José Feliciano
Encyclopedia
José Feliciano is a Puerto Rican
singer, virtuoso guitarist and composer known for many international hits including the 1970 holiday single "Feliz Navidad
".
. 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. 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.
At 17, he quit school to play in clubs
, having his first professional, contracted performance in Detroit
.
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 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" (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.
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
. 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 gold disc
. 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
" at 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. 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 Hot 100, peaking at #50.
, which may be deemed to be his most famous recording. The 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 songs in the world.
In 1971, he traveled to Italy
to participate in the Sanremo Music Festival, singing the song "Che sarà" in 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
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
, 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 release his well know Jazz-funky-latin instrumental composition called "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.
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
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 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
.
Feliciano was also an inaugural member of the Independent Music Awards'
judging panel to support independent artists.
Feliciano performed the theme song, "Behind the Mask," for the 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 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."
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, and the staff of Despierta América
and Verónica Castro
, among others. He has also parodied fellow artists in his concerts, including Julio Iglesias
, 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:
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.
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
singer, virtuoso guitarist and composer known for many international hits including the 1970 holiday single "Feliz Navidad
Feliz Navidad (song)
"Feliz Navidad" is a Christmas song written in 1970 by the Puerto Rican singer-songwriter José Feliciano. With its simple Spanish chorus "Feliz Navidad" is a Christmas song written in 1970 by the Puerto Rican singer-songwriter José Feliciano. With its simple Spanish chorus "Feliz Navidad" is a...
".
Childhood
Feliciano was born in Lares, Puerto Rico, one of eleven sons. He was first exposed to music at age three and would play on a tin cracker can while accompanying his uncle playing the CuatroCuatro (Puerto Rico)
The cuatro is the national instrument of Puerto Rico. It belongs to the lute family of string instruments.The cuatro of Puerto Rico has ten strings in five courses, tuned from low to high B-e-a-d'-g', 54321, with B and E in octaves and A, D and G in unisons. A cuatro player is called a...
. When he was five, his family moved to Spanish Harlem
Spanish Harlem
East Harlem, also known as Spanish Harlem and El Barrio, is a section of Harlem in the northeastern part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. East Harlem is one of the largest predominantly Latino communities in New York City. It includes the area formerly known as Italian Harlem, in which...
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, and at age nine, he played the Teatro Puerto Rico in the Bronx. 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
Andrés Segovia
Andrés Torres Segovia, 1st Marquis of Salobreña , known as Andrés Segovia, was a virtuoso Spanish classical guitarist from Linares, Jaén, Andalucia, Spain...
, and jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
players such as Wes Montgomery
Wes Montgomery
John Leslie "Wes" Montgomery was an American jazz guitarist. He is widely considered one of the major jazz guitarists, emerging after such seminal figures as Django Reinhardt and Charlie Christian and influencing countless others, including Pat Martino, George Benson, Russell Malone, Emily...
. He later had classical lessons with Harold Morris, who earlier had been a student of Segovia.
At 17, he quit school to play in clubs
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
, having his first professional, contracted performance in Detroit
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
.
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. 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
Mar del Plata
Mar del Plata is an Argentine city located on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, south of Buenos Aires. Mar del Plata is the second largest city of Buenos Aires Province. The name "Mar del Plata" had apparently the sense of "sea of the Río de la Plata region" or "adjoining sea to the Río de la Plata"...
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, 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
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
. They were not sure what they wanted to record, but Feliciano suggested they record bolero
Bolero
Bolero is a form of slow-tempo Latin music and its associated dance and song. There are Spanish and Cuban forms which are both significant and which have separate origins.The term is also used for some art music...
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
Bobby Capó
Félix Manuel Rodríguez Capó , better known as Bobby Capó, was an internationally known singer and songwriter from Puerto Rico...
, and "Usted" (the formal way to say "you" in Spanish).
A year later, Feliciano was due to perform in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, but the authorities would not allow his guide dog
Guide dog
Guide dogs are assistance dogs trained to lead blind and visually impaired people around obstacles.Although the dogs can be trained to navigate various obstacles, they are partially color blind and are not capable of interpreting street signs...
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
Rabies
Rabies is a viral disease that causes acute encephalitis in warm-blooded animals. It is zoonotic , most commonly by a bite from an infected animal. For a human, rabies is almost invariably fatal if post-exposure prophylaxis is not administered prior to the onset of severe symptoms...
. 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.
During his British visit, on July 16, 1967, Feliciano gave a live performance on the pirate radio
Pirate radio
Pirate radio is illegal or unregulated radio transmission. The term is most commonly used to describe illegal broadcasting for entertainment or political purposes, but is also sometimes used for illegal two-way radio operation...
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
Marine Broadcasting Offences Act
The Marine, &c., Broadcasting Act 1967 c.41, shortened to Marine Broadcasting Offences Act, became law in the United Kingdom at midnight on Monday, August 14, 1967 and was repealed by the...
.
After two more successful albums, Feliciano, now a household name all over Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
, moved to Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. He got together with Rick Jarrard
Rick Jarrard
Rick Jarrard was a staff producer for RCA Records during the 1960s. Artists he worked with included Jose Feliciano, The Family Tree, Harry Nilsson, Stone Country, The Loading Zone and Jefferson Airplane. In the earlier part of that decade, Jarrard was a member of the Greenwood County Singers, a...
who was, at the time, also producing Harry Nilsson
Harry Nilsson
Harry Edward Nilsson III was an American singer-songwriter who achieved the peak of his commercial success in the early 1970s. On all but his earliest recordings he is credited as Nilsson...
and Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane was an American rock band formed in San Francisco in 1965. A pioneer of the psychedelic rock movement, Jefferson Airplane was the first band from the San Francisco scene to achieve mainstream commercial and critical success....
. They recorded The Doors
The Doors
The Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger...
' song "Light My Fire
Light My Fire
"Light My Fire" is a song by The Doors which was recorded in August 1966 and released the first week of January 1967 on the Doors' debut album. Released as a single in April, it spent three weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and one week on the Cash Box Top 100, nearly a year after...
" 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 gold disc
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
. On the strength of this success he won two Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
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
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, Feliciano was given the opportunity by Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
broadcaster Ernie Harwell
Ernie Harwell
William Earnest "Ernie" Harwell was an American sportscaster, known for his long career calling play-by-play of Major League Baseball games. For 55 years, 42 of them with the Detroit Tigers, Harwell called the action on radio and/or television...
to perform "The Star-Spangled Banner
The Star-Spangled Banner
"The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States of America. The lyrics come from "Defence of Fort McHenry", a poem written in 1814 by the 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet, Francis Scott Key, after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry by the British Royal Navy ships...
" at Tiger Stadium in Detroit during Game 5 pregame ceremonies of the 1968 World Series
1968 World Series
The 1968 World Series featured the defending champion St. Louis Cardinals against the Detroit Tigers, with the Tigers winning in seven games for their first championship since 1945, and the third in their history...
. His highly personalized, slow, latin jazz
Latin jazz
Latin jazz is the general term given to jazz with Latin American rhythms.The three main categories of Latin Jazz are Brazilian, Cuban and Puerto Rican:# Brazilian Latin Jazz includes bossa nova...
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. 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
Acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
, was released as a single which charted for 5 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #50.
1970s
In 1970, he wrote and released an album of Christmas music, Feliz NavidadFeliz Navidad (José Feliciano album)
Originally called "José Feliciano", this album includes the hit song Feliz Navidad. This album by José Feliciano was originally released in 1970 by RCA Victor...
, which may be deemed to be his most famous recording. The title song
Feliz Navidad (song)
"Feliz Navidad" is a Christmas song written in 1970 by the Puerto Rican singer-songwriter José Feliciano. With its simple Spanish chorus "Feliz Navidad" is a Christmas song written in 1970 by the Puerto Rican singer-songwriter José Feliciano. With its simple Spanish chorus "Feliz Navidad" is a...
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 songs in the world.
In 1971, he traveled to Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
to participate in the Sanremo Music Festival, singing the song "Che sarà" in Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
, 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
Chico and the Man
Chico and the Man is an American sitcom which ran on NBC for four seasons, from September 13, 1974 to July 21, 1978. It stars Jack Albertson as Ed Brown , the cantankerous owner of a run down garage in an East Los Angeles barrio, and Freddie Prinze as Chico Rodriguez, an upbeat, optimistic Chicano...
, and played a guest role on that series as the cousin of Chico (Freddie Prinze
Freddie Prinze
Freddie Prinze was an American actor and stand-up comedian. He was known as the star of Chico and the Man. He is the father of actor Freddie Prinze, Jr.-Early life:...
), singer Pepe Fernando. In the 1970s, he acted and composed for TV series and movies including McMillan & Wife, Kung Fu
Kung Fu (TV series)
Kung Fu is an American television series that starred David Carradine. It was created by Ed Spielman, directed and produced by Jerry Thorpe, and developed by Herman Miller, who was also a writer for, and co-producer of, the series...
episodes, the soundtrack of the movie Aaron Loves Angela
Aaron Loves Angela
Aaron Loves Angela is a 1975 Soul Cinema Classic film written by Gerald Sanford and directed by Gordon Parks, Jr. This film stars Moses Gunn, Kevin Hooks and Irene Cara.-Plot:...
in 1976, and Mackenna's Gold
Mackenna's Gold
Mackenna's Gold is a 1969 western film directed by J. Lee Thompson, starring Gregory Peck, Omar Sharif, Telly Savalas, Camilla Sparv, and Julie Newmar...
with Quincy Jones
Quincy Jones
Quincy Delightt Jones, Jr. is an American record producer and musician. A conductor, musical arranger, film composer, television producer, and trumpeter. His career spans five decades in the entertainment industry and a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend...
. He has guested on many albums by other artists, including Bill Withers
Bill Withers
William Harrison "Bill" Withers, Jr. is an American singer-songwriter and musician who performed and recorded from 1970 until 1985. Some of his best-known songs are "Lean on Me", "Ain't No Sunshine", "Use Me", "Just the Two of Us", "Lovely Day", and "Grandma's Hands"...
's +'Justments
+'Justments
-Reception:Legal tussles between Withers and Sussex prevented further recording sessions until Columbia signed the singer a year later. Columbia bought Withers' back catalog, re-releasing his earlier hit records, but +'Justments was not reissued on CD until 2010.The album cover shows Withers...
, John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
's Rock 'n' Roll
Rock 'n' Roll (John Lennon album)
Rock 'n' Roll is a 1975 album of late 1950s and early 1960s songs covered by John Lennon. Recording the album was problematic and spanned a year. Though critically derided, it reached #6 in both the United Kingdom and the United States.-History:...
, Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell, CC is a Canadian musician, singer songwriter, and painter. Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in her native Saskatchewan and Western Canada and then busking in the streets and dives of Toronto...
's Court and Spark
Court and Spark
Court and Spark is the sixth studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell. Released in January 1974, the album saw Mitchell infusing her folk-rock style, which she developed throughout her previous five albums, with jazz inflections...
, Michael Nesmith
Michael Nesmith
Robert Michael Nesmith is an American musician, songwriter, actor, producer, novelist, businessman, and philanthropist, best known as a member of the musical group The Monkees and star of the TV series of the same name...
's Tantamount to Treason, Natalie Cole
Natalie Cole
Natalie Maria Cole , is an American singer, songwriter and performer. The daughter of jazz legend Nat King Cole, Cole rode to musical success in the mid-1970s as an R&B artist with the hits "This Will Be ", "Inseparable" and "Our Love"...
's Everlasting and Gloria Estefan
Gloria Estefan
Gloria María Milagrosa Fajardo García de Estefan; known professionally as Gloria Estefan is a Cuban-born American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known as the "Queen Of Latin Pop", she is in the top 100 best selling music artists with over 100 million albums sold worldwide, 31.5 million of those...
's Alma Caribena. In 1975, in his last RCA album "Just Wanna Rock'n'Roll" he release his well know Jazz-funky-latin instrumental composition called "Affirmation" which was released one year later by Jazz guitarist George Benson
George Benson
George Benson is a ten Grammy Award winning American musician, whose production career began at the age of twenty-one as a jazz guitarist....
in his hit album "Breezin'"
In early 1974 he played in Prague Czechoslovakia, sharing the stage with Czech idol Karel Gott
Karel Gott
Karel Gott is a Czech Schlager singer, and an amateur painter. He is considered as the most successful male singer in former Czechoslovakia and currently in the Czech Republic; he has being voted the Most Favorite Male Singer in the annual national pool Český slavík in total thirty-six times...
. 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 FameHollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
in 1987, and continued as a very popular singer during the 1980s. He had his hands cast on the famous Madame Tussauds
Madame Tussauds
Madame Tussauds is a wax museum in London with branches in a number of major cities. It was founded by wax sculptor Marie Tussaud and was formerly known as "Madame Tussaud's", but the apostrophe is no longer used...
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
Vienna Symphony Orchestra
-History:In 1900, Ferdinand Löwe founded the orchestra as the Wiener Concertverein . In 1913 it moved into the Konzerthaus, Vienna. In 1919 it merged with the Tonkünstler Orchestra. In 1933 it acquired its current name...
. 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
RCA
RCA Corporation, founded as the Radio Corporation of America, was an American electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986. The RCA trademark is currently owned by the French conglomerate Technicolor SA through RCA Trademark Management S.A., a company owned by Technicolor...
, EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
, and Capitol
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
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
José José
José Rómulo Sosa Ortiz , known by his artistic name José José, is a Mexican singer.Referred in the entertainment world as "El Príncipe de la Canción" , José José is best known for his romantic ballads and renowned for his vocals...
.
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 City of New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, which re-named Public School 155 the Jose Feliciano Performing Arts School. In 1996, he had a short cameo role in the film Fargo
Fargo (film)
Fargo is a 1996 American dark comedy-crime film produced, directed and written by brothers Joel and Ethan Coen. It stars Frances McDormand as a pregnant police chief who investigates a series of homicides, William H...
.
Feliciano was also an inaugural member of the Independent Music Awards'
The Independent Music Awards
The Independent Music Awards is an international program that honors top-ranked independent artists and releases in more than 50 Album, Song, Music Video and Design categories....
judging panel to support independent artists.
Feliciano performed the theme song, "Behind the Mask," for the 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 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
Luis Fonsi
Luis Alfonso Rodríguez López-Cepero, more commonly known by his stage name Luis Fonsi, is a Latin Grammy winning Puerto Rican singer and composer.- Early life :...
, Lupillo Rivera
Lupillo Rivera
Guadalupe Rivera in La Barca, Jalisco, Mexico, is a Mexican regional singer.As a youngster, Lupillo, his sister Jenni Rivera and the rest of the Rivera family moved to Long Beach California, where Lupillo graduated from Long Beach Polytechnic High School in 1990.Rivera wanted to be a restaurant...
, Luciano Pereyra
Luciano Pereyra
Luciano Pereyra was born in the bonaerense town of Lujan, the September 21, 1981. He is an Argentine singer.- Biography :His full name is Luciano Ariel Pereyra. When he was three years old, his parents noticed his talent for music and gave him a guitar for Christmas. The following year, he...
, Rudy Pérez
Rudy Pérez
Rudy Pérez is a Cuban American composer, producer and Sound engineer specialized in Latin Ballad whose songs have been very successful. He is considered one of the most outstanding creators in the field of international pop music...
, Cristian Castro
Cristian Castro
Cristian Castro is a Grammy Award-nominated Mexican pop singer. He is referred to as "Christian Castro" or "Cristian."- Biography :...
, Marc Anthony
Marc Anthony
Marc Anthony is an American singer-songwriter, actor and producer. Anthony is the top selling tropical salsa artist of all time. The two-time Grammy and three-time Latin Grammy–winner has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide. He is best known for his Latin salsa numbers and ballads...
, Ramón Ayala
Ramón Ayala
Ramón Ayala is a Mexican-American musician, composer, and songwriter of norteño and conjunto music. Known as the "King of the Accordion," Ayala has recorded over 105 albums for which he has received four Grammy Awards. Additionally, Ayala has been featured in thirteen movies...
, Alicia Villarreal
Alicia Villarreal
Alicia Villarreal is a Mexican Latin Grammy award-winning singer.-Biography:...
, Ricardo Montaner
Ricardo Montaner
Ricardo Montaner is an Argentine-Venezuelan singer and songwriter. Starting his career in the early 80s, he has already released more than 15 albums with numerous successful singles and has sold over 22 million record worldwide.-Early years:Montaner was born as Héctor Eduardo Reglero Montaner, in...
, and Raúl di Blasio
Raúl di Blasio
Raúl di Blasio is an Argentine latin jazz and easy listening pianist.- Life :Born in Zapala, Argentina, Raúl Di Blasio showed a great interest in piano at the age of six. After his parents' recommendations that he should study music, he began to pursue piano as a career.Di Blasio practiced piano...
. A special edition was later released and featured Ana Gabriel
Ana Gabriel
Ana Gabriel is a Mexican singer and composer.Ana Gabriel was born as María Guadalupe Araujo Yong, in Santiago de Comanito, Sinaloa, Mexico. She first sang on the stage at age six, singing "Regalo A Dios" by José Alfredo Jiménez. She moved to Tijuana, Baja California and studied accounting...
and Gloria Estefan
Gloria Estefan
Gloria María Milagrosa Fajardo García de Estefan; known professionally as Gloria Estefan is a Cuban-born American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known as the "Queen Of Latin Pop", she is in the top 100 best selling music artists with over 100 million albums sold worldwide, 31.5 million of those...
.
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
Django Reinhardt
Django Reinhardt was a pioneering virtuoso jazz guitarist and composer who invented an entirely new style of jazz guitar technique that has since become a living musical tradition within French gypsy culture...
who inspired Feliciano, and features Feliciano's song "Djangoisms." A single from the Kumbia All Starz
Kumbia All Starz
Kumbia All Starz are a Mexican cumbia music group from Corpus Christi, Texas, created by A.B. Quintanilla. Kumbia All Starz are not to be confused with Los Kumbia Kings although some members are originally from Los Kumbia Kings...
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
Comerica Park
Comerica Park is an open-air ballpark located in downtown Detroit, Michigan. It serves as the home of the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball's American League, replacing historic Tiger Stadium in 2000....
in Detroit. This was part of the remembrance of Detroit Tigers radio announcer Ernie Harwell
Ernie Harwell
William Earnest "Ernie" Harwell was an American sportscaster, known for his long career calling play-by-play of Major League Baseball games. For 55 years, 42 of them with the Detroit Tigers, Harwell called the action on radio and/or television...
, 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."
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.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 bassBass (instrument)
Bass describes musical instruments that produce tones in the low-pitched range. They belong to different families of instruments and can cover a wide range of musical roles...
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
Freddie Prinze
Freddie Prinze was an American actor and stand-up comedian. He was known as the star of Chico and the Man. He is the father of actor Freddie Prinze, Jr.-Early life:...
, Sunshine Logroño, and the staff of Despierta América
Despierta América
¡Despierta América! is a popular Spanish language morning show which has aired on the Univision television network since 1997. It is broadcast from the network's studios in Miami, Florida, and is hosted by Chiquinquirá Delgado, Poncho de Anda, Raúl González, and Karla Martínez. Satcha Pretto and...
and Verónica Castro
Verónica Castro
Verónica Castro is a Mexican actress, singer and television host. She is the mother of singer Cristian Castro and filmmaker Michelle Sáinz Castro and the sister of actress Beatriz Castro,and telenovela producer José Alberto Castro....
, among others. He has also parodied fellow artists in his concerts, including Julio Iglesias
Julio Iglesias
Julio José Iglesias de la Cueva , better known simply as Julio Iglesias, is a Spanish singer who has sold over 300 million records worldwide in 14 languages and released 77 albums. According to Sony Music Entertainment, he is one of the top 15 best selling music artists in history,...
, Raphael
Raphael (singer)
For the French singer Raphael see Raphaël HarocheMiguel Rafael Martos Sánchez , often simply referred to as Raphael, is a worldwide acclaimed Spanish singer and television, film and theatre actor...
, Rocío Jurado
Rocío Jurado
María del Rocío Trinidad Mohedano Jurado , was a Spanish singer and actress. She was born in Chipiona, Cádiz, Spain and was nicknamed "La más grande" . Jurado was once married to boxer Pedro Carrasco, with whom she had a daughter, Rocío Carrasco...
and Isabel Pantoja
Isabel Pantoja
Isabel Pantoja is a popular contemporary Spanish singer. She is of Romani origin, born in the Triana district of Seville, Spain. She has released more than a dozen albums throughout a career spanning many decades, and is known for her distinctive Andalusian style.-Biography:She was born into a...
. An occasional song at his Spanish concerts is a parody of Bobby Capó
Bobby Capó
Félix Manuel Rodríguez Capó , better known as Bobby Capó, was an internationally known singer and songwriter from Puerto Rico...
's song "El Bardo". While the Right Said Fred
Right Said Fred
Right Said Fred is an English pop band, formed in 1989 by brothers Richard Fairbrass and Fred Fairbrass, later joined by their friend Rob Manzoli. The group is named after a song of the same name which was a hit for Bernard Cribbins in 1962...
song "I'm Too Sexy
I'm Too Sexy
"I'm Too Sexy" is a song by English trio Right Said Fred from their album Up. The single topped the American charts for three weeks in early 1992, after having peaked at number two in Britain less than six months earlier....
" 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."
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.
English/international
- 1964 - The Voice and Guitar of José Feliciano
- 1966 - A Bag Full of Soul
- 1966 - Fantastic Feliciano
- 1968 - Feliciano!Feliciano!Feliciano! is a 1968 album by Puerto Rican guitarist José Feliciano.It has been the most successful album of his career in the USA. It reached no. 2 and stayed for 59 weeks in the album charts . It was no. 3 on the R&B charts in 1968 and no. 3 on the Jazz charts as well, and it went up to no. 1 in...
- 1968 - Souled
- 1969 - Feliciano/10 To 23
- 1969 - Alive Alive O!
- 1970 - Fireworks
- 1970 - Feliz NavidadFeliz Navidad (José Feliciano album)Originally called "José Feliciano", this album includes the hit song Feliz Navidad. This album by José Feliciano was originally released in 1970 by RCA Victor...
- 1971 - Encore!
- 1971 - Che sarà
- 1971 - That the Spirit Needs
- 1971 - Another Record
- 1972 - Sings
- 1972 - Memphis Menu
- 1973 - Compartments
- 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 and Roll
- 1976 - AngelaAaron Loves AngelaAaron Loves Angela is a 1975 Soul Cinema Classic film written by Gerald Sanford and directed by Gordon Parks, Jr. This film stars Moses Gunn, Kevin Hooks and Irene Cara.-Plot:...
- 1977 - Sweet Soul Music
- 1981 - José Feliciano"
- 1983 - Romance in the NightRomance in the NightRomance in the Night is a soft rock album of mostly covers by José Feliciano. It was released on the Motown label in 1983. The track "Let’s Find Each Other Tonight” was his first single to make the Country charts and was played by the same José Feliciano live on the 1996 movie Fargo by the Coen...
- 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 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
US R&B Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
US AC Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States... |
US Latin Hot Latin Songs Hot Latin Songs is a record chart published by Billboard magazine. It is often recognized as the most important music chart for Spanish language Latin music in the American music market. It was established by the magazine on September 6, 1986 with La Guirnalda by Rocío Dúrcal being the first song... |
US Country | UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
AUS | ||
| 1968 | "Light My Fire Light My Fire "Light My Fire" is a song by The Doors which was recorded in August 1966 and released the first week of January 1967 on the Doors' debut album. Released as a single in April, it spent three weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and one week on the Cash Box Top 100, nearly a year after... " |
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! 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? ¿Por Qué Te Tengo Que Olvidar? "¿Por Qué Te Tengo Que Olvidar?" is a song written by Luis Angel Márquez, Edwin Apolinaris and Tommy Villarini, performed by Puerto Rican-American singer-songwriter José Feliciano. The song was released as the lead single from the album Niña. The track became Feliciano's first number-one single in... " |
- | - | - | 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 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
US R&B Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... |
US Soul Album |
US Latin Album Latin pop Latin pop generally refers to pop music that has what may be perceived a Latin American influence... |
US Cash Box | UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
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
- List of Famous Puerto Ricans
- List of Puerto Rican songwriters
External links
- Jose Feliciano Official Website