Jose Montserrate Feliciano GarciaSummaryJose Montserrate Feliciano Garcia is a Puerto Rican virtouso guitarist, as well as a singer and a composer. He has several hits including his rendition of the Doors' "Light My Fire" and the Christmas best-seller "Feliz Navidad."
ChildhoodBorn in Lares, Puerto Rico on September 10, 1945, Jose was permanently blinded due to congenital glaucoma. His exposure to the music world began when he was only three years old. Jose and his uncle would make music on the cuatro, a string instrument popular in Puerto Rico. Jose played on a tin cracker can. He and his family moved to Spanish Harlem, New York City at his age of five. Jose played the accordion until his father gifted him his first guitar at the age of nine. He would spend the majority of his day in his room playing his guitar by himself. He began listening to 1950's rock'n'roll and records of classical guitarists, especially Andres Segovia and Wes Montgomery. He began guitar lessons with Harold Morris, a former student of Segovia. Jose dropped out of high school at the age of seventeen to start playing at local clubs with with his first professional, contracted performance in Detroit. In a 1969 interview, Jose mentioned Ray Charles as a large influence on his singing.
1960's CareerAfter a few live performances in pubs and clubs around the United States and Canada (especially in Greenwich, New York and Vancouver, BC), Jose was signed by Jack Somer, an executive at RCA Victor. He released his first single, "Everybody Do the Click," in 1964. This single became a huge hit in the Philippines. In 1965 and 1966, he released his first albums: The Voice and Guitar of Jose Feliciano and A Bag Full of Soul, two folk-pop-soul albums. These albums mainly showcased his talent on radio stations all over the U.S. In 1966, he was invited to Mar del Plata, Argentina to perform at the Festival de Mar del Plata. RCA Victor officials were impressed with Jose and asked him to stay and record an album in Spanish. Unsure of what they wanted to record, Feliciano suggested bolero music. From the recordings, two smash hits were born: "Poquita Fe" and "Usted."
Unhappy with the direction of his music following the release of 1966's A Bag Full of Soul, Feliciano returned to his roots, releasing three consecutive Spanish-language LPs -- Sombras...Una Voz, Una Guitarra, Mas Exitos de Jose Feliciano and El Sentimiento, La Voz y La Guitarra de Jose Feliciano -- on RCA International, scoring on the Latin pop charts. In 1969 Feliciano recorded three LPs -- Souled, Alive Alive-O, and Feliciano 10 to 23 -- and won a Grammy for Best New Artist; however, he never again equalled the success of "Light My Fire," and only the theme song to the sitcom Chico and the Man subsequently achieved hit status, edging into the Top 100 singles chart in 1974. In 1980 Feliciano was the first performer signed to the new Latin division of Motown, making his label debut with an eponymous effort the following year; his recorded output tapered off during the course of the decade. In 1987 Jose Feliciano received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and in 1995 he was honored by the city of New York, which renamed Public School 155 as the Jose Feliciano Performing Arts School. He has also won seven Grammy Awards and a Latin Grammy. Jose Feliciano continues to perform and record for diverse audiences in the United States and around the world, playing music that transcends narrow labels and identities. |
Top Hits
Listen Here!
|