[스크랩] RAIN/ Jose Feliciano
출처 블로그 오드리햅번
사족/당산재.. 호세 펠리시아노 는 1945년 푸에르토리코의 가난한 가정에서 태어났다
그것도 태어나면서부터 맹인으로 태어났으니,
세상에대한 동경과 한이 서린 그의 애잔한 목소리는 어쩌면 당연한것인지 모르겠다
주룩 주룩 내리는 빗소리를 들으며 기타를 연주하고 피를 토해 내듯 구슬프게 부르는
그의 심중은 과연 어떠 했을까.
3살이라는 어린 나이 부터 음악계에 등장하여 아코디언, 기타 등을 연주했던 그도
어언 환갑을 넘겨가고 있지만, 영원토록 길이 남을 불후 명곡을 남기며 사라지지 않을
우리시대의 명인임에 틀림 없다
아래, 그의 웹사이트에서 찿아온 소개자료... 무슨 말인지 잘 몰겠지만^^
)
José Montserrate Feliciano García (born September 10, 1945 in Lares, Puerto Rico) is a Puerto Rican singer. A victim of congenital glaucoma, he was left permanently blind at birth. Feliciano overcame the effects of his impairment to score many international hits. He was first exposed to music at age 3. At five, his family moved to Spanish Harlem, New York City. At age 9, 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 classic 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 also, he had 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 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 "Usté" ("You"; uste(d) being a more respectful 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" and for his "High 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 sing "The Star-Spangled Banner" at Tiger Stadium during the World Series. His highly personalized, slow, Latin jazz performance proved highly controversial. 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 as actor and composer 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.
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 Enamore 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 2001, Feliciano admitted to having impregnated a woman outside his marriage. The woman gave birth to a baby boy. Sadly, the boy was born with serious health problems and died a few weeks after birth.
Every year during the 2000s his perennial 1970 Christmas song "Feliz Navidad" returns in USA charts as one of the most played radio songs and downloaded songs in that Christmas period. "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.