José Feliciano

José Feliciano

José Monserrate Feliciano García is a Puerto Rican musician, singer and composer. His music is known for its fusion of styles: Latin, jazz, blues, soul and even rock. His signature acoustic guitar sound is easily recognizable in many songs heard around the world.

About José Feliciano in brief

Summary José FelicianoJosé Monserrate Feliciano García is a Puerto Rican musician, singer and composer. His music is known for its fusion of styles: Latin, jazz, blues, soul and even rock. His signature acoustic guitar sound is easily recognizable in many songs heard around the world. In the United States, he first received widespread popularity in the 1960s, particularly after his 1968 albumFeliciano! reached number two on the music charts. He was born in Lares, Puerto Rico, on September 10, 1945. He is the fourth child of 11 sons, he was born blind as a result of congenital glaucoma. He would play his guitar by himself in his room for up to 14 hours a day, and would learn by listening to 1950s rock and roll, records of classical guitarists and jazz players. His first professional contracted performance was at The Retort, a coffee house in Detroit, Michigan, in 1963. In 1965 and 1966, he released his first albums: The Voice and Guitar of Jose Feliciana and A Bag Full of Soul, two folk-pop-soul albums that showcased his talent on radios across the US. In 1966, Jose visited Mar del Plata, Argentina, and impressed RCA Victor executives, who wanted him to stay and record an album for them in Spanish. This was the beginning of a series of successful albums and gold records throughout Latin America and Hispanic communities in the U.S. He has released over fifty albums, worldwide, in both English and Spanish.

Some of his most interpretations include La Copa en la Rota, Extraños en la Noche, and La Carcel de Sing en la Sing, which was released concurrently as the Spanish version of Frank Sinatra’s Strangers in the Night. He wrote a song about his experience in the United Kingdom, which he told his guide dog, Trudy, unless she was quarantined for 6 months. The stringent quarantine measures of those days were intended to prevent the spread of rabies. The song, entitled Allowed, is about their actions by their guide dog. In a 1969 interview, Jose mentioned soul music in general, and Ray Charles and Sam Cooke in particular, as influences on his singing. In 1964, he release his first single, \”Everybody Do the Click\” and was invited to the 1964 Newport Folk Festival. He started frequenting the coffee houses of Greenwich Village, New York, and Vancouver, British Columbia, especially in Greenwich Village. At 17, in order to help support his family, he left high school. The result was two smash hits with the singles \”Poquita Fe\”, and \”Usted\”. He was discovered while performing at Gerde’s Folk City in the Village and immediately signed by Jack Somer, an executive at RCAVictor. He was also known for doing an impression of Bob Dylan, only to find that Bob Dylan was in the audience.