Nicu Covaci

Nicolae “Nicu” Covaci (19 April 1947 – 2 August 2024) was a Romanian guitarist, painter, and music composer. He is best known as the leader and founding member of rock and cult band Phoenix, for which he was the lead vocalist and guitar player, with more than 60 years of activity. Biography Nicolae Covaci was born in Timișoara, on 19 April 1947. His mother Tamara came originally from Bessarabia while his father Grigore came from Banat, close to the Serbian border. He took up playing guitar at the age of 15 and in 1962 he, together with Florin “Moni” Bordeianu, founded a band called Sfinții (The Saints). Covaci died in Timișoara on 2 August 2024, at the age of 77. 1960s * 1962: Nicolae Covaci founds the student band “Sfinții” (The Saints) in Timișoara. The band wins the second prize at the Bucharest Student Festival. From the very beginning the band is criticized for having a western European influence. * 1963: The band’s recordings of their own compositions first receive radio air play. * 1965: The Saints are banned. The authorities accuse the band of spreading religious propaganda, and the band is forced to change its name. PHOENIX is born. Under their new name, the band plays thr