Manuel Iman was born in Seville, Spain. He became involved in music at a very early age. His first recording came in 1975 when he made 14 de Abril with the group Goma. The album was one of the first fusion efforts of that time and has now become a collector’s item. Three of the pieces of this album were included in the soundtrack of the successful film Manuela in 1976.
In 1976 the first seeds of the Andalusian progressive rock group Iman were sown and by the following year, the full band was gaining ground with its live performances. They were signed by CBS for whom they recorded Iman, Califato Independiente. The critics raved over its innovative and subtle combination of Flamenco, Rock and Eastern roots.
In 1980, Camino del Aguila was released, incorporating tropical influences. One of Manuel’s compositions was included in the soundtrack of the French film Frigg force 9.
Iman became a legendary name in Spanish rock and its recordings were re-released on CD by Musea a French record company. In 1997 Sony Music, Spain reissued both albums.
After moving to Madrid in 1981, Manuel became a sought-after creative force in the recording industry and produced, performed and arranged works for artists as varied as Lole & Manuel, Paco and Pepe de Lucia, Pata Negra, Kiko Veneno, Ole-Ole, Los del Rio, Remedios Amaya, Emilio Aragon and many more. He also worked making music for commercials and documentaries.
In 1985, Manuel got involved in the creation of a commercial project, the pop band La Decada Prodigiosa, covering popular 1960s songs (EMI Hispavox), that had outstanding success. The first five albums released sold 2.5 million copies and the band toured Spain extensively for five years and appeared in many TV shows. One of the biggest live shows took place in the island of Tenerife island (1989) where Manuel performed with the band in front of more than 250.000 people.
In 1991 Manuel began work on a solo album, entitled La Danza del Espacio for Productora Andaluza, released in 1992. He worked on music for the video commissioned by Tele Expo (the TV station created for the 92 World Expo) Sevilla entre dos Exposiciones.
Manuel also coordinated and directed a large scale tour entitled Rock Andaluz- Ayer y Hoy in which important names from the past and present were brought together.
In 1995 he moved to Malibu, California, composing and producing music for video and preparing a new album. Called from Spain in 1996 for a new project, Manuel became the Musical Director and music composer of El Circo del Arte show, a successful new project produced by the show business mogul Emilio Aragon.
In 1997 he returned to Malibu and he worked as a producer and composer for Dunrite Productions. In 1998 the CD Reflections was released with Domo Records, an instrumental collection that includes three pieces by Manuel. His music was also included in Music for the Spirit, on Domo Records. Songs from a grateful heart, an instrumental Spanish guitar collection, was released in 1998 (Visions International).
For the same company, he also worked with more artists in the CD Live in Long Beach. In addition he produced another solo album Flowers in the desert (EverSound), released in October 1998, working with Grammy Award winner Roger Nichols and Paul Dieter.
In 1999 music by Manuel was included in the compilation CD Expressions (EverSound) and produced and performed three carols for the compilation CD Tidings of Joy (EverSound), one of them, Little drummer boy featuring his daughter Lucia Iman.
In 2000, Manuel worked on a new album titled Legacy, based and inspired in old Indian bhajans creating a fusion with blues, reggae, Flamenco, Brazilian and African music featuring the collaboration of outstanding musicians from around the world like Dan Moretti, Abraham Laboriel, Madan Gopal, Gita Jaiyaram, Bob Nichols, Jim Monahan, Scarlet Rivera, Nigel Holton, Windy Barnes, Sanjay Talwar and many more, with Nichols again in the mixing and mastering for this project.
In 2001 he produced and arranged Save the Day for Visions International, Untraveled Road, an alternative country CD for Steve Mc Peters and Rich beyond words for Rich Neel.
Manuel returned to Seville and continues to perform and produce recordings there.
Discography:
With Imán, Califato Independiente
Imán, Califato Independiente (CBS, 1978)
Camino Del Águila (CBS, 1980)
Imán, Califato Independiente (1976 – 2006) (Aristillus, 2006)
Solo:
La danza del espacio (Aspa Records, 1992)
Songs from a grateful heart (Visions International, 1998)
Flowers in the desert (EverSound, 1998)
Legacy (Collaboration Works, 2000)
Your love is my blessing (EverSound, 2003)
Sevilla Infinita (Manuel Iman Music, 2018)
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.