Gică Petrescu
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| Gică Petrescu | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Gică Petrescu |
| Born | April 2, 1915 |
| Origin | Bucharest , Romania |
| Died | June 18, 2006 (aged 91) |
| Genre(s) | Pop, folk |
| Years active | 1937—2006 |
| Label(s) | ROTON |
Gică Petrescu (2 April 1915 – 18 June 2006) was a prolific Romanian folk and pop music composer and performer. He made his debut at age 18 by joining a student band, having just graduated from the "Gheorghe Şincai" high school in Bucharest. His official debut was made by performing for radio audiences in 1937. Between 1937-1939 he carried on singing with the "Radu Ghindă" and "Dinu Şerbănescu" orchestras at the Sinaia Casino.
He holds a record for the number of composed and performed songs (over 1,500), in an amazingly varied discography, many of which became national hits which were covered again and again by other Romanian artists. Some of those hits are:
- Căsuţa noastră
- Bucuresti, măi Bucureşti
- Lalele, lalele
- Uite-aşa aş vrea să mor
On 5 May 2003, then-president of Romania, Ion Iliescu, awarded Gică Petrescu the Knight's Order of the Star of Romania as he celebrated his 88th anniversary.
On 18 June 2006, around 18:00 GMT +2, he was due to receive the national award "Premiile muzicale Radio România Actualităţi". The award was canceled, as he had died that very morning. He was 91 years old.
