Artist Profiles: José Feliciano

Recognized as the first Latin artist to crossover into mainstream pop and rock, José Feliciano has recorded nearly 70 albums, been awarded forty-five Gold and Platinum records, won sixteen Grammy nominations, earned six Grammy awards and Billboard’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

José Feliciano was born in 1945 in the rural hill town of Lares, Puerto Rico. Glaucoma left him legally blind from birth. Following a long tradition of blind men and women who turn to music, he taught himself to play the concertina at age 5. At 8 he performed at the Puerto Rican Theater in the Bronx. Then he heard rock and roll and taught himself the guitar, practicing up to 12 and 14 hours a day.

He quit school at 17 and began performing at the legendary Gerdes Folk City in Greenwich Village, where he mixed flamenco with boleros and pop covers. The late folk icon Dave Van Ronk recalled, “When I first met Jose Feliciano, he blew me away. I said, “My God, you can’t do that with a guitar.?“

Feliciano?s first recording in 1966 resulted in two Spanish market hits. Two more albums followed establishing him throughout Latin America. In 1968, RCA suggested he record a Doors? song that he performed in concert, ‘Light My Fire,’ which reached number one on the pop charts. That same year he became the first artist to stylize the National Anthem during the baseball World Series. It would become the first time the anthem charted a Top-40 hit. Another milestone song, ‘Feliz Navidad,’ has become a worldwide holiday classic, with ASCAP placing it among the 25 Greatest Holiday Songs of the Century.

But Feliciano is more than a cover artist. He introduced the pop mainstream to Latin percussion, reinvented the sound of the bolero, performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the London Symphony, and recorded a stunning collection of cherished Mexican mariachi standards.

Over the years Jose Feliciano’s music has penetrated the North American music market, subtly influencing it with his classically acoustic guitar, earthy vocal inflections and Caribbean grooves. With A Mexico… Con Amor, Feliciano continues to shape pop, Latin and world music.

The Voice & Guitar of Jose Feliciano (RCA, 1964)
A Bag Full of Soul (RCA, 1965)
Fantastic Feliciano (1966)
El Fantastico! (Él, 1967)
Feliciano! (RCA, 1968)
10 to 23 (1969)
Alive Alive-O!, Vol. 1 (RCA, 1969)
Alive Alive-O!, Vol. 2 (RCA, 1969)
Souled (1969)
Fireworks (RCA, 1970)
Funny How Sweet Co-Co Can Be (BMG / Sony BMG, 1971)
That the Spirit Needs (1971)
Che Sara (Creative Sounds, 1971)
Memphis Menu (Edsel, 1972)
Jose Feliciano “Feliz Navidad” (RCA, 1973)
And the Feeling’s Good (Wounded Bird, 1974)
Compartments (Wounded Bird, 1974)
For My Love…Mother Music (RCA, 1974)
Just Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll (Wounded Bird, 1975)
Angela (Private Stock, 1976)
Sweet Soul Music (Private Stock, 1976)
15 Especiales de Jose Feliciano (Globo Records, 1977)
Jose Feliciano [1980] (Motown, 1980)
Escenas de Amor (Universal Music Latino, 1982)
Me Enamore (Universal Music Latino, 1983)
Romance in the Night (Motown, 1983)
Sings & Plays the Beatles (RCA, 1985)
Te Amaré (RCA, 1986)
Jose Feliciano and Vienna Symphony Orchestra (Dino Entertainment, 1987)
Tu Inmenso Amor (Your Immense Love) (EMI-Capitol, 1987)
Feliz Navidad (BMG Heritage, 1989)
I’m Never Gonna Change (EMI Music, 1989)
Niña (EMI Music , 1990)
Steppin’ Out (Optimism, 1990)
Sentimiento, La Voz Y La Guitarra (RCA, 1991)
Merry Christmas America (Sony Music , 1992)
Latin Street ’92 (Capitol, 1992)
2 X 1 (RCA, 1994)
Americano (Rodven Records / T.H. Rodven, 1996)
And I Love Her (BMG / Camden, 1996)
…On Second Thought (32 Records / 32 Jazz, 1997)
Señor Bolero (Universal Music Latino / T.H. Rodven, 1998)
El Sentimiento (, 1999)
Forever Gold: Jose Feliciano (St. Clair, 2002)
Señor Bolero 2 (Universal Music Latino, 2003)
A México…Con Amor (Universal Music Latino, 2004)
The Soundtrax of My Life (Hip-O, 2007)
The King: By Jose Feliciano (Feliciano Enterprises, 2012)
My Love for México (Universal Latino, 2013)
Duets (Siente Music, 2014)
As You See Me Now (Warner Music, 2017)

Author: Angel Romero

Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.