ARTISTS
Artist
Jose Feliciano
In order to gain nicknames such as “The greatest living guitarist” and “the Picasso of his Realm,” you’ve got to be incredibly good. And Jose Feliciano is that good. He is globally recognized as the first Latin Artist to successfully cross over into the English music market. In addition, he has been voted best guitarist by Guitar Player Magazine, Playboy Magazine and has been awarded over 45 gold and platinum records and eight Grammy Awards. In 1996, Feliciano was bestowed the prestigious Billboard Magazine Lifetime Achievement Award and New York City honored him by naming a public school in East Harlem The Jose Feliciano Performing Arts School.
As successful as Feliciano has been in his music career, his life wasn’t without hurdles. Feliciano was born with congenital glaucoma, which left him completely blind in both eyes. As one of eleven boys, he embraced and excelled at music from a young age. By the time he was 17, he had dropped out of school and was trying to help his family financially by playing gigs in Greenwich Village. However, Feliciano’s first big break, in 1966, actually came from the Spanish market. RCA executives in Argentina encouraged him to stay and record an album. Instead of just playing classic songs, Feliciano completely reworked and refashioned them with his own style of acoustic guitar and vocal inflections.
By the time he was 23, he had earned five Grammy nominations and went home with two wins for his album Feliciano!. Taking the music world by storm wasn’t enough for Feliciano; he also ventured into other artistic genres, and even collaborated with world-renowned author Ray Bradbury. With no intention of slowing down, Feliciano travels the globe preaching his songs and making music that is universally praised.
