José Luis Perales is a Spanish

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

 singer-songwriter

Singer-songwriter

Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...

 and composer

Composer

A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...

 who is very popular in Spain and Latin America

Latin America

Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages  – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...

. He has performed some of his extensive work at Carnegie Hall

Carnegie Hall

Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....

, New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

.

Biography

From a very young age, Perales displayed an interest in music. At age 6, he learned to play the lute

Lute

Lute can refer generally to any plucked string instrument with a neck and a deep round back, or more specifically to an instrument from the family of European lutes....

. At 16, Perales studied to be an electrical engineer at the Universidad Laboral of Sevilla on a scholarship

Scholarship

A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...

. He learned how to play the guitar

Guitar

The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...

 there. During his time at university, he realized that music was going to be part of his life. After university, Perales moved to Madrid

Madrid

Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...

, where he completed his studies and continued his interest in music. His first attempt as a musician was as a composer, because he did not like to sing and was unsure of the support of his girlfriend

Girlfriend

Girlfriend is a term that can refer to either a female partner in a non-marital romantic relationship or a female non-romantic friend that is closer than other friends....

, Manuela. Encouraged by his mother, Mariana, Perales sang in his hometown at some local festivals.
It was not until he met Rafael Trabucchelli (an influential Spanish music producer of the time) in 1970, however, that his musical career took a dramatic turn. Trabucchelli discovered the young composer and talented, but reluctant, singer. Perales composed "Porque te vas

Porque te vas

"Porque te vas" is a song performed by the singer Jeanette written by José Luis Perales and remained relatively unknown at the start of 1974...

" (Because you're going), which was performed by Jeanette and sold 4 million copies worldwide in 1972

1972 in music

-Events:*January 17 – Highway 51 South in Memphis, Tennessee is renamed "Elvis Presley Boulevard"*January 20 – The début of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon at The Dome, Brighton, is halted by technical difficulties,...

. After much encouragement from Trabucchelli and his supporters, Perales decided to give singing a try. His first record, "Mi Guitarra" (Jealousy of My Guitar) was a huge success in Spain and in Latin America.

Although it was difficult for Perales to leave his job, and dedicate himself to his new career, he was able to find a way to integrate his musical career into his life. He still lives in Castejón with his wife Manuela, son Pablo, and daughter Maria.

Perales has recorded 27 albums with 50 million copies sold worldwide. His compositions have been recorded by singers such as Raphael

Raphael (singer)

For the French singer Raphael see Raphaël HarocheMiguel Rafael Martos Sánchez , often simply referred to as Raphael, is a worldwide acclaimed Spanish singer and television, film and theatre actor...

, Rocío Jurado

Rocío Jurado

María del Rocío Trinidad Mohedano Jurado , was a Spanish singer and actress. She was born in Chipiona, Cádiz, Spain and was nicknamed "La más grande" . Jurado was once married to boxer Pedro Carrasco, with whom she had a daughter, Rocío Carrasco...

, Jeanette, Miguel Bosé

Miguel Bosé

Miguel Dominguín Bosé is a Latin Grammy-winning Spanish/Italian musician and actor.-Early life:Bosé was born in San Fernando Hospital in Panama City, Panama, the son of the famous Italian actress Lucia Bosé and the legendary bullfighter Luis Miguel Dominguín. He is also a cousin of Carmen...

, Isabel Pantoja

Isabel Pantoja

Isabel Pantoja is a popular contemporary Spanish singer. She is of Romani origin, born in the Triana district of Seville, Spain. She has released more than a dozen albums throughout a career spanning many decades, and is known for her distinctive Andalusian style.-Biography:She was born into a...

, Julio Iglesias

Julio Iglesias

Julio José Iglesias de la Cueva , better known simply as Julio Iglesias, is a Spanish singer who has sold over 300 million records worldwide in 14 languages and released 77 albums. According to Sony Music Entertainment, he is one of the top 15 best selling music artists in history,...

, Paloma San Basilio

Paloma San Basilio

Paloma San Basilio is a Spanish singer. Although she was born in Madrid, at the age of 6 months the family moved to Sevilla , where she was raised till the age of 8...

, Mocedades

Mocedades

Mocedades is a Spanish singing group from the Basque Country, probably best known for representing Spain in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1973 with the song "Eres Tú"...

, La Oreja de Van Gogh

La Oreja de Van Gogh

La Oreja de Van Gogh is a Latin Grammy-winning and Grammy-nominated Spanish pop band from Donostia-San Sebastian. The name of the band refers to the famous post-impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh who cut off the lobe of his own ear...

, Ricardo Montaner

Ricardo Montaner

Ricardo Montaner is an Argentine-Venezuelan singer and songwriter. Starting his career in the early 80s, he has already released more than 15 albums with numerous successful singles and has sold over 22 million record worldwide.-Early years:Montaner was born as Héctor Eduardo Reglero Montaner, in...

 and Marc Anthony

Marc Anthony

Marc Anthony is an American singer-songwriter, actor and producer. Anthony is the top selling tropical salsa artist of all time. The two-time Grammy and three-time Latin Grammy–winner has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide. He is best known for his Latin salsa numbers and ballads...

, among others.

He has given concerts in Uruguay

Uruguay

Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...

, Mexico

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

, Venezuela

Venezuela

Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...

, Colombia

Colombia

Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...

, Argentina

Argentina

Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...

, Chile

Chile

Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...

, Costa Rica

Costa Rica

Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....

, Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...

, Dominican Republic

Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, Brazil

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

, Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

, France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

, and Portugal

Portugal

Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...

. Although Perales does not tour the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 often, when he does, his shows are immensely successful.

Perales' most popular singles are "Quisiera Decir tu Nombre" (I Would Like to Say Your Name), "¿Y Como es Él?" (And What Is He Like?) and "¿Que Pasará Mañana?" (What Will Happen Tomorrow?)

Discography

• 1973 - Mis Canciones (My songs)
• 1974 - El Pregón (The Pregon)
• 1975 - Para Vosotros Canto (I Sing For you)
• 1976 - Por Si Quieres Conocerme (In case You want To know Me)
• 1978 - Como La Lluvia Fresca (Like Fresh Rain)
• 1978 - Soledades (Edition Just For Latinamerica) (Solitudes)
• 1979 - Tiempo De Otoño (Time Of Autumn)
• 1981 - Nido De Águilas (Eagle's Nest)
• 1982 - Entre El Agua Y El Fuego (Between Water and Fire)
• 1984 - Amaneciendo En Ti (Waking Up to You)
• 1986 - Con El Paso Del Tiempo (With the Passage of time)
• 1987 - Sueño De Libertad (Dream of Freedom)
• 1989 - La Espera (The Wait)
• 1990 - A Mis Amigos
  A Mis Amigos
  The Allmusic review by William Ruhlmann awarded the album three and a half stars, and said that Cole "still didn't have much feeling for Spanish"-Track listing:# "Ay, Cosita Linda"  – 2:16# "Aquellos Ojos Verdes"  – 2:13...
  
  (To My Friends)
• 1991 - América (America)
• 1993 - Gente Maravillosa (Wonderful People)
• 1996 - En Clave De Amor (In The Key Of Love)
• 1998 - Quédate Conmigo (Stay with me)
• 2000 - Me Han Contado Que Existe Un Paraíso (I've Been Told There's a Paradise)
• 2006 - Navegando Por Tí (Sailing For You)

External links

• Official website
• Biography
• [ allmusic biography]