Feliciano: A Name that is Synonymous with music.
It is synonymous with an international presence that has influenced popular music for more than two generations. It is synonymous with a presence that has bridged musical styles in a way that has never been equaled. Jose Feliciano is recognized as the first Latin Artist to effectively cross over into the English music market, opening the doors for other artists who now play an important role in the American music industry. As importantly, Feliciano has been acclaimed by critics around the world as “The greatest living guitarist.” Referred to as “The Picasso of his Realm,” Jose Feliciano’s accomplishments are highly celebrated. He’s been awarded over forty-five Gold and Platinum records; he has won nineteen Grammy nominations, earning nine Grammy Awards, including the “LARAS Award for Lifetime Achievement.”
Jose Feliciano’s musical career has been immortalized with a Star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame. New York City has honored him by re-naming Public School 155 in East Harlem, “The Jose Feliciano Performing Arts School.” The Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre, an ancient and prestigious Papal Order of the Catholic Church has knighted Jose at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral and he’s received a Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut, for his musical, as well as humanitarian, contributions to the world. Guitar Player Magazine has awarded him “Best Pop Guitarist,” placing him in their “Gallery of the Greats,” and he’s been voted both “Best Jazz” and “Best Rock Guitarist” in the Playboy Magazine reader’s poll, as well. In 1996, Jose was selected to receive Billboard Magazine’s “Lifetime Achievement Award.” Continuing to be constantly in demand, Jose has performed for and with some of the most important people on Earth. He’s enjoyed playing with many of the top symphonic orchestras including the London Symphony, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Vienna Symphony Orchestra. He’s appeared on major television shows worldwide; he has done a number of his own specials and his music has been featured on television, in films and on the stage.
Three songs that have been milestones for Feliciano are: 1) “Light My Fire,” which topped the charts globally in 1968 and according to the song’s publisher, is now a “standard” because of Jose’s interpretation. 2) “Che Sarà” the 1971 San Remo Music Festival entry that became a mega-success for Jose throughout Europe, Asia and South America and of course, 3) “Feliz Navidad,” the Christmas song that has now become a tradition worldwide during the holiday season top iTunes download while ASCAP has placed it among the 25 Greatest Holiday Songs of the Century! Additionally, the world enjoys many other Feliciano songs, including “Rain,” “Chico and the Man,” “California Dreamin’,” “Destiny,” “Affirmation,” ‘The Sound of Vienna,” “Ay Cariño,” “Ponte A Cantar,” “Cuando El Amor Se Acaba,” “Porque Te Tengo Que Olvidar?” and countless others, many of which are of his own writing.
