Raphael (singer)
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Miguel Rafael Martos Sánchez (born May 5, 1943), often simply referred to as Raphael, is a Spanish singer and television, film and theater actor. Raphael is recognized as one of the most successful Spanish singers in the world, having sold more than 70 million records worldwide in 7 languages. Currently, he is considered one of the most active singers of the so-called "divos of the romantic ballad", touring throughout America and Europe, transmitting for 60 years of artistic career, a repertoire full of novelty, for which his oldest songs are being recorded again,thus remastering with modern sounds closer to today's youth.


Childhood

Raphael was born Miguel Rafael Martos Sánchez in Linares, province of Jaén (Spain). As a consequence, he is nicknamed both ''"El Ruiseñor de Linares"'' ("
Nightingale The common nightingale, rufous nightingale or simply nightingale (''Luscinia megarhynchos''), is a small passerine bird best known for its powerful and beautiful song. It was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, but is no ...
of Linares") and ''"El Divo de Linares"'' ("The Divo from Linares") but is also known as "El Niño". His family moved to
Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...
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 Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian) is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872. The town is on the site of the ...
. His two idols, when he was growing up, and with whom he announced, on October 6, 2014, his plans to record posthumous duets with, were said to be US singer
Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
and French diva
Edith Piaf Edith is a feminine given name derived from the Old English words ēad, meaning 'riches or blessed', and is in common usage in this form in English, German, many Scandinavian languages and Dutch. Its French form is Édith. Contractions and vari ...
.


Career


First recordings

Raphael began his professional career by singing 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 Flamenco (), in its strictest sense, is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura and ...
or a
bullfighter A bullfighter (or matador) is a performer in the activity of bullfighting. ''Torero'' () or ''toureiro'' (), both from Latin ''taurarius'', are the Spanish and Portuguese words for bullfighter and describe all the performers in the activit ...
onstage. He also possesses a wide vocal range, which he often used in the beginning of his career as to evoke a
choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which ...
boy approach to some songs.


From Benidorm and Eurovision to becoming an international star

When he was nineteen, he won first, second and third awards at the famous
Benidorm International Song Festival The Benidorm International Song Festival ( es, Festival Internacional de la Canción de Benidorm), until 2004 simply Benidorm Song Festival ( es, Festival de la Canción de Benidorm, links=no), was an annual song contest held in the city of Benidor ...
, Spain, in 1962 and 1963 with the songs: "Llevan", "Inmensidad" and "Tu Conciencia". After a brief relation with Barclay record label, who produced just an EP, he signed a contract with
Hispavox Hispavox S.A. was a major Spanish record company founded on June 27, 1953, that run independently until 1985 when it was acquired by EMI. Their studios were located in Madrid, and were known among fans as Sonido Torrelaguna. EMI owned the Hispa ...
recording company, and began a long artistic relationship with the musical director of this label, the late, talented Argentinian orchestrator
Waldo de los Ríos Osvaldo Nicolás Ferraro Gutiérrez (7 September 1934 – 28 March 1977) better known as Waldo de los Ríos was an Argentine composer, conductor and arranger. De los Ríos was born in Buenos Aires into a musical family; his father was a musicia ...
and intensify the partnership with outstanding Spanish songwriter
Manuel Alejandro Manuel Álvarez-Beigbeder Pérez (born 21 February 1932), better known as Manuel Alejandro, is a Spanish composer of Latin love songs, which are better known as ''ballads''. He has written, composed, and arranged songs for the likes of Luis Mig ...
. Raphael represented Spain at the and
Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pr ...
s singing " Yo soy aquél" in Luxembourg, and " Hablemos del amor" in
Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...
, placing seventh and sixth, respectively. This marked Spain's strongest showing in the contest at the time, leaving the door open for victory the following year, which Spain achieved with "
La, la, la "La, la, la" is a song recorded by Spanish singer Massiel, written by Manuel de la Calva and Ramón Arcusa. It is best known as the Spanish winning entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 1968 in London. It was the first time that Spain won the C ...
" performed by
Massiel María de los Ángeles Felisa Santamaría Espinosa (born 2 August 1947), professionally known as Massiel, is a Spanish pop singer. She won the Eurovision Song Contest 1968 with the song "La, la, la", beating the British pop singer Cliff Richard' ...
. This served as a turning point in Raphael's career, making him an international star. He traveled and performed worldwide in Europe, Latin America, Puerto Rico, 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 Mario Camus García (20 April 1935 – 18 September 2021) was a Spanish film director and screenwriter. He won the Golden Bear at the 33rd Berlin International Film Festival with '' La colmena''. His 1987 film ''The House of Bernarda Alba'' wa ...
, 1966), which was followed by ''Al ponerse el Sol'' (Mario Camus, 1967) '' Digan lo que digan'' (Mario Camus, 1968, filmed in
Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
), ''El golfo'' (1969, filmed in
México Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
), ''El ángel'' (1969), ''Sin Un Adiós'' (1970, partially 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. In 1967 Raphael began a tour throughout America.


American and Spanish television appearances

He appeared live on ''
The Ed Sullivan Show ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television program, television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York City, New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in Septembe ...
'' 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" (Somos), "When my love is around" (Cuando llega mi amor) and "The sound of the trumpet" (Balada de la trompeta). 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
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and Chile.


Golden 80s

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 1980 Raphael receives a Uranium disc, in recognition of his fifty million copies sold throughout his recording career. During 1984 and 1985 he recorded two albums with songs written by
José Luis Perales José Luis Perales Morillas (born 18 January 1945) is a Spanish singer and songwriter. He has recorded 27 albums and 50 million copies sold worldwide. His compositions have been recorded by singers such as Vikki Carr, Bertín Osborne, Ra ...
like "Ámame", "Yo sigo siendo aquel", "Dile que vuelva", "Y... Cómo es él" and "Estoy llorando hoy por ti". In 1984 a parody of "Yo soy aquél" was used in a radio spot in
Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...
's gubernatorial race. Then-governor
Carlos Romero Barceló Carlos Antonio Romero Barceló (September 4, 1932 – May 2, 2021) was a Puerto Rican politician who served as the governor of Puerto Rico from 1977 to 1985. He was the second governor to be elected from the New Progressive Party (PNP). He al ...
used the parody (complete with a Raphael sound-alike) namely as a jab against opponent, Raphael's namesake, (and noted Spanophile), former governor
Rafael Hernández Colón Rafael Hernández Colón (October 24, 1936 – May 2, 2019) was a Puerto Rican politician who served as the governor of Puerto Rico from 1973 to 1977 and 1985 to 1993 for a total of three terms. An experienced politician, Hernández held the ...
. 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 Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainment ...
), where he again recorded songs written by
Roberto Livi The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...
like "Toco madera" and "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 1990s, after ending a contract with
PolyGram PolyGram N.V. was a multinational entertainment company and major music record label formerly based in the Netherlands. It was founded in 1962 as the Grammophon-Philips Group by Dutch corporation Philips and German corporation Siemens, to be a ...
, he went back to
EMI EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British Transnational corporation, transnational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in March 1 ...
. In 1998 the artist published the first part of his memoirs titled ''¿Y mañana qué?'', from his childhood until his marriage in 1972. Raphael took part in the 2000 Spanish version of the stage musical ''
Jekyll & Hyde ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde'' is a 1886 Gothic novella by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson. It follows Gabriel John Utterson, a London-based legal practitioner who investigates a series of strange occurrences between his old ...
'' for seven months, with great success.


Personal life

He married aristocrat, journalist and writer Natalia Figueroa, in
Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400  ...
(
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
) on July 14, 1972. They have three children: Jacobo, Alejandra and Manuel. Raphael's health faced a major setback in 2003, when his
liver The liver is a major Organ (anatomy), organ only found in vertebrates which performs many essential biological functions such as detoxification of the organism, and the Protein biosynthesis, synthesis of proteins and biochemicals necessary for ...
started failing due to a latent bout with
hepatitis B Hepatitis B is an infectious disease caused by the ''Hepatitis B virus'' (HBV) that affects the liver; it is a type of viral hepatitis. It can cause both acute and chronic infection. Many people have no symptoms during an initial infection. Fo ...
; he recovered successfully after a transplant. Since then he is an active organ donation promoter.


Awards and accomplishments

Raphael has received numerous awards. He was inducted into the
International Latin Music Hall of Fame The International Latin Music Hall of Fame (ILMHF) was an annual event established in 1999 and held in New York City to honor artists who have largely contributed to the Latin music genre. In addition to the induction into the Hall of Fame, the a ...
in 2003. Recently Raphael received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2022 Billboard Latin Music Awards. url=https://www.billboard.com/music/latin/rapahel-lifetime-achievement-award-at-2022-billboard-latin-music-awards-1235133565/


Discography

* ''Raphael'' (1965) * ''Raphael Canta'' (1966) * ''Al Ponerse El Sol'' (1967) * ''Digan Lo Que Digan'' (1967) * ''El Golfo'' (1968) * ''Huapango Torero + 3'' (EP – México) (1969) * ''El Angel'' (1969) – Ecuador Only * ''Raphael – El Idolo'' (Philips EP's Compilation) (1969) * ''Aqui!'' (1969) * ''Corazón, Corazón'' (1970) México * ''Live at the Talk of the Town'' (1970) (recorded at the London Talk of the Town) * ''Aleluya...'' (1970) * ''Algo Más'' (1971) * ''Háblame De Amor'' (From 'Top Star Festival' LP) (1971) * ''Volveré A Nacer'' (1972) * ''Le Llaman Jesús!'' (1973) * ''From Here On...'' (1973) – English Album * ''Raphael (A La Huella...)'' (1974) * ''Raphael (De... Para...)'' (1974) * ''Qué Dirán De Mí'' (1974) * ''Sombras + 3'' (1974) (EP. – Ecuador) * ''No Eches La Culpa Al Gitano'' (From "Juntos Para Ayudarte" LP) (1974) * ''Recital Hispanoamericano'' (1975) – With Los Gemelos * ''Con El Sol De La Mañana'' (1976) * ''Raphael Canta...'' (1976) * ''El Cantor'' (1977) (México) * ''Una Forma Muy Mía De Amar'' (1978) * ''Y... Sigo Mi Camino'' (1980) * ''Vivo Live Direct – 20th Anniversary'' (Live Double Album) (1980) * ''En Carne Viva'' (1981) * ''Raphael: Ayer, Hoy y Siempre'' (1982) * ''Enamorado De La Vida'' (1983) * ''Eternamente Tuyo'' (1984) * ''Yo Sigo Siendo Aquel – 25th Anniversary'' (1985) * ''Todo Una Vida'' (1986) * ''Las Apariencias Engañan'' (1988) * ''Maravilloso Corazón, Maravilloso'' (1989) * ''Andaluz'' (1990) * ''Ave Fénix'' (1992) * ''Fantasía'' (1994) * ''Desde el fondo de mi alma'' (1995) * ''Punto y Seguido'' (1997) * ''Vete'' (1997) – Duet with Nino Bravo * ''Jekyll & Hyde'' (2001) * ''Maldito Raphael'' (2001) * ''De Vuelta ''(2003) * ''Vuelve Por Navidad ''(2004) * ''A Que No Te Vas'' (2006) – Duet with Rocio Jurado * ''Cerca de ti'' (2006) * ''Maravilloso Raphael'' (2007) * ''Raphael 50 Anos Después'' (CD + DVD) (2008) * ''Viva Raphael!'' (2009) * ''50 Años Después – En Directo y Al Completo'' (3 CD + DVD) (2009) * ''Te Llevo En El Corazón'' (3 CD + DVD) (2010) * ''Te Llevo En El Corazón. Essential'' (2011) * ''El Reencuentro'' (2012) * ''El Reencuentro En Directo'' (CD + DVD) (2012) * ''Mi Gran Noche'' (2013) * ''50 Exitos De Mi Vida'' (3 CD + DVD) (2013) * ''De Amor & Desamor'' (LP + CD) (2014) * ''Raphael Sinphónico'' (CD + DVD) (2015) * ''Ven A Mi Casa Esta Navidad'' (CD) (2015) * ''Infinitos Bailes ''(LP + CD) (2016) * ''6.0 En Concierto'' (2021) * ''Victoria (2022)


Filmography

* ''Las Gemelas'' (1963) – As Alberto * ''Cuando Tú No Estás'' (1966) – As Rafael * ''Al Ponerse El Sol'' (1967) – As David Alonso * '' Digan lo que digan'' (1968) – As Rafael Gandía * ''El Golfo'' (1968)- As Pancho * ''El Ángel'' (1969)- As El Angel * ''Sin Un Adiós'' (1970) – As Mario Leiva * ''Volveré A Nacer'' (1973) – As Alex * ''Rafael en Raphael'' (Documentary) (1974) – As himself * ''Donde Termina El Camino'' (TV) (1978)- As Manuel * ''Ritmo, Amor y Primavera'' (1981) – As himself * ''Jekyll & Hyde'' (Musical) (2000) – As Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde * ''Balada Triste de Trompeta" (The Last Circus)'' (2010) – As himself, through use of ''Sin Un Adiós'' footage * '' Mi Gran Noche'' (2015) – As Alphonso


Tours

* De vuelta Tour (2003-2004) * Raphael Para todos Tour (2005) * Más cerca de ti Tour (2007-2008) * 50 años después Tour (2009-2010) * Te llevo en el corazón Tour (2010-2011) * El reencuentro Tour (2012) * Mi gran noche Tour (2013–2014) * De Amor y Desamor Tour (2014–2015) * Raphael Sinphonico World Tour (2015–2016) * Loco por Cantar World Tour (2017-2018) * Raphael RESinphónico World Tour (2018–2020) * Raphael 6.0: 60 años sobre los escenarios (2020-2022) * Raphael Tour 6.0 In America (2022) * Tour Victoria (2022-)


Raphael Museum

The Raphael Museum is located in El Pósito, a very beautiful building in the centre of Linares. It houses more than 400 pieces and original documents from the artist.


Notes


References


External links


Raphael's official site

Raphael's Worldwide site

Raphael's Russian site, the biggest in the world

Letra de su canción ''Yo Soy Aquél''
(Spanish and English)
Letra de su canción ''Hablemos Del Amor''
(Spanish and English) {{DEFAULTSORT:Raphael 1943 births Living people People from Linares, Jaén Eurovision Song Contest entrants for Spain Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 1966 Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 1967 Spanish male singers Singers from Andalusia EMI Latin artists Sony Music Latin artists