Raphael
Background information
Birth name	Rafael Martos Sánchez
Born	May 5, 1945 (1945-05-05) (age 62) Linares, Jaén, Spain
Origin	Madrid, Spain
Genre(s)	Latin
Occupation(s)	Singer, actor
Years active	1959 – present
Label(s)	Hispavox, Sony, EMI
Website	RaphaelNet.com

Don Rafael Martos Sánchez (born May 5, 1945), Ilustrísimo Señor de la Orden de Cisneros, Comendador de Isabel La Católica, oftentimes 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. Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... is the 125th day of the year (126th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar). ... A number of places are called Linares . ... Jaén Province may refer to Jaén Province, Spain Jaén Province, Peru This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Spain. ... This article is about the Spanish capital. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Latin American music, or the music of Latin America, is sometimes called Latin music. ... For other uses, see Singer (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Actor (disambiguation). ... In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. ... Sony Music Entertainment is a major global record label controlled by the Sony Corporation. ... For other uses, see EMI (disambiguation). ... is the 125th day of the year (126th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar). ...

Childhood

Raphael was born Rafael Martos Sánchez in Linares, province of Jaén (Spain), on May 5, 1945. 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 to Madrid 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. A number of places are called Linares . ... Jaén Province may refer to Jaén Province, Spain Jaén Province, Peru This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... is the 125th day of the year (126th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar). ... Binomial name Luscinia megarhynchos (Brehm, 1831) This article is about the bird. ... This article is about the Spanish capital. ... For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ... This page is for the city of Salzburg. ...

Professional career

Raphael began his professional career by signing with the [spanish]record label Philips. To distinguish himself, he adopted the "f" of the company's name and christened himself 'Rafael'. His first singles were "buleria" and "Ave maria", 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 low 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 english 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 choirboy approach to some songs. Flamenco is a Spanish musical genre with strong, rhythmic undertones and is often accompanied with a similarly impassioned style of dance characterized by its powerful yet graceful execution, as well as its intricate hand and footwork. ... Bullfighting, Edouard Manet, 1865-1866. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

When he was sixteen, 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 the Hispavox recording company, and began a long artistic relationship with Spanish songwriter Manuel Alejandro. The Benidorm International Song Festival or Festival Internacional de la Canción de Benidorm (in Spanish) is an annual song contest which takes place each summer, since 1959, in the city of Benidorm, Spain. ... Year 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Manuel Alejandro is the son of one of Spains most renowned contemporary symphonists, Germán Álvarez-Beigbeder. ...

In 1966 and 1967 he represented Spain at the XII and XIII Eurovision Song Contest in Luxembourg, 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" (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. Year 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. ... Eurovision redirects here. ... A signature song is the one song (or, in some cases, one of a few songs) that a popular and well-established singer, or band, is most closely identified with, even if they have had success with a variety of songs. ...

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 in Argentina), El golfo (1969, filmed in México), El ángel (1969), Sin Un Adiós (1970, filmed in England) and Volveré a nacer (1972). Mario Camus (Santander,April 20, 1935) is a Spanish screenwriter and film director. ... Mexico or, in Spanish, México, is: Mexico, a federal republic in North America Mexico City, that countrys capital city Mexican Federal District, the federal district containing that capital city Estado de México (State of Mexico), one of that republics 31 constituent states Mexico is also the... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ...

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." The Ed Sullivan Show was an American television variety show that ran from June 20, 1948, to June 6, 1971, and was hosted by Ed Sullivan. ...

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 out-standing personalities, and starred in soap operas, starting with the Mexican production "Donde termina el camino," shown in the spring of 1978 and later on other countries like Peru and Chile.

Raphael succeded 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 won 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". The 1980s refers to the years from 1980 to 1989. ... José Luis Perales (born January 18, 1945 in Castejón-Cuenca, Spain) is a talented singer and composer who has presented part of his extensive work in Carnegie Hall, New York. ...

In 1984 a parody of "Yo soy aquél" was used in a radio spot in Puerto Rico's gubernatorial race. Then-governor Carlos Romero Barcelo used the parody (complete with a Raphael sound-alike) namely as a jab against opponent, Raphael's namesake, (and noted Spanophile), former governor Rafael Hernandez Colon. Raphael was surprised by the unauthorized use of the music, but was highly amused by the reference. Carlos Antonio Romero Barcel (born in September 4, 1932) was Puerto Ricos fifth democratically elected Governor, the second governor to be elected from the New Progressive Party (PNP) and also Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico from 1993 to 2001. ... Rafael Hernández Colón (born October 24, 1936) is a native of Ponce, Puerto Rico, who was the fourth democratically elected Governor of Puerto Rico for 12 years,(1973-1977, 1985-1993). ...

In 1987 he left Hispavox and signed a contract with Columbia (now Sony Music), where he again recorded songs written by Roberto Livi like "Toco madera," "Maravilloso corazón". In 1991 had a hit with "Escándalo" in Spain, Latin America, and reached first top hit in Japan. At the end of the 90s, after ending a contract with Polygram, he went back to EMI. In 1998 the artist published the first part of his memories: "¿Y mañana qué?", from his childhood until his marriage in 1972. ... PolyGram was the name from 1972 of the major label recording company started by Philips as a holding company for its music interests in 1945. ... For other uses, see EMI (disambiguation). ...

Raphael took part in the 2000 Spanish version of the show "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" for seven months, with great success. Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde[1] is a novella written by the Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson and first published in 1886. ...

Personal life

He got married with journalist and writer Natalia Figueroa, in Venice (Italy) on 14th of July 1972. They both have four children called: 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. Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... For the bird, see Liver bird. ... Hepatitis (plural hepatitides) implies injury to liver characterised by presence of inflammatory cells in the liver tissue. ... “Transplant” redirects here. ...

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 with Joan Manuel Serrat, Julio Iglesias, Rocío Dúrcal, Marisol and Rocío Jurado. This article is about the international language known as Spanish. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s The 20th century lasted from 1901 to 2000 in the Gregorian calendar (often from (1900 to 1999 in common usage). ... Joan Manuel Serrat i Teresa (born December 27, 1943 in Barcelona) is a Spanish singer-songwriter. ... This page is about the singer Julio Iglesias. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Josefa Flores González, better known as Marisol or Pepa Flores, is a Spanish singer and actress. ... Rocío Jurado Maria del Rocio Trinidad Mohedano Jurado [1] (September 18, 1944 – June 1, 2006) was a Spanish singer and actress. ...

Some of his most important awards are:

• three Grammy nominations (United States)
• 326 Golden discs worldwide
• 48 Platinum Discs worldwide

Grammy Award statuette The Grammy Awards, presented by the Recording Academy (an association of Americans professionally involved in the recorded music industry) for outstanding achievements in the recording industry, is one of four major music awards shows held annually in the United States (the Billboard Music Awards, the American Music...

Uranium Disc Award

Raphael's success in the music industry is also marked by one unusual award: a uranium disc. It was granted to him by Hispavox, after the massive worldwide sale of more than 50 million copies of its 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. General Name, symbol, number uranium, U, 92 Chemical series actinides Group, period, block n/a, 7, f Appearance silvery gray metallic; corrodes to a spalling black oxide coat in air Standard atomic weight 238. ...

External links

• Raphael's official site
• Raphael's World Wide site
• Letra de su canción Yo Soy Aquél (Spanish and English)
• Letra de su canción Hablemos Del Amor (Spanish and English)