José Feliciano
José Montserrate Feliciano García (born September 10, 1945 in Lares, Puerto Rico) is a Puerto Rican singer and guitarist. A victim of congenital glaucoma, he was left permanently blind at birth. Feliciano overcame the effects of his impairment to score many international hits.
Childhood
José was one of a family of eleven children. He was first exposed to music at age three. At five, his family moved to Spanish Harlem, New York City. At age nine, he played on the Teatro Puerto Rico. He could play various instruments (such as the accordion) by then but he wanted to learn to play the guitar. To learn, he locked himself in his room for up to 14 hours a day to listen to 1950s rock albums but also classical guitarists like Andrés Segovia and jazz players like Wes Montgomery, and had assistance from Harold Morris.
At 17, he quit school to play in clubs because his family was going through a precarious economic situation. That year he also had his first professional, contracted performance in Detroit.
Career
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. They weren't 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 Ustéd ("usted'" being a more formal way to say "you" in Spanish).
A year later Feliciano was to perform in Great Britain, but the authorities would not allow his guide dog into the country. The stringent quarantine measures of those days were intended to prevent the spread of rabies. Feliciano expressed his anger in the song No Dogs Allowed. The live version made the charts in 1969.
After two more successful albums, Feliciano had become a household name all over Latin America. Then, he moved to Los Angeles, to pursue his dream of becoming a household name in the United States too. Feliciano then composed Feliz Navidad which has become a Christmas classic in the United States as well as in Latin America, and his own versions of The Doors' song Light My Fire (reaching #3 on the U.S. pop charts in late summer, 1968) and Tommy Tucker's Hi-Heel Sneakers. He immediately became a sensation all across North America and sold millions of albums on the strength of those three songs, he won two Grammy Awards for Best New Artist of the Year and for Best Pop Song of the Year in 1969.
In 1968, at the height of protests against the Vietnam War, Feliciano was given the opportunity to perform The Star-Spangled Banner at Tiger Stadium during the World Series. His highly personalized, slow, Latin jazz performance proved highly controversial. He accompanied himself on an acoustic guitar. Some called his rendition unpatriotic and a disgrace. Others understood the emotions and sincerity of his performance, and he emerged as a counterculture hero. The rendition was released as a single which charted for 5 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #50. Feliciano's 'Star-Spangled Banner took place 10 months before the now famous Jimi Hendrix rendition at Woodstock.
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 Chico's (Freddie Prinze) cousin, singer Pepe Fernando. In the 1970s, he acted and composed in TV series and movies including McMillan & Wife, Kung Fu episodes, and the soundtrack of the movie Aaron Loves Angela in 1976 and Mackenna's Gold with Quincy Jones. He is featured on Bill Withers' 1974 album, 'Justments. On Can We Pretend he plays guitar, and on Railroad Man he plays congas and again plays guitars in 1975 on John Lennon's album Rock 'n' Roll and on the Joni Mitchell album Court and Spark.
Feliciano holds the distinction of being one of the few singers to have enjoyed success both in Spanish music and in English rock and roll. He has also recorded songs in Italian, being a well-known act in Italy where he sang Che Sara. a great hit in half of Europe, behind the Iron Curtain, Asia and recorded it in Spanish (Que Serà), a hit in all of Central and South America and in English Shake a Hand, a big hit in Scandinavian countries. Feliciano in the 1970s was an appreciated musician and considered one of the most incredible guitarists of our time: He won five consecutive awards for best pop guitarist from Guitar Player magazine and was voted in jazz, classic and rock fields.
He received a star in the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1987, and continued a very popular singer during the 1980s. He had his hands cast on the famous Madame Tussaud's 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 for the song The Sound of Vienna, No. 1 for four weeks and recorded with the famous Vienna Simphony Orchestra, which also performed live with him at Danube Park in Vienna with more than 50,000 people and broadcast on national TV. During the 1980s, record companies gave him space only for the Latin market and he recorded an impressive number of albums for that market, including the Motown allbums Escenas de Amor and Me Enamoré and others from RCA, EMI and Capitol which added four more Grammys for best Latin performer.
In 1995, Feliciano was honored by the City of New York, which re-named Public School 155 the Jose Feliciano Performing Arts School. In 1996, he played himself in the film Fargo, singing in a hotel ballroom, though in the distance and not very recognizable.
In 2003 Guitarra Mía, a special tribute to Feliciano, was produced by the Banco Popular de Puerto Rico and aired in Puerto Rico and in cities with large Latino populations 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 on 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.
Each year during the Christmas season, Feliciano's 1970 Christmas song Feliz Navidad returns to the U.S. airwaves, and it is perennially one of the most-played and most-downloaded radio songs and downloaded songs of the season. Feliz Navidad was also recognized by ASCAP as one of the 25 all-time most-played Christmas songs in the world.
In 2006, Feliciano recorded his first instrumental album, Six String Lady, dedicated to his master, Andres Segovia. This album is available only for download from his personal website. He recorded it at the suggestion of Puerto Rican radio personality Gilbert Mamery.
On December 6, 2006, Feliciano's new Spanish album, Jose 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 Perez, Cristian Castro, Marc Anthony, Ramon Ayala, Alicia Villarreal,Ricardo Montaner, and Raúl di Blasio.
In 2007, José Feliciano released a new album called Soundtrack of My Life, which is the first English album composed and written by Feliciano.
Discography
English / international
1966 A Bag Full of Soul -
1968 Feliciano! -
1968 Souled -
1969 Feliciano! - 10 to 23 -
1969 alive alive-O! -
1970 Fireworks -
1970 Feliz Navidad -
1971 Encore! -
1971 Ché Sarà -
1971 That the Spirit Needs -
1972 Sings -
1972 Memphis Menu -
1973 Compartments -
1974 For My Love, Mother Music -
1974 And The Feeling's Good -
1975 Just Wanna Rock and Roll -
1976 Angela -
1977 Sweet Soul Music -
1981 Jose Feliciano -
1983 Romance In The Night -
1989 I'm Never Gonna Change -
1990 Steppin' Out -
1996 Present Tense -
1996 On Second Thought -
2006 Six-String Lady (the instrumental album) -
2007 Soundtrax of My Life
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 Jose Feliciano y amigos