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Transcript

José Feliciano

Welcome! I'm Leila Cobo and I want to say thanks to all of you who are joining us on this show that celebrates quality music. I want to welcome all of you that are tuning in to watch this program. For an entire hour we are going to have the privilege of speaking with a unique artist who's going to share his music with us. Let's get started with "Estudio Billboard"!

What do you believe makes an artist unique? The hits? The awards? Today's guest is an icon that has accomplished all this and more. He was one of the first musicians to have hits on the popular music charts in English. He has been awarded 45 gold and platinum records. He has received 16 nominations from the Grammy's. He is a composer, an extraordinary guitarist, and a singer with a very unique voice. I want to invite you to learn more about his vast journey.

In 1945, when I was born, after the war, the countryside had changed. It was different from before. When I moved to New York, it was a drastic change, of course. There were a lot of people. The language was different. We moved into a Latin area. Later, when I was 8 years old, I went to Camp Lighthouse. And there I learned, on a plastic guitar, my first guitar chords.

I was the first Latin artist to play a piece of rock'n roll with a guitar that had nylon strings. Light my Fire was a very sensual song, and there it was... it caught on.

Come on baby, light my fire Come on baby, light my fire

I was one of the first Puerto Ricans to win two Grammies in the American music field. At that time, the Latin Grammies didn't exist. I never thought that I would be a famous artist, but I did believe that I could be a good musician.

His music is heard in Central and South America, Mexico, the Caribbean, the Middle East, and all over the world.

He has been honored with a star on Hollywood Walk of Fame. Don't move... because when we come back we are going to be here with José Feliciano.

You know, you can play anything, you improvise and create... and when you read, it is... You know.

[clapping]

He was born in Puerto Rico on September 10, and he is one of eleven children. His love for music was awakened when he was 3 years old hitting on the bottom of a cookie can while his uncle accompanied him on the "cuatro".

When he was five, his family moved to New York City, where he grew up. Today he lives in Fairfield County, Connecticut with his wife and three children. We welcome José Feliciano.

[clapping]

Thank you for being here with us, José.

Ah, thank you very much! Thank you very much. And I want to thank God because he has given me a job that truly is not work.

Absolutely.

Because being a musician is not really a job. Actually, it is a job because you have to record and make the things that you produce. But it's not a kind of job where you say, "Oh my God, I have to wake up today and go work, and I have to tolerate my boss!", or whatever.

I was going to say that!

And I am very happy that God gave me this occupation. I am making a bachata record and I am excited because, you know, I'm always getting into music areas that people never expect.

Bachata?, Why bachata? You have made mariachi, boleros... now, bachata!

Yes, yes. You know the mariachi record of mine, "A México con Amor"? And I am proud to say this. It is the best mariachi record! I know there are others, and I know that they have put forth a good effort.

But I don't know. My record doesn't have syrup, doesn't have artificial things. I made it with a great friend whose name is José Hernández.

Aha! "Mariachi Sol de México".

The "Mariachi Sol de México". That man created unbelievable arrangements, modern ones, without synthesizers, without using anything artificial. I'm very happy because I dedicated that record to Mexico.

This record is one of collection now, and I'm very happy about that.

Ok, and this bachata record, where did the idea come from? ...Because to go from mariachi to bachata there is a stretch, right?

Well, frankly, because I am very honest about things, the idea of making this bachata record was not mine.

It came from the great record company that I am working with. They thought that José Feliciano could make a bachata record. And well, I'm the kind of person that needed a little time to think about the idea, but it didn't take a lot. And I said, "Good, let's go and do it!". And then I give thanks to Siente Music, because it was their idea. All of the credit goes to them. And if the record isn't a big hit, we'll credit them with that, as well.

That, too, ha, ha.

I've composed 3 songs, too.

For the record.

And I produced them by myself. They give you freedom to be an artist. And many companies don't do that, but they do, so I'm grateful of...

How nice! Because after so many years, you need flexibility, and as an artist you play guitar, you sing with a very particular style, you compose, you make arrangements... Primarily, how would you define yourself? If you had to choose a single word...

A great artist! No. I define myself like this: I make everything. I'm a producer. I'm also very objective. For example, when I perform a song that I composed, I'm not satisfied with the first or the second version, or whatever. I'm very objective, I criticize myself severely. And I have the advantage of playing other instruments like percussions, bass, electronic guitar... So, I save myself a lot of money, and the record company, too... Because, by playing all these instruments they don't have to pay to other musicians a lot of money. That's an advantage.

And, in fact, you were also telling me that you write arrangements for guitar.

Yes. Well, I make my arrangements. Not with this guitar, but I write my own music with a guitar like this. Understand? But my arrangements are made with a synthesizer where...

A guitar synthesizer?

Yes, and I make the arrangements for metals and strings. Then I put in samples of real sounds, and that's how I make my own arrangements.

And how many guitars do you have?

I have 30 guitars, I guess. But they are different, I have some classics, some with strings of steel, acoustic, and other kinds. I have a guitar, well, two guitars, with 12 strings, an electronic one, and an acoustic one, and I play the banjo, the mandolina, the cuatro. Recently, I bought an instrument in Turkey, the lute. It is an instrument that does not have frets and is tuned in a different way. This is an instrument that Arab people use, and I bought it because I love different instruments.

And, do you remember specifically when you were given a guitar as a gift? Because the guitar is your main instrument, right?

Exactly.

Do you remember when you received your first guitar?

I believe that I was nine years old.

Ok.

And then I taught myself to play. I didn't learn very quickly. There were many days spent in pain, as people say, because the strings were made of steel. And when I learned how to play the guitar well, I started studying classical music. When I was sixteen, my mother would always catch me. She would come into my room, and I was sleeping with the guitar in my arms, because I stayed up all night practicing.

And, in what moment... being nine years old, did you finally feel comfortable? Because to have the guitar in your arms is almost as if you were holding a woman in your arms, right? When did you feel comfortable with the guitar?

When I was 14 years old and I used to play the requinto. And I do remember that many musicians were older than me... My parents used to tell me, I don't know why, but they were embarrassed when I played the guitar because, for my age I knew more than they did.

Sure. Did somebody teach you, or did you learn by yourself?

Well, I taught myself. I learned in such a way that, when I started my guitar classes at the age of 16, the teacher had to correct the position of my hands. I mean, I used to play, for example this tone... I played it like this... instead of...

Then my hands... I had to sacrifice a little because I played the notes... because I had to create them by myself, I had to... I used to listen to the way they sounded and I made them. And when I had learned how to play them, I had trouble for a little while, until I learned to play in the correct manner.

We were wondering... Does Braille exist for music? Does musical notation exist in Braille?

Yes, but if you are a guitarist you have to use your feet in order to read.

[smiling]

No, Braille... Let me tell you something, in order to read music, if you're a pianist, you can play the piano with one hand and read with the other one. But if you're a guitarist, you have to use your feet.

So, all these things are learned by listening?

Yes, listening. And well, I do believe that, maybe some musicians will criticize me... But I guess that learning by listening, in certain instances, is better than learning how to read, because you don't have the inhibitions of reading. You know, you can play anything, and improvise and create... and when you read, it is... You know.

But in fact, you play classical, popular music, jazz and music... everything.

All kinds of music. That's why sometimes, I don't agree with the artists that say, "Oh! I just play Christian music because the..." And Jesus Christ never said that it was forbidden to play popular music. Music is music, it depends on who performs it. And if there are bad people that believe in Satanism or in things like that, they will perform bad music. It depends on the individual.

José, you were born "invidente"

And also blind.

And blind. Blind!

When did you realize that the music...

That I was blind? When I stumbled into a wall and I hurt my head, I learned at that moment. Do you understand? That happens when you can't see.

[laughing]

Look, I have heard this: "This guy is really serious." And I said, "No, I have heard that he's not serious at all."

Excuse me, what was the question? Ha, ha, ha, ha.

The question was... When did you realize that the music was not just a thing you listen and enjoy, but rather something that was really part of you, that gave meaning to your life?

I never believed that I was destined to be an artist, but I liked music... Also, when I saw the necessity in my house because sometimes my father couldn't find a job. Then I said, "Well, maybe I can help with my music". That gave me determination to escape a little bit from poverty. Although I thank to God that I was born a lot poorer because there are many artists or people that were born with everything, and they don't have much compassion for people that don't have a dime. So, I believe that poverty helped me a lot with that philosophy because I think you have to share.

Perfect. In few minutes we will continue speaking about your life, about your childhood. So, you don't move! We have to go to a break, but when we get back we will continue learning about the life of this great artist, José Feliciano.

[clapping]

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