Arthur Hanlon

Arthur Hanlon is an American pianist, songwriter and arranger. Born to Irish-American parents, he hails from Detroit, Michigan, but found his calling in Latin music.

With his 2005 hit, “La Gorda Linda,” Hanlon became the first pianist, and the first non-Latin, to reach No. 1 on the tropical airplay chart of Billboard Magazine, according to an article published by Billboard in April 26, 2006, coinciding with the Billboard Latin Music Awards. “La Gorda Linda,” which he penned, was also on the top ten of the “Billboard Top Latin Songs” chart and a subsequent remix by DJ Norty Cotto spent weeks on the Billboard dance charts. As a result of “La Gorda Linda,” Hanlon was a double finalist for the 2006 Latin Billboard Music Awards in the Tropical Song of the year and Dance Track of the year categories. [Billboard Magazine, April 26, 2006.]

To date, Hanlon has had four major label releases, all under Latin labels, making him an anomaly in the pop music world. He is currently signed to (Univision Records), and his history of recorded collaborations includes Gloria Estefan (in her album "Unwrapped"), Arturo Sandoval (with whom he recorded "Marianela," from Hanlon's album "La Gorda Linda"), Crooked Stylo (with whom he co-wrote the track "Don Miguel," from the album "Malhablados"), Tito Nieves (who sings in the track "La Gorda Linda" from Hanlon's album of the same name) and Ana Bárbara (who sings "Estar a Tu Lado," from "La Gorda Linda").

In the live concert arena, Hanlon has shared the stage with the likes of Ricardo Montaner, Luis Fonsi, Myriam Hernández and pop star Chayanne, for whom he opened a series of arena dates in 2007. In a memorable moment, Hanlon played "No Me Llames Extranjero," a song about immigrants, with Fonsi and Montaner during the 2006 Billboard Latin Music Awards which aired on the Telemundo Network.

History

The third of seven children, Hanlon started playing the piano at six, and at 15, was already playing professional gigs in Detroit with ensembles that included the Flip Jackson Band. Hanlon would eventually get his masters degree in piano performance from Manhattan School of Music in New York City.

While in New York, he encountered Latin music head-on, and regularly played Latin club gigs while at the same time studying the music of classical composers.

Hanlon’s first album was an independent recording of purely original material, appropriately titled ’’Encuentros.’’ Licensed by Max Music and distributed by Universal, "Encuentros" brought Hanlon to the attention of Fonovisa, the leading indie Latin label in the country at the time, with whom he signed in 2000.

Hanlon’s first release with Fonovisa was "El Piano Amarillo" (The Yellow Piano) and eclectic mix of Latin, dance and pop fare produced by Colombian producers Estéfano and Julio Reyes (of Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez fame).

He followed up with "11 Números Uno," a more classically-tinged album of covers of Latin standards plus one of his original compositions.

He consolidated himself as an instrumentalist with 2005’s "La Gorda Linda," an album of mostly original material that featured a handful of guest artists, including jazz trumpeter Arturo Sandoval, salsa star Tito Nieves and Mexican singer Ana Bárbara. The album was produced by Grammy winners Sergio George and Kike Santander and was a multiple finalist for the 2006 Billboard Latin Music Awards, in which Hanlon performed.

In 2006, Hanlon was signed by EMI, and released "Mecanomanía," an album of covers of Spanish pop trio Mecano, set to chill-out arrangements.

The video for the album’s first single, “Hijo de La Luna,” was shot at the Baldwin piano factory, marking the first time in the company’s nearly 100 year history that a music video was shot in its installations. [Gibson/Baldwin official website.]

In 2007, Hanlon toured the United States with Puerto Rican pop star Chayanne, opening a series of arena dates for the singer.

Hanlon is currently signed to Universal Music, with plans to release an album of all original material in 2008.

Discography

* El Piano Amarillo, Fonovisa Records (2001)
* 11 Números Uno, Fonovisa Records (2004)
* La Gorda Linda, Fonovisa Records (2005)
* Mecanomanía, EMI Records (2006)

References

Billboard Magazine, April 26, 2006

www.Baldwinpiano.com

External links

* [http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002383965 Billboard] (Subscription required)
* [http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/searchResult.jsp?configType=BBCOM_SIMPLEDEFAULT&pubList=Billboard&an=bbcom&action=Submit&kw=&exposeNavigation=true&keyword=Arthur+Hanlon&submit.x=28&submit.y=23&submit=Submit Billboard Music Charts]
* [http://www.bmi.com/musicworld/entry/535017 Arthur Hanlon, a MusicWorld story written by Dan Kimpel]
* [http://www.arthurhanlon.com Arthur Hanlon official site]