02/2008

The famous singer and composer from Donostia, Mikel Laboa, died yesterday at 5:00am in the morning after being ill for several days. He was scheduled to accept a prize, The Gold Medal of Gipuzkoa, on the 23rd of December, but it didn't work out that way.

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He was 74 years old and after contributing to the modernization of traditional Basque music, Laboa knew how to combine his love for composing and performing with his career in medicine, which he mostly carried out in the Neuropsychiatric Unit for infants at Patronato San Miguel de Donostia-San Sebastian.

Mikel Laboa was born in the old quarters of Donostia in 1934 but moved to Lekeitio with his mother and brothers for a period of time because of the Civil War, which shook the country. When returning to Donostia in the middle of the 20th century, the Gipuzkoan musician learned to play the guitar. His first stage event was at the Gayarre Theatre in Pamplona and since then he participated in an infinite number of musical spectacles and recordings. The singer played the sound theme in Julio Medem''s controversial film, La Pelota Vasca.

Laboa is also one of the founders of the artistic group, Badok Hamairu.

Here is a list of this excellent artist''s recording work:

Lau herri kanta

Ursuako Kantak

Bertolt Brecht

Haika Mutil

Euskal Kanta Berria

Bat-Hiru

Lau-bost

Sei

Lekeitioak, 1988

Hamabi

Hamalau

Mikel Laboa Zuzenean

Zuzenean II - Gernika

60ak+2

Xoriek

Lekeitioak, 2007


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