Raphael (singer)

Raphael (singer)

Infobox Musical artist
Name = Raphael



Img_capt =
Img_size =
Landscape =
Background = solo_singer
Birth_name = Rafael Martos Sánchez
Alias =
Born = Birth date and age|1943|5|5|mf=y
Linares, Jaén, Spain
Died =
Origin = Madrid, Spain
Instrument =
Genre = Latin
Occupation = Singer, actor
Years_active = 1959 – present
Label = Hispavox, Sony, EMI
Associated_acts =
URL = [http://www.raphaelnet.com/ www.raphaelnet.com]
Notable_instruments =

Don Rafael Martos Sánchez (born May 5, 1943), Ilustrísimo Señor de la Orden de Cisneros, Comendador de Isabel La Católica, often simply referred to as Raphael, is a famous Spanish singer and television, film and theatre actor. A pioneer of modern Spanish music, he is considered a major influence in having opened the door to other Spanish singers. His wide-range voice, added to his quality as showman, has entertained and engaged people worldwide for more than four decades.

Childhood

Raphael was born Rafael Martos Sánchez in Linares, province of Jaén (Spain), on May 5, 1943. As a consequence, he is nicknamed both "El Ruiseñor de Linares" ("Nightingale of Linares") and "El Niño de Linares" ("The child from Linares"). His family moved to Madrid when he was nine months old, and he started singing when he was just three years-old. He joined a children's choir at age four. When he was 9, he was recognized as the best child voice in Europe at a contest in Salzburg, Austria.

Professional career

Raphael began his professional career by signing with the Dutch record label Philips. To distinguish himself, he adopted the "ph" of the company's name and christened himself 'Raphael'. His first singles were "Te voy a contar mi vida" and "A pesar de todo", among others. Raphael adopted his own peculiar singing style from the beginning; he is known for acting each one of his songs while on stage, emphasizing his gestures with high dramatic effect. It is not unusual for Raphael to ad lib lyrics as to localize a song depending on the venue he's singing at, wear Latin American peasant costumes and dance folk dances within a song, kicking and demolishing a mirror, or doing the moves of a flamenco dancer or a bullfighter onstage. He also possesses a wide vocal range, which he often used in the beginning of his career as to evoke a choirboy approach to some songs.

When he was nineteen, he won first, second and third awards at the famous Benidorm International Song Festival, Spain, 1962, with the songs: "Llevan," "Inmensidad" and "Tu Conciencia". He switched labels to the Hispavox recording company, and began a long artistic relationship with Spanish songwriter Manuel Alejandro.

In 1966 and 1967 he represented Spain at the XII and XIII Eurovision Song Contest in Luxembourg, singing "Yo soy aquél" and "Hablemos del amor" and placing both 7º and 6º position, although he did not win. It was the first time that Spain obtained a high place in the competition. This served as a turning point in Raphael's career, making him an international star. He traveled and performed worldwide in Europe, Latin America, the United States, Russia and Japan. Songs such as "Yo soy aquel" (his signature song), "Cuando tú no estás", "Mi gran noche", "Digan lo que digan", "Tema de amor", "Estuve enamorado" and "Desde aquel día" cemented his status as a major international singing star. Raphael also began a lucrative film career, appearing in, "Cuando tú no estás" (Mario Camus, 1966), which was followed by "Al ponerse el Sol" (Mario Camus, 1967) "Digan lo que digan" (Mario Camus, 1968, filmed in Argentina), "El golfo" (1969, filmed in México), "El ángel" (1969), "Sin Un Adiós" (1970, filmed in England) and "Volveré a nacer" (1972).

Latin American popularity

As Raphael became a success in Latin America, he made a habit of recording Latin American folk standards including "Huapango torero," "Sandunga" and "Llorona"; they were hits in Mexico.

He appeared live on The Ed Sullivan Show with great success on October 25, 1970, singing (in Spanish, English and Italian) "Hallelujah" and "Hava Nagila." He appeared again on December 27, 1970, with the songs "Maybe," "When love is around" and "The sound of the trumpet."

In 1975, Raphael began his own successful program on Spanish Television called "El Mundo de Raphael," where he sang with international stars. He also had a radio program, where he and his wife spoke with and interviewed outstanding personalities, and he starred in soap operas, starting with the Mexican production "Donde termina el camino," shown in the spring of 1978 and later in other countries like Peru and Chile.

Raphael succeeded in the early 1980s with songs such as "¿Qué tal te va sin mí?", "Como yo te amo", "En carne viva" and "Estar enamorado." In 1981, he was awarded the Uranium Disk. In 1984 he recorded his first production with songs written by José Luis Perales like "Ámame," "Yo sigo siendo aquel," "Yo soy aquél," "No sé si es cierto" and "Estoy llorando hoy por ti".

In 1984 a parody of "Yo soy aquél" was used in a radio spot in Puerto Rico's gubernatorial race. Then-governor Carlos Romero Barcelo used the parody (complete with a Raphael sound-alike) namely as a jab against opponent, Raphael's namesake, (and noted Spanophile), former governor Rafael Hernandez Colon. Raphael was surprised by the unauthorized use of the music, but was highly amused by the reference.

In 1987 he left Hispavox and signed a contract with Columbia (now Sony Music), where he again recorded songs written by Roberto Livi like "Toco madera," "Maravilloso corazón". In 1991 he had a hit with "Escándalo" in Spain, Latin America, and in Japan, where it reached number one. At the end of the 90s, after ending a contract with Polygram, he went back to EMI. In 1998 the artist published the first part of his memories: "¿Y mañana qué?", from his childhood until his marriage in 1972.

Raphael took part in the 2000 Spanish version of the show "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" for seven months, with great success.

Personal life

He married journalist and writer Natalia Figueroa, in Venice (Italy) on the 14th of July 1972. They have three children: Jacobo, Alejandra and Manuel, who have all artistic talents.

Raphael's health faced a major setback in 2003, when his liver started failing due to a latent bout with Hepatitis B; he recovered successfully after a transplant. Since then he is an active organ donation promoter.

Awards and accomplishments

Raphael can be singled out as one of the most important singers in the Spanish language for the second half of the twentieth century, along with Joan Manuel Serrat, Julio Iglesias, Rocío Dúrcal, Marisol and Rocío Jurado.

Some of his most important awards are:

* three Grammy nominations (United States)
* 326 Golden discs worldwide
* 48 Platinum Discs worldwide

Uranium Disc Award

Raphael's success in the music industry is also marked by one unusual award: a uranium disc. It was given to him by Hispavox, after the massive worldwide sale of more than 50 million copies of his best hits LP "Ayer, Hoy, Siempre." Sales of audio recordings in Spain over 40,000 copies grant the performer with a gold disc, while sales of 170,000 units deserve platinum disc status. Therefore, the uranium disc granted to Raphael is equivalent to 1,250 golden discs or 300 platinum discs. Hispavox, undestanding the complexity of delivering so many golden discs, preferred to grant Raphael a uranium one.

External links

* [http://www.raphaelnet.com/ Raphael's official site]
* [http://www.raphaelsite.com/ Raphael's World Wide site]
* [http://diggiloo.net/?1966es/ Letra de su canción "Yo Soy Aquél"] (Spanish and English)
* [http://diggiloo.net/?1967es/ Letra de su canción "Hablemos Del Amor"] (Spanish and English)

###@@@KEY@@@###succession box
before=Conchita Bautista
title=Spain in the Eurovision Song Contest
years=1966 & 1967
after=Massiel


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Raphael (disambiguation) — Raphael is a name of Hebrew origin meaning God heals. It is commonly spelled Rafael in Spanish speaking countries. Raphael may refer to:* Raphael (angel), an archangel in Judaism, Islam, and Christianity, after whom all or most other uses are… …   Wikipedia

  • Raphaël W. Pathé — also known as Felix Wolff in the UK, is a blood relative of Charles Pathé. He s a TV presenter, a dancer, an actor and a dj singer and a fashion model. In 1992 He started his career as a Dj club dancer in his home town Strasbourg in clubs like… …   Wikipedia

  • Raphaël Haroche — (born 7 November 1975 in Boulogne Billancourt, Hauts de Seine, France) is a French singer who performs under the name Raphaël. His father is Russian and his mother is from Argentina. He began his public career with the song Sur la route (On the… …   Wikipedia

  • Raphael Basch — (born 1813, Prague, Bohemia ) was a Bohemian Austrian writer and politician. He was the father of Victor Basch.At the first disturbances preliminary to the Revolution of 1848, he went to Vienna, and took an active part in the insurrection. Here… …   Wikipedia

  • Raphael Saadiq — Infobox musical artist Name = Raphael Saadiq Background = solo singer Birth name = Charlie Ray Wiggins Born = birth date and age|1966|5|14 Died = Origin = Oakland, California, United States Instrument = Vocals, Bass Guitar, Guitar, Keyboards… …   Wikipedia

  • Raphaël (personnage) — L Archange Raphaël est un personnage de fiction de la série télévisée Supernatural. Biographie Raphaël est l archange qui est responsable du meurtre de Castiel. Il est l ange gardien de Chuck Shurley, il tua Castiel parce qu il n avait pas suivi… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Raphael Rabello — Infobox musical artist Name = Raphael Rabello Img capt = Img size = Landscape = Background = guitar player Birth name = Raphael Baptista Rabello Alias = Raphael Rabello Born = Birth date|1962|10|31|mf=y Petrópolis, Brazil Died = death date and… …   Wikipedia

  • Raphael — b. 1946, Linares (Jaén)    Singer    At the age of 16, Rafael Martos arrived at the studio of his present manager in search of fame and fortune and this was start of his artistic career. His preciousness earned him the sobriquet El niño de… …   Encyclopedia of contemporary Spanish culture

  • John Singer Sargent — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Sargent. John Singer Sargent est un peintre américain, né en 1856 à Florence (Italie) et mort en 1925 à Londres. Élève de Carolus Duran et de Léon Bonnat, il étudie à l école des Beaux Arts de Paris. Il est un… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • SOYER, RAPHAEL — (1899–1987), U.S. painter and printmaker. Born in Borisoglebsk, Russia, Raphael Soyer was one of three of the six Soyer children – along with his twin brother moses soyer and younger brother Isaac Soyer – who became artists. In 1912, when the… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”