1971

Malta’s first participant Joe Grech died

Malta’s first participant Joe Grech died. He was 90 years old. Grech is most known for his Eurovision participation, in 1971, with the song “Marija L-Maltija”. He reached an 18th place. Grech didn’t participate in other years. He never did a second attempt via the Maltese national final. Joe Grech at the 1971 Eurovision Song Contest Joe Grech started his career playing the trumpet with the Żejtun Band. Later, he began singing. His big moment came in 1960 when he won the Malta Song Festival with the song “Vola Uccellino.” This was the first of many competition wins. In 1962, he won the same festival again with “Żgħażagħ Rebbieħa.” In 1964, Joe became famous internationally. He won Best Singer/Composer at the Bari International Song Festival with the song “Dorina.” During his career, he toured many countries. He performed for Maltese communities in Canada, Australia, the US, and more. In 1967, Joe became one of Malta’s most loved pop singers. His popular songs included “Il-Kaċċatur,” “Il-Festa Tagħna,” “Ku Klu Ku Klu,” “Il-Lejla tal-Vitorja,” and “Nhar San Girgor.” Joe also released notable albums like Eviva l-Maltin in 1995 and Katarin in 2000. He was known for his charity work and helping others. In 2019, Joe received the Ġieħ ir-Repubblika award for his lifetime contributions to music. Malta’s first participant Joe Grech died today, 30 december 2024. On Monday, Culture Minister Owen Bonnici honored Joe. He praised his Eurovision success, his impact on Maltese music, and his 1960 festival win. Joe Grech in 2015 in the show Living Stars

Nicole Josy passed away

Today, the sad news came to us that Nicole Josy passed away. Nicole was the female half of the duo Nicole & Hugo. In 1971 Nicole Josy and her husband Hugo Sigal would participate in the Eurovision Song Contest. With the song “Goeie morgen, morgen” they won the Belgian national final. Unfortunately, Nicole got jaundice and had to stay in bed. At the Eurovision Song Contest, the two were replaced by Jacques Raymond and Lily Castell, who had to rehearse the song and dance in haste. A new chance came two years later. Again Nicole and Hugo won the national final. With the song “Baby, baby” they could participate this time. Unfortunately, the duo came last. Yet their performance was unforgettable. This was mainly due to the bright purple suits that the two wore. In 2004 the duo again made a bid for Eurovision participation. However, they did not succeed with their song “Love is all around”. In 2015, the two decided to stop and enjoy a well-deserved retirement. Nicole had been suffering from Alzheimer’s disease for some time. However, she did not die from that. She fell on her head at home. She died from the injuries she sustained. Nicole was 76 years old.