Germán Coppini

Germán Coppini López-Tormos (19 November 1961 – 24 December 2013) was a Spanish singer-songwriter. He is regarded as one of Spain's most influential musicians of the late 20th century as well as one of the country's best lyricists. A leading figure of the Movida Viguesa, he was a founding member of Galician bands Siniestro Total and Golpes Bajos.Coppini started his musical career in Vigo in 1980 as the lead vocalist of the group Coco y los del 1.500, alongside guitarist Miguel Costas and drummer Julián Hernández. In 1981, Costas and Hérnandez changed the name of their other group, Mari Cruz Soriano y los que Afinan su Piano, to Siniestro Total, and added Germán as a vocalist, effectively dissolving their previous band. With Siniestro Total, Coppini released the EP Ayudando a los enfermos, (1981) their debut album ¿Cuándo se come aquí? (1982) and the single "Sexo chungo / Me pica un huevo" (1983). That same year, he formed the sophisti-pop band Golpes Bajos with former school mate Teo Cardalda, he was a member of both bands until that spring, when he left Siniestro Total. With Golpes Bajos he released an homonymous EP, with the songs "Malos tiempos para la lírica" and "No mires a los ojos de la gente," garnering them national attention and acclaim. Their debut album A Santa Compaña was released in 1984, with their last output, Devocionario, coming in 1985. In September of that same year the group announced its dissolution.

After the band's dissolution Coppini started an uneven solo career, he released three LPs, El Ladron de Bagdad (1987), the 70's soul cover's album Flechas Negras (1989) and latin-infused Carabás (1996). During this period he also collaborated with other artists such as Mecano's Nacho Cano, Alaska y Dinarama and Paco Clavel. In 1997, he reunited again with Cardalda to release another Golpes Bajos record Vivo, but the discreet commercial response made them abandon the project soon after.

Coppini continued collaborating with other artists, and formed the band Anónimos in 2003. Three years later he released the rarities album Las Canciones del Limbo with unreleased songs recorded from 1999 until 2004. That same year he collaborated with trio Maga, and in 2007, had them as an accompanying band playing mainly Golpes Bajos and Siniestro Total classics. He also formed the project Lemuripop alongside Alex Brujas, releasing an album, Todas las pérdidas crean nudos (2012). A compilation album, Huellas de una voz was also released that year, including his two first solo records and unreleased material. In 2013, he released his fourth solo album America Herida, and had plans for an album with band Néctar, but on Christmas Eve 2013 he passed away due to liver cancer, with the record, Semper Audax, being released posthumously in 2014.