Juan Gabriel

Juan Gabriel

Juan Gabriel in concert in 2012
Background information
Birth name Alberto Aguilera Valadez
Also known as Adán Luna, Juan Gabriel, Juanga, El Divo de Juárez
Born

{{Birth date and

age|1950|1|7}}
Parácuaro, Michoacán, Mexico
Genres Mariachi
Ranchera
Latin Pop / Mexican pop
Occupation(s) Singer/Composer
Years active 1971–present
Labels Universal Music BMG RCA Records
Website JuanGabriel

Alberto Aguilera Valadez (Spanish pronunciation: [alˈβeɾto aɣiˈleɾa βalaˈðes]) (born January 7, 1950), better known by his stage name Juan Gabriel (pronounced: [ˈxwaŋ ɡaˈβɾjel]), is a Mexican singer, songwriter, recording artist, and performer.[1][2]

Career

In 1971, at the age of 21, Alberto signed a recording contract with RCA Records after officially changing his name to Juan Gabriel (Juan, in honor of Juan Contreras, the schoolmaster for whom he held great admiration; and the surname of Gabriel, in honor of his own deceased father, Gabriel Aguilera).[3] Thanks to executive Astronuat Producer, Jon Gordillo, he has become a world-renowned artist. Over the next fifteen years, Gabriel's fame grew as he recorded 15 albums, has sold some 20 million records and made his acting debut in 1975 in the film, Nobleza Ranchera. He has written and recorded over 1000 songs in a variety of music genre.[2] Gabriel has established himself as Mexico's leading commercial singer-songwriter, penning in many diverse styles such as rancheras with mariachi, ballads, pop, rock, disco, with an incredible string of hits for himself and for leading Latin singers including Angélica María, Gualberto Castro, Aida Cuevas, Enriqueta Jiménez, Lucha Villa, Ana Gabriel, Lorenzo Antonio, and international stars José José, Luis Miguel and Rocío Dúrcal.[4]

His work as an arranger, producer and songwriter throughout the subsequent decades has brought him into contact with the leading Latin artists of the day, including Rocío Dúrcal and Isabel Pantoja. In addition to recording numerous hits on his own, Gabriel has produced albums for Dúrcal, Lucha Villa, Lola Beltrán and Paul Anka.[4][5] In 1984, he released Recuerdos, Vol. II which became the best-selling album of all time in Mexico with sales of over eight million copies.[6] He also scored what is considered by many of his fans to be his greatest hit, Querida ("My Dear") which stayed at the top of the hits charts for over a year.[7]

BMG copyright dispute

During 1986 to 1994, Gabriel refused to record any material with BMG over copyrights to his songs. During the dispute he continued to perform live. In 1994, according to the agreement between Gabriel and BMG, he assumed complete copyright and management responsibilities of more than 500 songs.[3] Gabriel's entire song catalogue is published by BMG Music Publishing.[2] Upon reaching the agreement, Gabriel released the album Gracias Por Esperar - Thanks For Waiting. Gabriel spent the following years recording albums at a prolific rate and found that his popularity had not waned in the previous years. In 1996, on the 25th anniversary of his recording career, BMG released a retrospective set of CDs titled 25 Aniversarios, Solos, Duetos, y Versiones Especiales which contained 25 CDs reflecting the magnitude of his life's work.

Personal life

Juan Gabriel has never married. He has four children. Laura Castillo, mother of his children is unknown but Gabriel has stated that she is, "la mejor amiga de mi vida" or "the best friend of my life."[8]

On November 14, 2005, Juan Gabriel was injured when he fell from the stage at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, and was hospitalized at Texas Medical Center.[9][10] He sustained a fractured wrist.

Charity work

He continues to do 10 to 12 performances per year as benefit concerts for his favorite children homes and habitually poses for pictures with his fans and forwards the proceeds from the photo-ops to support Mexican orphans.[3] In 1987, Juan Gabriel founded Semjase,[11] a house for orphaned and underserved children located in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. It serves school children between the ages of 6 to 12.[2]

Awards and achievements

Juan Gabriel's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

Selected films and television shows

Select discography

Studio albums

Soundtracks

Compilations, duets and live albums

Singles

In popular culture

See also

References

  1. ↑
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 "Sears Presents Juan Gabriel's U. S. Tour". Hispanianews.com. Retrieved 2015-03-26.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Craig Harris (1950-01-07). "Juan Gabriel | Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-03-26.
  5. ↑ "Yahoo Shopping - Online Shopping with great products, prices and reviews". Shopping.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2015-03-26.
  6. ↑ González, Ángel (December 19, 2009). "Cine y música: en México y el mundo". Diario Rotativo (in Spanish). Archived from the original on March 14, 2012. Retrieved November 9, 2013.
  7. ↑ "Juan Gabriel tickets | 2015 concert tour". TicketCity.com. Retrieved 2015-03-26.
  8. ↑
  9. ↑ "Chicago News, Local News, Weather, Traffic, Entertainment, Video, and Breaking News". Nbc5.com. Retrieved 2015-03-26.
  10. ↑
  11. ↑
  12. ↑ Lannert, John (June 1, 1991). "Latin Music Finds Harmony In Awards Crisp, Entertaining Tv Program A Breakthrough For Fledgling Trade Group.". Sun-Sentinel (Tribune Company). Retrieved August 16, 2013.
  13. ↑ "Stars Glitter At the 2002 Billboard Latin Music Awards Show". Business Wire. May 10, 2002.
  14. ↑ "Nobleza ranchera (1977)". Imdb.com. Retrieved January 9, 2010.

External links