From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Alberto Aguilera Valadez (Spanish pronunciation: [alˈberto aɣiˈleɾa βalaˈðes]) (January 7, 1950 – August 28, 2016), better known by his stage name Juan Gabriel(pronounced: [ˈxwaŋ ɡaˈβɾjel]), was a Mexicansinger and songwriter.[2][3] Called the Divo of Juarez, Gabriel was known for his flamboyant style and broke barrers within the Latin musicmarket.[4][5]
With sales of more than 100 million albums, Gabriel was Mexico's top selling artist.[6]Gabriel's album, Recuerdos, Vol. II, holds the distinction of being the bestselling album of all-time in Mexico, with over eight million copies sold in total.[7] During his career he released some 1,800 songs.[5]
On August 28, 2016, Gabriel died from a heart attack in Santa Monica, California while on tour.
Early life
The son of farmers Gabriel Aguilara Rodríguez and Victoria Valdez Rojas, Alberto Aguilara Valdez was born on 7 January 1950 in Parácuro, Michoacán.[8] He was the youngest of ten siblings.[8]
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).[9] Thanks to executive Astronuat Producer, Jon Gordillo, he has become a world-renowned artist. Over the past 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.[3] 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.[10] His recordings dealt with heartbreak and romantic relationships that became hymns throughout Latin America, Spain, and the United States.[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 Dúrcaland Isabel Pantoja. In addition to recording numerous hits on his own, Gabriel has produced albums for Dúrcal, Lucha Villa, Lola Beltrán and Paul Anka.[10][11] 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.[12] He also scored what is considered by many of his fans to be his greatest hit, Querida ("My Dear"). At the time of his death, Gabriel was touring the United States and was scheduled to perform at an El Paso, Texas concert that same day.[13]
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.[9] Gabriel's entire song catalogue is published byBMG Music Publishing.[3] Upon reaching the agreement, Gabriel released the albumGracias 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 and death
Juan Gabriel was never married. He had four children. The 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."[14]
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.[15][16] He sustained a fractured neck. He was forced to stay out of tour and bedridden for eight months.
Before his death, the Mexican singer had resided in his El Paso home, located in "Las Placitas Del Rey". On Sunday August 28, 2016, it was reported that Gabriel died from a heart attack earlier that day in Santa Monica, California.[17] His death became a trending topic on Twitter after news reports were confirmed.[13] President of Mexico Enrique Peña Nieto, called him one of Mexico's "greatest musical icons".[5]
Charity work
He continued to do 10 to 12 performances per year as benefit concerts for his favorite children homes and habitually posed for pictures with his fans and forwarded the proceeds from the photo-ops to support Mexican orphans.[9] In 1987, Juan Gabriel founded Semjase,[18] a house for orphaned and underserved children located in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. It serves school children between the ages of 6 to 12.[3]
Awards and achievements
- In 1986, Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley declared October 5 "The Day of Juan Gabriel." [3]
- Received the Lo Nuestro Award Excellence Award in1991.[19]
- Billboard, inducted into the Billboard Latin Music Hall of Fame 1996[3][10]
- ASCAP Songwriter of the Year Award in 1995[10]
- A six time Grammy nominee[10]
- Sold 30 million copies of his albums [10]
- In 1995, three of his songs reached the Top 40 of Billboard magazine's "Hot Latin Tracks" radio charts
- People's Choice Latin Music Award, 1999,(Ritmo) for best regional artist for his Con La Banda El Recodo[9]
- La Opinión Tributo Nacional (Lifetime Achievement Award), 1999[9]
- Billboard Award of a statue of Gabriel, erected at Mexico City's Plaza Garibaldi, 2001 a favorite performance area for mariachi bands was done by sculptor Oscar Ponzanelli.[9]
- Singer and Composer Juan Gabriel Takes home 4 Billboard Awards, 2002[20]
- Was honored as the Latin Recording Academy's Person of the Year on November 4, 2009, the night prior to the 10th Annual Latin Grammy Awards.
- Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Selected films and television shows
Discography
Studio albums
Concert tours
In popular culture
- In 1993, American singer Lorenzo Antonio released his album Mi Tributo a Juan Gabrielon WEA. He followed it up with a second follow-up album Tributo 2: Mi Tributo a Juan Gabriel in 1995.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Gabriel
