Wilkins Vélez
Encyclopedia
German Wilkins Vélez, commonly known as Wilkins (born 1953), is a Puerto Rican
pop music
singer and composer
.
, but raised in Mexico City
, Mexico. His father, Germán Vélez Forestier, was a radio announcer and part-time singer (he was Mon Rivera
's singing partner at the beginning of Mon's career in El Duo Huasteca). As a child, he enjoyed putting on a "show" for his loved ones, which included his sister Bruni Vélez, who would later become a newscaster and TV journalist
in Puerto Rico. Wilkins joined the high school choir where he sang solo. During his free time, he sang as back-up for local groups.
at the University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez, Wilkins decided to pursue a formal singing career. In 1973, Wilkins made his recording debut with an album titled Wilkins (produced by Tito Puente
), which was followed in 1974 and in 1975 with the recordings of the albums Por Tu Rumbo (By Your Path) and a second Wilkins, respectively. The albums' successes were followed by several successful concerts, both in Puerto Rico
and Latin America
. Wilkins' music has also been popular in Germany
and Japan
. Wilkins became the first pop music performer to sing in the Luis A. Ferré Performing Arts Center
in San Juan, Puerto Rico
, which was only reserved for classical music performers.
In 1980, Wilkins released Respiraré (I Will Breathe) which was named best recording of the year by ASCAP. He was twice named by Billboard and ASCAP as the singer and composer of the year. In 1988, Wilkins participated in the film Salsa
, as a homeless person, starring Robby Rosa alongside the likes of Celia Cruz
and Tito Puente
. In the movie, he sang the song "Margarita", which he composed and which is also included in his Paraiso Perdido album. "Margarita" became one his greatest "hits" and he won Gold Record Awards in Puerto Rico, Latin America, the United States
, Norway
, Sweden
, Germany, Greece
, Egypt
, South Africa
and the Philippines
.
" (The Forbidden Dance) spread across the world. Wilkins sang the Latin version of the song, which became a huge success. In 1984, Wilkins included the "Lambada (Llorando Se Fue)" in his album of 15 tracks titled Una Historia Importante (An Important Story).
In 1991, Wilkins' song "Sopa de Caracol" (Shell Soup), co-produced by Emilio Estefan
, reached the German "Hit Parade List
" and over 25,000 people attended a concert that he gave in Berlin, after the fall of the Berlin Wall
.
when he was only 19 years old. He stayed away form the music world for three years. In 1995, he recorded El Amor Es Mas Fuerte (The Love is Stronger) which won a "Tu Musica Award" as best album of the year. He was also awarded the Dominican Republic
's Casandra Award
that same year. He then made his official comeback with a sold-out concert at San Juan's Hiram Bithorn Stadium
, formerly the biggest concert and sports venue in Puerto Rico. That same year he also won another Gold Record Award for the recording of Wilkins-Leyenda, which consists of a set of four CDs with 70 songs. In the 1990s, he released several other successful albums such as Pole-Pole and held a concert in El Morro
fortress in San Juan. In 2005, Wilkins released his 43rd album, Tu Fan, recorded in Italy
. Wilkins has won over 23 Gold Record and 10 Platinum Record Awards over the years.
In November 2006, Wilkins released a Greatest Hits collection, featuring a DVD with 17 music videos and five new songs, called Disco de Oro: Cuatro Décadas de Éxitos y Cinco Nuevas Canciones.
In December 2007, Wilkins held a press conference in Puerto Rico
to announce his retirement from music after 40 years of career. He said the decision stems from his desire to take care of his nephew (son of Wilkins' sister, Bruni Vélez, who died a year ago) and his mother.
. His sister, Bruni Vélez, died in 2006 from Lou Gehrig's disease
at the age of 55. Wilkins recorded a song dedicated to her, called "Te Extraño" ("I Miss You") that is included in his latest album "Disco de Oro".
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...
pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
singer 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...
.
Early years
Wilkins was born in the city of Mayagüez, Puerto RicoMayagüez, Puerto Rico
Mayagüez is the eighth-largest municipality of Puerto Rico. Originally founded as "Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria" it is also known as "La Sultana del Oeste" , "Ciudad de las Aguas Puras" , or "Ciudad del Mangó"...
, but raised in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
, Mexico. His father, Germán Vélez Forestier, was a radio announcer and part-time singer (he was Mon Rivera
Mon Rivera
Mon Rivera is the common name given to two distinct Puerto Rican musicians , namely Monserrate Rivera Alers and his oldest son, Efraín Rivera Castillo Mon Rivera is the common name given to two distinct Puerto Rican musicians (both born in Mayagüez), namely Monserrate Rivera Alers (originally...
's singing partner at the beginning of Mon's career in El Duo Huasteca). As a child, he enjoyed putting on a "show" for his loved ones, which included his sister Bruni Vélez, who would later become a newscaster and TV journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
in Puerto Rico. Wilkins joined the high school choir where he sang solo. During his free time, he sang as back-up for local groups.
Back in Puerto Rico
The family returned to Puerto Rico in 1971, and while seeking a degree in BiologyBiology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
at the University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez, Wilkins decided to pursue a formal singing career. In 1973, Wilkins made his recording debut with an album titled Wilkins (produced by Tito Puente
Tito Puente
Tito Puente, , born Ernesto Antonio Puente, was a Latin jazz and Salsa musician. The son of native Puerto Ricans Ernest and Ercilia Puente, of Spanish Harlem in New York City, Puente is often credited as "El Rey de los Timbales" and "The King of Latin Music"...
), which was followed in 1974 and in 1975 with the recordings of the albums Por Tu Rumbo (By Your Path) and a second Wilkins, respectively. The albums' successes were followed by several successful concerts, both in 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...
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...
. Wilkins' music has also been popular in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. Wilkins became the first pop music performer to sing in the Luis A. Ferré Performing Arts Center
Luis A. Ferré Performing Arts Center
The Luis A. Ferré Performing Arts Center, or Centro de Bellas Artes Luis A. Ferré in Spanish, is a multi-use performance centre located Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico. It features three main concert and theater halls for performing arts displays, including ballet, plays, operas and concerts, as...
in San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
, which was only reserved for classical music performers.
In 1980, Wilkins released Respiraré (I Will Breathe) which was named best recording of the year by ASCAP. He was twice named by Billboard and ASCAP as the singer and composer of the year. In 1988, Wilkins participated in the film Salsa
Salsa (1988 film)
Salsa is a 1988 romance film about a lower-class Puerto Rican dancer who decides to improve his lot in life by entering a salsa dancing contest. The film was directed by Boaz Davidson, and stars Robi Rosa, Rodney Harvey, and Angela Alvarado...
, as a homeless person, starring Robby Rosa alongside the likes of Celia Cruz
Celia Cruz
Celia Cruz was a Cuban-American salsa singer, and was one of the most successful Salsa performers of the 20th century, having earned twenty-three gold albums...
and Tito Puente
Tito Puente
Tito Puente, , born Ernesto Antonio Puente, was a Latin jazz and Salsa musician. The son of native Puerto Ricans Ernest and Ercilia Puente, of Spanish Harlem in New York City, Puente is often credited as "El Rey de los Timbales" and "The King of Latin Music"...
. In the movie, he sang the song "Margarita", which he composed and which is also included in his Paraiso Perdido album. "Margarita" became one his greatest "hits" and he won Gold Record Awards in Puerto Rico, Latin America, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, Germany, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
.
Lambada
In the 1980s, a dance craze called the "LambadaLambada
Lambada is a dance from Pará, Brazil. The dance became internationally popular in the 1980s, especially in Latin America and Caribbean countries...
" (The Forbidden Dance) spread across the world. Wilkins sang the Latin version of the song, which became a huge success. In 1984, Wilkins included the "Lambada (Llorando Se Fue)" in his album of 15 tracks titled Una Historia Importante (An Important Story).
In 1991, Wilkins' song "Sopa de Caracol" (Shell Soup), co-produced by Emilio Estefan
Emilio Estefan
Emilio Estefan, Jr. is a Cuban-American of Lebanese ancestry who is a musician and producer. Estefan's first taste of celebrity came as a member of the Miami Sound Machine, but he is also recognized as the producer of many famous singers. He is the husband of singer Gloria Estefan...
, reached the German "Hit Parade List
Hit parade
A hit parade is a ranked list of the most popular recordings at a given point in time, usually determined by sales and/or airplay. The term originated in the 1930s; Billboard magazine published its first music hit parade on January 4, 1936...
" and over 25,000 people attended a concert that he gave in Berlin, after the fall of the Berlin Wall
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin...
.
Tragedy
Wilkins suffered a personal tragedy when his young son Gabriel died of a brain tumorBrain tumor
A brain tumor is an intracranial solid neoplasm, a tumor within the brain or the central spinal canal.Brain tumors include all tumors inside the cranium or in the central spinal canal...
when he was only 19 years old. He stayed away form the music world for three years. In 1995, he recorded El Amor Es Mas Fuerte (The Love is Stronger) which won a "Tu Musica Award" as best album of the year. He was also awarded the 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...
's Casandra Award
Casandra Award
The Casandra Awards are awarded annually by the Asociación de Cronistas de Arte of the Dominican Republic in Santo Domingo, since 1985....
that same year. He then made his official comeback with a sold-out concert at San Juan's Hiram Bithorn Stadium
Hiram Bithorn Stadium
Hiram Bithorn Stadium is a baseball park in San Juan, Puerto Rico, operated by the municipal government of the city of San Juan. Its name honors the first Puerto Rican to play in the major leagues, Hiram Bithorn, who first played with the Chicago Cubs in 1942...
, formerly the biggest concert and sports venue in Puerto Rico. That same year he also won another Gold Record Award for the recording of Wilkins-Leyenda, which consists of a set of four CDs with 70 songs. In the 1990s, he released several other successful albums such as Pole-Pole and held a concert in El Morro
El Morro
El Morro is a Spanish term meaning "The Promontory", which in English may be used in reference to the resemblance of various promontories.-Individuals:* El Morro , considered the best chess player in Portugal of his time.-Places:...
fortress in San Juan. In 2005, Wilkins released his 43rd album, Tu Fan, recorded in 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...
. Wilkins has won over 23 Gold Record and 10 Platinum Record Awards over the years.
In November 2006, Wilkins released a Greatest Hits collection, featuring a DVD with 17 music videos and five new songs, called Disco de Oro: Cuatro Décadas de Éxitos y Cinco Nuevas Canciones.
In December 2007, Wilkins held a press conference in 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...
to announce his retirement from music after 40 years of career. He said the decision stems from his desire to take care of his nephew (son of Wilkins' sister, Bruni Vélez, who died a year ago) and his mother.
Personal life
Wilkins has been married four times. He had a son, Gabriel, with his first wife, who died in 1994 of a brain tumorBrain tumor
A brain tumor is an intracranial solid neoplasm, a tumor within the brain or the central spinal canal.Brain tumors include all tumors inside the cranium or in the central spinal canal...
. His sister, Bruni Vélez, died in 2006 from Lou Gehrig's disease
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis , also referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a form of motor neuron disease caused by the degeneration of upper and lower neurons, located in the ventral horn of the spinal cord and the cortical neurons that provide their efferent input...
at the age of 55. Wilkins recorded a song dedicated to her, called "Te Extraño" ("I Miss You") that is included in his latest album "Disco de Oro".
See also
- List of Famous Puerto Ricans
- List of Puerto Rican songwriters
- Music of Puerto RicoMusic of Puerto RicoThe music of Puerto Rico has been influenced by the Spanish, African, Taíno Indians, France, and the United States, and has become very popular across the Caribbean and across the globe...
External links
- WilkinsMusic.com - Official Website.
- MySpace.com/wilkinsmusic - Official MySpace profile.
- Wilkins @ Facebook - Official Page on Facebook.