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Biography
Infobox musical artist|image = José Feliciano.jpg||image_size = 250 ||name = José Feliciano||caption = Feliciano in 2007|background = solo_singer|birth_name = José Montserrate Feliciano García|birth_date = birth date and age|1945|9|10|death_date =|origin = Lares, Puerto Rico|Lares , Puerto Rico |genre = Soft rock , Latin pop , bolero , acoustic music|acoustic |Occupation: Singer-Songwriter |years_active = 1964& ndash;present|label = RCA Records Optimism Records|website = http://www.josefeliciano.com/ www.josefeliciano.comno footnotes|date=January 2011 José Feliciano (born September 10, 1945 in Lares, Puerto Rico ) is a Puerto Rico|Puerto Rican singer, virtuoso guitarist and composer known for many international hits including the 1970 Christmas single " Feliz Navidad (song)|Feliz Navidad ".
Childhood
Feliciano was born in Lares, Puerto Rico , on September 10, 1945. Left permanently blind at birth as a result of congenital glaucoma http://www.puertorico.com/blog/jose-feliciano Extremely Accomplished Musician, Feliciano was first exposed to music at age three and would play on a tin cracker can while accompanying his uncle playing the Cuatro (Puerto Rico)|Cuatro . http://www.livefromdarylshouse.com/currentep.html? ep_id=51 When he was five, his family moved to Spanish Harlem , New York City , and at age nine, he played the Teatro Puerto Rico in the Bronx. http://www.josefeliciano.com/? page=biography-spanish Official Web site He started his musical life playing the accordion until his father and family friend, Benjamin Borges, gave him his first guitar in a brown paper bag. He played every chance he had by himself in his room for up to 14 hours a day listening to 1950s rock'n'roll records, classical guitarists such as Andrés Segovia , and jazz players such as Wes Montgomery . He later had classical lessons with Harold Morris, who earlier had been a student of Segovia. http://www.foxytunes.com/artist/jose_feliciano Foxy Tunes
At 17, he quit school to play in nightclub|clubs , having his first professional, contracted performance in Detroit, Michigan|Detroit .
1960s
In 1963, after some live performances in pubs and clubs around the USA and Canada, especially in Greenwich Village in New York City, and Vancouver, BC, where he played at the same time as Bob Dylan and Joan Baez, he was signed by Jack Somer, an executive at RCA Victor . http://www.discogs.com/artist/Jos%C3%A9+Feliciano? anv=Jose+Feliciano Discography In 1964, he released his first single "Everybody Do the Click" (which become a hit in Philippines, at nr2 and stayed for 14 weeks in TopTen Hit parade) . Later, in 1965 and 1966, he also released his first albums The Voice and Guitar of Jose Feliciano and A Bag Full of Soul , two folk-pop-soul albums that showcased his talent on radio across the USA, where he was described as a "10 finger wizard". He also was invited to the Newport Jazz festival in 1964.
In 1966, he went to Mar del Plata , Argentina , to perform at the Festival de Mar del Plata . There, he impressed RCA Victor officials who told him to stay there to record an album in Spanish language|Spanish . They were not sure what they wanted to record, but Feliciano suggested they record bolero music. The result was two smash hits with the singles " Poquita Fe " ("Little Faith", a.k.a. "Sin Fe", or "Without Faith"), a song written by fellow Puerto Rican Bobby Capó , and " Usted (song)|Usted " (the formal way to say "you" in Spanish).
A year later, Feliciano was due to perform in the United Kingdom , but the authorities would not allow his guide dog into the country unless it was in quarantine for six months. The stringent quarantine measures of those days were intended to prevent the spread of rabies . Feliciano later wrote a song entitled "No Dogs Allowed" (then lately in 1969 become a Netherland Top10 Hit on the charts), which told the story of his first visit to London. http://www.londontown.com/LondonEvents/Jose-Feliciano/797d0 LondonTown - No Dogs Allowed
During his British visit, on July 16, 1967, Feliciano gave a live performance on the pirate radio stations Radio 227 and Radio 355, on board the MV Laissez Faire off the British coast, less than a month before the stations were due to be closed by the UK's Marine Broadcasting Offences Act .
After two more successful albums, Feliciano, now a household name all over Latin America , moved to Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles . He got together with Rick Jarrard who was, at the time, also producing Harry Nilsson and Jefferson Airplane . They recorded The Doors ' song " Light My Fire " in a Latin style and when released as a single, it reached #3 on the US pop charts in late summer, 1968. It sold over one million copies in the US market alone. However the song became a #1 hit in many countries, including Canada, Brazil, and the UK, and was awarded a music recording sales certification|gold disc .cite book | first= Joseph | last= Murrells | year= 1978 | title= The Book of Golden Discs | edition= 2nd | publisher= Barrie and Jenkins Ltd | location= London | page= 239 | isbn= 0-214-20512-6 On the strength of this success he won two Grammy Award s for Best New Artist Of The Year and for Best Pop Song Of The Year in 1969.
In October 1968, at the height of protests against the Vietnam War , Feliciano was given the opportunity by Detroit Tigers broadcaster Ernie Harwell to perform " The Star-Spangled Banner "Pop Chronicles|52|5 at Tiger Stadium (Detroit)|Tiger Stadium in Detroit during Game 5 pregame ceremonies of the 1968 World Series . His highly personalized, slow, latin jazz performance proved highly controversial. As a result of his unusual delivery, many radio stations refused to play his songs, and his career was stalled for almost three years.citation needed|date=January 2011 Even so, in an October, 2006 NPR broadcast, he expressed pride for opening the door for later reinterpretations of the national anthem. His World Series rendition, which features him accompanying himself on an acoustic guitar , was released as a single which charted for 5 weeks on the Billboard magazine|Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #50.
1970s
In 1970, he wrote and released an album of Christmas music, Feliz Navidad (José Feliciano album)|Feliz Navidad , which may be deemed to be his most famous recording. The Feliz Navidad (song)|title song has been covered by many artists and is now a traditional part of the musical landscape in the U.S, Canada and Latin America around Christmas time. Each year during the Christmas season, "Feliz Navidad" returns to US airwaves, one of the most-played and most-downloaded radio songs and downloaded songs of the season. "Feliz Navidad" is also recognized by ASCAP as one of the 25 all-time most-played Christmas song s in the world.
In 1971, he traveled to Italy to participate in the Sanremo Music Festival , singing the song "Che sarà" in Italian language|Italian , earning second place in that contest as well as a standing ovation by the Italian public. He later recorded the song, which became a well-known act in Italy, a great hit in half of Europe, including the Iron Curtain countries, as well as in Asia. Feliciano later recorded it in Spanish as "Qué Será", becoming a hit in all of Central and South America, and in English as "Shake a Hand," a big hit in Scandinavian countries.
He wrote and performed the theme song to the 1970s comedy series Chico and the Man , and played a guest role on that series as the cousin of Chico ( Freddie Prinze ), singer Pepe Fernando. In the 1970s, he acted and composed for TV series and movies including McMillan & Wife , Kung Fu (TV series)|Kung Fu episodes, the soundtrack of the movie Aaron Loves Angela in 1976, and '' Mackenna's Gold '' with Quincy Jones . He has guested on many albums by other artists, including Bill Withers 's '' +'Justments '', John Lennon 's '' Rock 'n' Roll (John Lennon album)|Rock 'n' Roll '', Joni Mitchell 's Court and Spark , Michael Nesmith 's Tantamount to Treason , Natalie Cole 's Everlasting and Gloria Estefan 's Alma Caribena . In 1975, in his last RCA album "Just Wanna Rock'n'Roll" he released his well known jazz-funk-latin instrumental composition "Affirmation," which was released one year later by jazz guitarist George Benson in his hit album "Breezin'."
In early 1974 he played in Prague Czechoslovakia, sharing the stage with Czech idol Karel Gott . Feliciano was one of the very few western pop stars who was able to stradle the west and the iron curtain countries.
1980s to present
He received a star in the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1987, and continued as a very popular singer during the 1980s. He had his hands cast on the famous Madame Tussauds Museum's Wall of Fame, and has a star in the Walk of Fame of his native Puerto Rico. He also had a great hit in 1987 in Austria with the song "The Sound of Vienna", number 1 for four weeks and recorded with the famous Vienna Symphony Orchestra . The Orchestra also performed with him live on national television at Danube Park in Vienna before more than 60,000 people. During the 1980s, record companies gave him space made only for the Latin market, and he recorded an impressive number of albums for that market, including the Motown albums Escenas de Amor and Me Enamoré , as well as others from RCA , EMI , and Capitol Records|Capitol which added four more Grammys for best Latin performer. He recorded a duet called "Por ella" with the most popular Mexican singer at the time: José José .
In 1994, Feliciano recorded a dance record in English entitled "Goin' Krazy" (MJM Records) under the pseudonym JR. Latino DJ's around the world supported the record helping the 12" dance record chart on Billboard and earning him new and younger fans.
In 1995, Feliciano was honored by the New York City|City of New York , which re-named Public School 155 the Jose Feliciano Performing Arts School. In 1996, he had a short cameo role in the film Fargo (film)|Fargo .
Feliciano was also an inaugural member of the The Independent Music Awards|Independent Music Awards' judging panel to support independent artists. http://www.independentmusicawards.com/ima_new/pastjudges.asp Independent Music Awards - Past Judges
Feliciano performed the theme song, "Behind the Mask," for the TV series Queen of Swords (TV series)|Queen of Swords in 2000. A promotional video sung in Spanish but never published is on youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=TSDnu_5MxKM, and the full English version, never published, sung by Feliciano and the composers Spencer Proffer and Steve Plunkett is also on youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=_d3S90Pho_k.
In 2003 Guitarra Mía , a special tribute to Feliciano, was produced by the Popular, Inc|Banco Popular de Puerto Rico and aired in Puerto Rico and in cities with large Puerto Rican population in the United States. This television special (and its soundtrack) featured Feliciano and many Puerto Rican and international stars singing some of his most famous songs, along with his personal favorites from other artists. It was first aired in December 2003, just two days after his mother died unexpectedly from a heart attack; in an eerie coincidence, the special's last scenes featured her giving her son a standing ovation, recorded for the occasion a month before.
On December 6, 2006, Feliciano's new Spanish album, José Feliciano y amigos was released by Universal Records, featuring Feliciano joined in duets with many other Latin American stars including Luis Fonsi , Lupillo Rivera , Luciano Pereyra , Rudy Pérez , Cristian Castro , Marc Anthony , Ramón Ayala , Alicia Villarreal , Ricardo Montaner , and Raúl di Blasio . A special edition was later released and featured Ana Gabriel and Gloria Estefan .
In 2007, Feliciano released an album called Soundtrack of My Life , the first English-language album composed and written by him.
In 2009, after winning his 8th Grammy for the album Senor Bolero , he left Siente music and released two new English-language albums for digital download only from his personal websites, one dedicated to American Classics, including songs made famous by Frank Sinatra, and the other dedicated to an instrumental album in homage to jazz guitar legend Django Reinhardt who inspired Feliciano, and features Feliciano's song "Djangoisms." A single from the Kumbia All Starz features him and the internationally famous Tejano band, Los Dinos , which was released April 28, 2010.
On May 10, 2010, Feliciano performed his rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner", at Comerica Park in Detroit. This was part of the remembrance of Detroit Tigers radio announcer Ernie Harwell , who had died the Tuesday before. He played it similarly to how he did in 1968; with his acoustic guitar and in his slow tempo-ed, latin jazz style.
On December 15, 2010, Feliciano appeared as the featured guest on the 37th wepisode of Daryl Hall's Webbie-Award winning webcast, Live From Daryl's House, www.livefromdarylshouse.com. Feliciano and Hall took turns on several numbers, including Felicano's version of "Light My Fire."
On November 9, 2011, Feliciano received the Latin GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement award from LARAS in Las Vegas, ND.
Family
Feliciano and his wife Susan have three children: daughter Melissa and sons Jonathan and Michael. Susan was raised in Detroit and met Ernie Harwell during the controversy over Feliciano's rendition of the national anthem in 1968. Harwell later introduced her to Feliciano."Musician will pay tribute to Harwell by singing national anthem in Detroit", The Detroit Free Press , page 7B, Monday, May 10, 2010
Sense of humor
Besides his musical skills, Feliciano is known for his strong sense of humor. He constantly makes fun of people's reactions to his blindness, and has even played practical jokes on friends and family based on this. Once his then Bass (instrument)|bass player, Ted Arnold, contrived to allow Feliciano to appear to be driving down a busy street, fooling the passing police. During a show he once said, "I was going to dedicate this next song Zorba The Greek to Howard Hughes but I can't see him!" He then dedicated it to Jacqueline Onassis.
He has performed comedy sketches alongside Freddie Prinze , Sunshine Logroño#Sunshine's Café|Sunshine Logroño , and the staff of Despierta América and Verónica Castro , among others. He has also parodied fellow artists in his concerts, including Julio Iglesias , Raphael (singer)|Raphael , Rocío Jurado and Isabel Pantoja . An occasional song at his Spanish concerts is a parody of Bobby Capó 's song "El Bardo". While the Right Said Fred song " I'm Too Sexy " was popular in the early 1990s, Feliciano closed his English concerts with a parody of it.
His performance of " Old Turkey Buzzard " became a recurring bit on The Late Show with David Letterman in 2007, until Feliciano himself appeared on the show on October 16 of that year to perform a live rendition of the song.
In December 2009 a parody of Feliz Navidad entitled "The Illegal Alien Christmas Song" was created by radio producers Matt Fox and A.J. Rice and posted on the website for Human Events, a Washington-based conservative weekly publication. The parody, sung in English, played on the stereotype of Latino immigrants as heavy drinkers and that undocumented immigrants were going to "spread bubonic plague".
Feliciano released a statement on December 23 on his official website:
"This song has always been a bridge to the cultures that are so dear to me, never as a vehicle for a political platform of racism and hate. It’s disgusting and my only wish that my song and I are distanced from the whole affair as soon as possible." http://www.josefeliciano.com/? x=entry:entry091217-122336
In a statement to the Associated Press the same day, Jed Babbin, Human Events' site editor, apologized for "any offense that Mr. Feliciano may have taken from this parody" and removed it from the site. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091224/ap_en_ot/us_people_jose_feliciano
Discography
English/international
listen| filename = Feliz Navidad.ogg | title = Feliz Navidad | format = Ogg
1973 - Peter Stuyvesant presents José Feliciano in concert with the London Symphony Orchestra
1974 - For My Love, Mother Music
1974 - ''And The Feeling's Good
1975 - Affirmation
1975 - '' Just Wanna Rock'n'Roll|Just Wanna Rock and Roll
1976 - Aaron Loves Angela|Angela
1977 - Sweet Soul Music
1981 - José Feliciano"
1983 - Romance in the Night
1989 - ''I'm Never Gonna Change
1990 - ''Steppin' Out ( Optimism Records )
1994 - ''Goin' Krazy' (MJM Records) (12" Dance Remix Single recorded under the pseudonym JR)
1996 - Present Tense
1996 - On Second Thought
2006 - Six-String Lady (the instrumental album)
2007 - The Genius of José Feliciano
2008 - Soundtrax of My Life
2009 - The Paris Concert (live)
2009 - American Classics (only for digital download)
2009 - Djangoisms (only for digital download)
2011 - The Genius of José Feliciano, Vol.2
Spanish
1966 El Sentimiento La Voz y la Guitarra
1966 La Copa Rota
1967 Sombra
1967 ¡El Fantástico!
1967 Mas Éxitos de José
1968 Felicidades Con Lo Mejor de José Feliciano
1968 Sin Luz
1971 En Mi Soledad - No Llores
1971 José Feliciano Dos Cruces
1971 José Feliciano January 71
1971 José Feliciano Canta Otra
1982 Escenas de Amor
1983 Me Enamoré
1984 Como Tú Quieres
1985 Ya Soy Tuyo
1986 Te Amaré
1987 Tu Inmenso Amor
1990 Niña
1992 Latin Street '92
1996 Americano
1998 Señor Bolero
2001 Señor Bolero 2
2003 Guitarra Mía Tribute
2005 A México, Con Amor
2006 José Feliciano y amigos
2007 Señor Bachata
2008 Con Mexico en el corazon
Hit singles: United States, United Kingdom and Australia
Year
Single
Chart positions
US
US R& B
US AC
US Latin
US Country
UK
AUS
1968
" Light My Fire "
3
29
-
-
-
6
3
"Hi-Heel Sneakers"
25
44
31
-
-
-
20
"Hitchcock Railway"
77
-
-
-
-
-
20
"The Star Spangled Banner"
50
-
-
-
-
-
-
1969
"Adios Amor (Goodbye My Love)!"
-
-
-
-
-
51
4
"Hey& #33; Baby!"
71
-
-
-
-
-
-
"My World Is Empty Without You"
87
-
-
-
-
-
-
"Marley Purt Drive"
70
-
33
-
-
-
31
"Rain"
76
-
19
-
-
-
36
"She's a Woman"
103
-
-
-
-
-
36
"And the Sun Will Shine"
-
-
-
-
-
25
-
1970
"Destiny"
83
-
15
-
-
-
37
"Suzie Q"
84
-
-
-
-
-
37
1971
"I Only Want To Say"
122
-
-
-
-
-
-
1975
"Twilight Time"
-
-
45
-
-
-
-
"Chico and the Man"
96
-
-
-
-
-
-
1980
"I'm Comin' Home Again"
-
-
44
-
-
-
-
1982
"I Wanna Be Where You Are"
-
63
-
-
-
-
-
1983
"Let's Find Each Other Tonight"
-
-
-
-
64
-
-
1987
"Se Me Sigue Olvidando"
-
-
-
6
-
-
-
"Te Amarè"
-
-
-
4
-
-
-
"Por Eso"
-
-
-
34
-
-
-
1988
"Ponte A Cantar"
-
-
-
5
-
-
-
"No Hay Mal Que Por Bien No Venga"
-
-
-
3
-
-
-
"Cuando El Amor Se Acaba"
-
-
-
7
-
-
-
"No Te Arrepentiras"
-
-
-
33
-
-
-
1990
" ¿Por Qué Te Tengo Que Olvidar? "
-
-
-
1
-
-
-
1991
"No Puedo Estar Sin Ti"
-
-
-
10
-
-
-
1993
"Venga La Esperanza"
-
-
-
24
-
-
-
1994
"Soy Alegre"
-
-
-
31
-
-
-
"Goin' Krazy" (Dance Single Charts)
38
-
-
-
-
-
-
1998
"Me Has Echado Al Olvido"
-
-
-
6
-
-
-
"Feliz Navidad"
70
-
18
-
-
-
-
1999
"Que Tristeza"
-
-
-
17
-
-
-
2000
"Feliz Navidad"(re-entry)
105
-
12
29
-
-
-
2003
"Lo Que Yo Tuve Contigo"
-
-
-
13
-
-
-
2004
"Cien Años"
-
-
-
38
-
-
-
Hit albums: United States, United Kingdom and Australia
Year
Album
Chart positions
US
US R& B
US Soul Album
US Latin Album
US Cash Box
UK
AUS
1968
"Feliciano!"
2
3
38
-
1
6
-
"Souled"
24
4
34
-
11
-
-
1969
"Jose Feliciano"
-
-
-
-
-
29
-
"Feliciano 10 to 23"
16
15
18
-
8
38
17
"Alive Alive-O!"
29
-
-
-
19
-
-
1970
"Fireworks"
57
-
-
-
-
65
11
1971
"Encore!"
92
-
-
-
-
-
-
"That The Spirit Needs"
173
-
-
-
-
-
-
1973
"Sings"
192
-
-
-
-
-
-
"Compartments"
156
-
-
-
88
-
-
1974
"And The Feeling's Good"
136
-
-
-
-
-
-
1975
"Just Wanna Rock'n'Roll"
165
-
-
-
-
-
-
1982
"Jose Feliciano"
-
61
-
-
-
-
-
1982
"Escenas de Amor"
-
-
-
3
-
-
-
1984
"Como Tu Quieres"
-
-
-
9
-
-
-
1985
"Ya Soy Tuyo"
-
-
-
2
-
-
-
1986
"Te Amarè"
-
-
-
3
-
-
-
1988
"Tu Inmenso Amor"
-
-
-
4
-
-
-
1989
"Los 15 Especiales"
-
-
-
7
-
-
-
1991
"Niña"
-
-
-
3
-
-
-
1999
"Señor Bolero"
-
-
-
20
-
-
-
2000
"Guitarra Mia-Tribute"
-
-
-
42
-
-
-
2001
"Noches de Bohemia"
-
-
-
35
-
-
-
"Noches de Bohemia Vol.2"
-
-
-
47
-
-
-
2003
"Señor Bolero nr.2"
173
-
-
2
-
-
-
2005
"A Mexico... Con Amor"
-
-
-
54
-
-
-
2006
"La Historia de Jose Feliciano"
-
-
-
33
-
-
-
2007
"Jose Feliciano y Amigos"
-
-
-
33
-
-
-
"Señor Bachata"
-
-
-
40
-
-
-
2008
"Con Mexico en el Corazon"
-
-
-
69
-
-
-
See also
Portal box|Puerto Rico|Biography|Music
List of Famous Puerto Ricans
List of Puerto Rican songwriters
Clear
References
Reflist http://thegeniusofjosefeliciano.com 2010: The Genius of Jose Feliciano - Newest album release!
External links
http://www.josefeliciano.com Jose Feliciano Official Website
Grammy Award for Best New Artist Persondata | NAME =Feliciano, Jose | ALTERNATIVE NAMES = | SHORT DESCRIPTION = | DATE OF BIRTH =September 10, 1945 | PLACE OF BIRTH = | DATE OF DEATH = | PLACE OF DEATH = DEFAULTSORT:Feliciano, Jose Category:1945 births Category:Living people Category:People from Lares, Puerto Rico Category:Blind musicians Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Latin Grammy Award winners Category:Latin pop singers Category:Puerto Rican composers Category:Puerto Rican guitarists Category:Puerto Rican male singers Category:Puerto Rican musicians Category:Puerto Rican singers Category:Puerto Rican singer-songwriters Category:Spanish-language singers Category:English-language singers Category:Italian-language singers Category:RCA Victor artists Category:Optimism Records artists Category:American people of Puerto Rican descent Category:People from New York City
