Biography Nico

Nico (16 October 1938 – 18 July 1988) was a German model, actress, singer, and songwriter. She was born Christa Päffgen in Cologne, Germany.

Nico started a successful career as a model in Berlin and Paris, studied acting at Lee Strasberg's New York Actor Studio. She then became part of the Swinging London scene, and had a short relationship with The Rolling Stones' Brian Jones and she recorded her first record in London in 1965, the single I'm Not Saying/The Last Mile, produced by Jimmy Page, for Rolling Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham's label Immediate Records. Thanks to Jones she met Andy Warhol in New York City and became part of Warhol's Factory, and Warhol introduced her to the Rock band The Velvet Underground, with whom she recorded the album "The Velvet Underground & Nico", featuring the legendary banana cover designed by Andy Warhol. The album has been named by numerous publications as one of the top 100 albums of all time, and is often considered one of history's 10 most influential albums by critics.

Nico later recorded several solo albums, including the folksy Chelsea Girl in 1967, followed by original albums such as The Marble Index and Desertshore, which were much darker and avant garde in style. She released several more albums throughout the 1970s and 1980s, including The End..., but died in 1988 from a cerebral hemorrhage after falling from her bike in Ibiza, Spain. She is buried in Berlin, next to her mother.

Solo studio discography:

1967 - Chelsea Girl

1969 - The Marble Index

1970 - Desertshore

1974 - The End...

1981 - Drama of Exile

1985 - Camera Obscura

Live discography:

1974 - June 1, 1974 (with Kevin Ayers, John Cale, and Brian Eno)

1986 - Behind the Iron Curtain

1986 - Live Heroes

1986 - Nico in Tokyo

1989 - Hanging Gardens

1993 - Do or Die!

1994 - Heroine

1994 - Fata Morgana

1994 - Live in Pécs 1985

2000 - In Europe: Do or Die, Diary 1982

2001 - Janitor of Lunacy

2003 - 1972-01-29: Le Bataclan, Paris, France (with Lou Reed and John Cale)

2007 - All Tomorrow's Parties: Live

Creative Commons By-SA License