Lou Briel (born October 19

Santurce, Puerto Rico Santurce (, meaning Saint George from Basque language, Basque ''Santurtzi'') is the largest and most populated Barrios of San Juan, Puerto Rico, barrio of the Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality of San Juan, Puerto Rico, San Juan, the cap ...

) is a Puerto Rican singer, composer, comedian, record producer, pianist, and host, among other things.

Musical career

Early years with Anexo 3

Lou Briel started his career at a very young age as a singer, director and member of a pop musical group called ''Anexo 3''. Together they recorded four albums, the first two produced by Alfred D. Herger, and reached popularity with songs such as: "Oh, Cuanto te Amo" ("Oh, how much I love you"), "Contigo" (With you), & "Por eso estoy Preso", (That's why I'm a prisoner), among others. For two consecutive years, ''Anexo 3'' won the second prize of the local OTI Festival in

Telemundo Telemundo (; formerly NetSpan) is an American Spanish-language terrestrial television network owned by NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises, a division of NBCUniversal, which in turn is a wholly owned subsidiary of Comcast. It provides content ...

with the songs: "Tengo Vida" ("I'm full of life"), and "Más Allá de mis Canciones" ("Beyond my songs"). Both songs were written by Lou Briel and his group partner, Julio Ortiz-Teissonniere. They produced and hosted a television variety show titled ''Contigo... Anexo 3'', (''With you... Anexo 3'') broadcast by Rikavisión (Channel 7). ''See:Anexo 3'' Anexo 3 also recorded a commercial for

Datsun Datsun (, ) was a Japanese automobile manufacturer brand owned by Nissan. Datsun's original production run began in 1931. From 1958 to 1986, only vehicles exported by Nissan were identified as Datsun. Nissan phased out the Datsun brand in Marc ...

which was very popular on Puerto Rican television at the time. In it, Briel appeared driving a Datsun car while singing the jingle, "Mirame, en esta via, Datsun es perfecto para mi" ("Look at me, in this driveway, Datsun is perfect for me")

As a solo artist

''Anexo 3'' broke up and Lou Briel started working on his solo career. In 1984, Briel reached popularity with the song: "Yo puedo" ("I Can"), a song written specially for Puerto Rico's Diva Yolandita an inspirational song about perseverance. He toured throughout

Latin American Latin Americans (; ) are the citizenship, citizens of Latin American countries (or people with cultural, ancestral or national origins in Latin America). Latin American countries and their Latin American diaspora, diasporas are Metroethnicity, ...

countries such as Mexico,

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

Santo Domingo Santo Domingo, formerly known as Santo Domingo de Guzmán, is the capital and largest city of the Dominican Republic and the List of metropolitan areas in the Caribbean, largest metropolitan area in the Caribbean by population. the Distrito Na ...

, and also toured the United States. He also reached one of the first places, in the song festival called "Festi-Buga" in Buga,

, with this song. Lou Briel has represented

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

four times at the International OTI Festival as a composer: * In 1983, with "Navegaré", ("Staying Afloat") sung by Edgardo Huertas in Washington, D.C. * In 1984, with "Todo llega", ("Everything comes around"), sung by himself in

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

* In 1985, with "Represento", ("I Represent"), sung by Juan Manuel Lebrón in

Sevilla, Spain Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir, River Guadalquivir, ...

''See Lou Briel video singing "Represento":'

* In 1990, with "La Mujer que Sueño Ser", ("The Woman I long to be"), sung by his niece Ivonne Briel (now known as "Arana") in

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

. Lou Briel also wrote several songs that participated in other song festivals, such as the 1981 ''Festival de la Canción de Trujillo'' (''Trujillo's Song Festival'') in Perú, and the 1992 ''Festival de la Voz y la Canción de Mérida'' (''Méridas's Voice & Song Festival'') in

Yucatán Yucatán, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Yucatán, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, constitute the 32 federal entities of Mexico. It comprises 106 separate municipalities, and its capital city is Mérida. ...

, México. Many international Latin singers have recorded Lou Briel's compositions, such as,

Yolandita Monge Yolanda Rosa Monge Betancourt (born September 16, 1955), known professionally as Yolandita Monge, is a Puerto Rican singer, actress, and television personality. She has been active in the music business since her teen years and has recorded 27 ...

Gilberto Santa Rosa Gilberto Santa Rosa Cortés (), nicknamed "El Caballero de la Salsa" (The Gentleman of Salsa) (born August 21, 1962), is a Puerto Rican bandleader and singer of salsa and bolero. He is a six-time Grammy Award winner and has sold over three mi ...

, Juan Manuel Lebrón,

Zeny & Zory Zeny y Zory (Zenaida Beveraggi & Zoraida Beveraggi), ''Las gemelas Beveraggi'', (The Beveraggi twins) (born May 12, 1957), are identical twins and have performed as a pop-music duet since the age of 15. Early years The twins were born in Santur ...

Jose Feliciano Jose is the English transliteration of the Hebrew and Aramaic name ''Yose'', which is etymologically linked to ''Yosef'' or Joseph. Given name Mishnaic and Talmudic periods * Jose ben Abin * Jose ben Akabya *Jose the Galilean * Jose ben Halafta ...

Tony Vega Tony Vega Cesar (born July 13, 1957) is a Puerto Rican salsa music, salsa singer. Early years Vega was born in the town of Salinas, California. His family moved to Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania when he was three months old, and rem ...

Johanna Rosaly Raquel Johanna Rosaly Guillermety (born January 13, 1948) is a Puerto Rican actress, singer, and television host. Early years Johanna Rosaly was born in Santurce, a district of San Juan. In 1956 at the age of eight, she started taking acting le ...

Los Chicos Los Chicos (also known as Los Chicos de Puerto Rico) were a Puerto Rican boy band that was popular in Puerto Rico, South America and in Central America during the early to mid 1980s, which was created to rival Menudo's success. The band was ...

, Pedro Brull, Sophy, Johnny Rivera, and Grupo

Marfil (band) Marfil is a Costa Rican music group. The group's main records are "Celebrando", "Amuletos" and "Que no paren". They have toured in Europe, Latin America and the United States. Marfil means 'Ivory', in Spanish. History Marfil was founded as “ ...

(from

Costa Rica Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...

Television composer

Lou Briel has also created works for television programs and

telenovelas A telenovela is a type of a television serial drama or soap opera produced primarily in Latin America. The word combines ''tele'' (for "television") and ''novela'' (meaning "novel"). Similar Drama (film and television), drama genres around the w ...

, as opening & title songs. *De Fiesta con Nydia

Nydia Caro Nydia Caro (born June 7, 1948) is a Puerto Rican-American singer and actress. Early years Caro was born in New York City to parents from Rincón, Puerto Rico, and initiated her career in the arts at a very young age while living in New York. She ...

(1980s),

''-Opening and closing title song-'' *Estudio Alegre

Awilda Carbia Awilda "Wiwi" Carbia (January 30, 1938 – March 22, 2009) was a Puerto Rican actress, comedian, and impersonator. Early years Awilda Carbia started her acting career at age seven. In the 1970s, she hosted the children's television show, ''Estr ...

, Juan Manuel Lebrón,

Otilio Warrington Otilio Warrington, known popularly as Bizcocho (born February 26, 1949) is a comedian, best known for his roles of "Bizcocho" and "Cuca Gómez". Early years Warrington was born in the Barrio Obrero area of Santurce, Puerto Rico. When he was nin ...

(1980s),

''-Opening and closing song-'' *El Amor Nuestro de Cada Día

1980,

WAPA-TV WAPA-TV (channel 4) is a Spanish-language independent television station in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It is the flagship and namesake station of Guaynabo-based WAPA Media Group. WAPA-TV maintains studio facilities on Luis Vigoreaux Avenue ...

''-Soap opera title theme song-'' *Y Esto Qué Es

Rafael Jose Rafael may refer to: * Rafael (given name) or Raphael, a name of Hebrew origin * Rafael, California Fiction * Rafael (TV series), ''Rafael'' (TV series), a Mexican telenovela * Rafaël (film), ''Rafaël'' (film), a 2018 Dutch film People * ...

(1990s), ''Tele Isla'' ''Opening and closing title song'' *Ave de Paso

, (1989),

Tele-Once WLII-DT (channel 11), branded on-air as , is a television station licensed to Caguas, Puerto Rico, serving the Territories of the United States#Permanently inhabited territories, U.S. territory as an affiliate of Univision and UniMás. Owned b ...

, ''soap opera theme song: Nunca Te Diré Adiós'' among many other variety shows, mini series, TV station promotions, movie soundtracks, television commercials, and so forth.

Acting career

Television

In 1985, Lou Briel starred, hosted and was the script-writer of a television musical-

comedy show Stand-up comedy is a performance directed to a live audience, where the performer stands on a stage and delivers humorous and satirical monologues sometimes incorporating physical acts. These performances are typically composed of rehearse ...

called ''En Broma y en Serio'', (''Joking & Seriously'') together with Puerto Rican comedian and singer Dagmar, produced by

Paquito Cordero Paquito Cordero (October 16, 1932 – June 30, 2009) was a Puerto Rican comedian and music and television producer. He is considered a pioneer of Puerto Rican television. Early years Cordero (birth name: Francisco Cordero Baez) was born to ...

. He also produced, wrote and hosted a

children's television series Children's television series (or children's television shows) are Television show, television programs designed specifically for Child, children. They are typically characterised by easy-going content devoid of sensitive or adult themes and are ...

called: Teatrimundo, broadcast by

alongside

Sandra Zaiter Sandra Zaiter (November 21, 1943 – September 25, 2022) was a Dominican-born Puerto Rican actress, children's television show host, singer, composer and athlete. Early life and career Zaiter was born in the Dominican Republic to Maronite Chri ...

. He characterized himself as "Lubrielito", a 7-year-old child, whose best pal and "

puppy love Puppy love, also known as a crush, is an informal term for feelings of romantic love, often felt during childhood and early adolescence. It is an infatuation usually developed by one's looks and attractiveness at first sight. It is named for its r ...

" was "Dagmarita", a fellow child role, portrayed by Dagmar. In 1991, he played the leading role as an actor-comedian in the TV sitcom called ''Cara o Cruz'', (''Heads or Tails''), broadcast by

, opposite singer & actor, ''Edgardo Huertas'', (''whose first daughter Ambar, is Lou Briel's goddaughter''). This show was written and directed by Spanish comedian, Joaquín Monserrat ("Pacheco").

Voces en Función

From 1995 to 2001, Lou Briel produced and hosted his own variety show titled Voces en Función, (''Voices in Performance'') where he presented guest stars and young new talents. The show was taped in

Mayagüez, Puerto Rico Mayagüez (, ) is the ninth-largest Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality in Puerto Rico. It was founded as Pueblo de Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria de Mayagüez (Township of Virgin of Candelaria, Our Lady of Candelaria), and is also ...

at the Teatro Yagüez and broadcast by

WIPR-TV WIPR-TV (channel 6) is a non-commercial educational public television station in San Juan, Puerto Rico, owned by the '' Corporación de Puerto Rico para la Difusión Pública'' (English: Puerto Rico Public Broadcasting Corporation). Most of t ...

Theatre

As an actor-comedian, Lou Briel has starred in various

Zarzuela () is a Spanish lyric-dramatic genre that alternates between spoken and sung scenes, the latter incorporating operatic and popular songs, as well as dance. The etymology of the name is uncertain, but some propose it may derive from the name o ...

s &

Operetta Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs and including dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, and length of the work. Apart from its shorter length, the oper ...

s in Centro de Bellas Artes in Santurce. Some of them are: * ''La Viuda Alegre'' (''

The Merry Widow ''The Merry Widow'' ( ) is an operetta by the Austria-Hungary, Austro-Hungarian composer Franz Lehár. The Libretto, librettists, Viktor Léon and Leo Stein (writer), Leo Stein, based the story – concerning a rich widow, and her countrymen's ...

'') * ''La del Soto del Parral'', (The Grapevine Thicket) * ''Las Leandras'', (The Leanders) * ''El Huesped del Sevillano'', (The Guest of the Sevillian) * ''El Conde de Luxemburgo'', (''

The Count of Luxembourg ''The Count of Luxembourg'' is an operetta in two acts with English lyrics and libretto by Basil Hood and Adrian Ross, music by Franz Lehár, based on Lehár's three-act German operetta '' Der Graf von Luxemburg'' which had premiered in Vienna in ...

'') * ''La Duquesa del Tabarín'' (''The Duchess of the Small Tavern'') * ''Amalia Batista'', (Amalia Batter), among others. He has also interpreted

Sancho Panza Sancho Panza (; ) is a fictional character in the novel ''Don Quixote'' written by Spain, Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes, Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra in 1605. Sancho acts as squire to Don Quixote and provides comments throughout the novel, ...

from ''

Don Quixote , the full title being ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'', is a Spanish novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts in 1605 and 1615, the novel is considered a founding work of Western literature and is of ...

'' for different theater companies. Lou Briel has also starred in various children's musicals like: * ''Jack y la Mata de Guisantes'' (''

Jack and the Beanstalk "Jack and the Beanstalk" is an English fairy tale with ancient origins. It appeared as "The Story of Jack Spriggins and the Enchanted Bean" in 1734 4th edition :File:Round about our Coal Fire, or, Christmas Entertainments, 4th edn, 1734.pdf, On C ...

'') * ''Los Pitufos'' (''

The Smurfs ''The Smurfs'' (; ) is a Belgian comic franchise centered on a fictional colony of small, blue, humanoid creatures who live in mushroom-shaped houses in the forest. ''The Smurfs'' was created and introduced as a series of comic characters by ...

'') * ''Sueños de Niño'' (''Child Dreams'') * ''Las Aventuras de Lubrielito'' (''The Adventures of Lubrielito'') * ''La Bella Durmiente'' (''

Sleeping Beauty "Sleeping Beauty" (, or ''The Beauty Sleeping in the Wood''; , or ''Little Briar Rose''), also titled in English as ''The Sleeping Beauty in the Woods'', is a fairy tale about a princess curse, cursed by an evil fairy to suspended animation in fi ...

'') * ''Los Lobos Malos'' (''The Bad Wolves'') * ''Tarzán, el Defensor de la Naturaleza'' (''

Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, a feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer. Creat ...

, Defender of Nature''), among others.

Recent years

In 2004, Lou Briel reprised his role of "Lubrielito" as the leading actor in the family oriented TV film ''Yo Creo en

Santa Claus Santa Claus (also known as Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle or Santa) is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring gifts during the late evening and overnight hours on Chris ...

'' (''I Believe in Santa Claus''). The film was produced by Leo Fernández III and also starred Lorel Crespo in her child role as "Lucía". The film was broadcast by Televicentro and WAPA-America. He was also the main director and composer, performing also on the soundtrack and title song of the movie. In 2005, he directed and performed in the inspirational

video clip Video clip may refer to: *Short videos, especially short-form content ** Video clip (online media), a short snippet of a video uploaded on the internet *A music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that ...

''Dios Alumbra a Puerto Rico'' (''God Enlightens Puerto Rico''). It was the first time that 40 Latin pop and

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

gospel music Gospel music is a traditional genre of Christian music and a cornerstone of Christian media. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music vary according to culture and social context. Gospel music is compo ...

celebrities joined for a laudable purpose, the eradication of child abuse. In 2006, Lou Briel carried out a nine-month engagement at the ''Show Time'' nightspot, with his club act, ''Bohemia Live''. As of 2007, Lou Briel has been performing in ''Solo para Hombres.. y para Mujeres tambien'', in New York City,

, and

, as a singer, pianist, and musical director alongside, Nancy Alvarez, host of '' ¿Quién Tiene La Razón?'', broadcast by Telefutura. Briel's presently featured as an MC and singer in the ''Puerto Rican Folkloric Revue'', (designed for tourists), and including native folkloric music and dance, for English-speaking audiences. This spectacle is staged throughout the island and it also has a Spanish version. This performance is produced by ''Entertainment Concepts Inc''. As of 2008, Briel is featured, along Yoyo Boing,

Shorty Castro Israel Castro Vélez, better known as Shorty Castro (January 28, 1928 – January 22, 2018) was a Puerto Rican comedian, actor, comedy writer, stage director, radio host, singer, dancer, composer and musician, with a career spanning over 60 year ...

, Dreuxilla Divine, Jose Miguel Class, and Francisco Rosa, at the ''La Receta de la Abuela Tour'' (Grandma's Recipe Tour), throughout the island of P.R., sponsored by MCS Classic Care, and produced & MC'd, by

Luisito Vigoreaux Luis Vigoreaux Lorenzana Jr. (born July 1, 1951) is a Puerto Rican actor and producer. He is the son of Luis Vigoreaux, a Puerto Rican media personality and Rosaura Lorenzana Vilches. He is the brother of Roberto Vigoreaux, former senator, tel ...

Discography

* ''Solo Por Fin'' (1981, CBS) * ''Yo Puedo'' (1984, Global-K-Tel) * ''Olas'' (1987, Velvet) * ''En Broma y en Serio en la Navidad con Dagmar'' (1986, TeleCumbre) * ''Reflejos'' (1988, LBM) * ''Sigamos Brindando con Ivonne Briel'' (1988, LBM) * ''En Otra Frecuencia'' (1991, LBM) * ''Edición Especial'' (1996, LBM) * ''Aplauso à la Bachata con Pascual'' (2004, GOGO) * ''Lou Briel con La Maphia Boba... Adondequiera'' (2008, JODIBA)

References

External links

Biblioteca Virtual
{{DEFAULTSORT:Briel, Lou Living people Male television composers Musicians from Santurce, Puerto Rico Puerto Rican comedians Puerto Rican male composers 20th-century Puerto Rican male singers 20th-century Puerto Rican singers Puerto Rican male singer-songwriters Puerto Rican male stage actors Puerto Rican male television actors Puerto Rican television personalities Television composers Year of birth missing (living people)