Iglesias, Julio

Iglesias, Julio, the leading Latin lover in the music world for nearly three decades; b. Madrid, Spain, Sept. 23, 1943. While studying law, a young Julio Iglesias wasan idol in Spain as the goalie for the Real Madrid soccer team. A car accident cut short his soccer career and very nearly killed him, putting him in the hospital for three years. As part of his therapy, he was given a guitar. He learned how to play and started to explore another innate talent, writing songs. He finished his studies at Cambridge Univ. and entered his song “La Vida Sigue Igual” in the Spanish Song Festival in 1968. His performance of the tune won first prize, and he was quickly signed by Discos Columbia. Two years later, he entered the Eurovision Song Contest with the song “Gwendolyne,” which he would record in French, Italian and English as well as Spanish. In the mid-1970s, Igleias became a major star in Europe and Latin America, touring incessantly. He landed international hits with his 1975 recording “Manuela” and “Hey” in 1979. In 1981 “Begin the Beguine” topped the charts in England, and he started his foray into English speaking markets in earnest. His 1983 album Julio introduced him to American audiences, rising to #32 in the charts and selling a million copies that year. It would go double platinum 11 years later.

His major splash into the Anglo-American market came in 1984. He and his regular producer, Ramon Arcusa, teamed with hit-making American producer Richard Petty. They paired Iglesias with icons of American pop like Willie Nelson and Diana Ross. The resulting album, 1100 Bel Air Place, produced the #5 platinum single “To All the Girls Fve Loved Before,” a duet with Nelson and “All of You,” which sent him and Ross to #19. The album also went to #5 and initially sold two millions copies, eventually going quadruple platinum. By the end of the 1980s, Iglesias had reportedly sold over 100 million albums worldwide. He was cited in the Guinness Book of World Records for Athe most record sales in more languages than any other artist.” His 1987 album Un Hombre Solo won him a Best Latin Performance Grammy. His 1991 album Starry Night went gold and hit #37 on the charts. His next English Language recording, Crazy, included duets with Dolly Parton, Art Garfunkel, and Sting. Ironically, he thought the title track—a 1959 hit by Nelson for Patsy Cline—was a recent song written especially for political candidate Ross Perot, who used it as his theme in the 1992 presidential campaign. The album went to #30 and sold gold. Iglesias continued to record multi-language albums and play to huge, sell-out audiences. His 1997 album, Tango, went gold, and his 1999 My Life: The Greatest Hits was released in several customized versions, including Asian, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, and an English /worldwide edition.

His son, Enrique (b. Madrid, Spain, May 8, 1975), became a pop phenomenon in the late 1990s. Like his father, he initially recorded in Spanish, and then expanded into Italian and Portuguese. By late 1999, he had sold over 10 million albums and toured widely through the world. In late 1999, he released his first English language album, and immediately hit it big with the Latin-flavored single, “Bailamos.”

Discography

Soy Discos (1970); A Flor de Piel (1974); America (1976); Emociones (1979); Hey! (1980); From a Child to a Woman (1981); Momentos (1981); De Niña a Mujer (1982); Moments (1982);In Concert (live; 1983); Julio (1983); Bel Air Place (1984); Libra (1985); Sentimental (1986); Non Stop (1986); A Mis 33 Años (1986); El Amor (1987); Et L’Amour Crea la Femme (1987); Raices (1987); Un Hombre Solo (1987); Por una Mujer Discos (1989); Aimer la Vie… (1990); Innamorarsi alla Mia Età (1990); Starry Night (1990); Begin the Beguine Discos (1990); En Concierto (live; 1991); Calor (1992); Crazy (1994); La Carretera (1995); Tango (1996); Piano Instrumentals (1997); 24 Grandes Éxitos Latinos (1998); Corazón Latino (1998).

—Hank Bordowitz