- 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=yLinares , 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 ), onMay 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 toMadrid 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 inEurope at a contest inSalzburg, 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
choir boy 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 theHispavox recording company, and began a long artistic relationship with Spanish songwriterManuel Alejandro .In 1966 and 1967 he represented Spain at the XII and XIII
Eurovision Song Contest inLuxembourg , 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" (hissignature 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 inArgentina ), "El golfo" (1969, filmed inMéxico ), "El ángel" (1969), "Sin Un Adiós" (1970, filmed inEngland ) 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 andChile .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-governorCarlos Romero Barcelo used the parody (complete with a Raphael sound-alike) namely as a jab against opponent, Raphael's namesake, (and noted Spanophile), former governorRafael 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 byRoberto 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 withPolygram , he went back toEMI . 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 withJoan Manuel Serrat ,Julio Iglesias ,Rocío Dúrcal , Marisol andRocío Jurado .Some of his most important awards are:
* three
Grammy nominations (United States)
* 326 Golden discs worldwide
* 48 Platinum Discs worldwideUranium 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.