Juan Gabriel

For other uses, see Juan Gabriel (disambiguation).
This name uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Aguilera and the second or maternal family name is Valadez.
Juan Gabriel

Juan Gabriel at Pepsi Center in 2014
Background information
Birth name Alberto Aguilera Valadez
Also known as Adán Luna
Born (1950-01-07)January 7, 1950
Parácuaro, Michoacán, Mexico
Origin Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico
Died August 28, 2016(2016-08-28) (aged 66)
Santa Monica, California, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • songwriter
Years active 1971–2016
Labels
Associated acts
Website juangabriel.com.mx

Alberto Aguilera Valadez (Spanish pronunciation: [alˈberto aɣiˈleɾa βalaˈðes]; January 7, 1950 – August 28, 2016),[1] better known by his stage name Juan Gabriel (pronounced: [ˈxwaŋ ɡaˈβɾjel]), was a Mexican singer and songwriter.[1][2] Colloquially nicknamed as Juanga[3] (pronounced: [ˈxwaŋɡa]) and El Divo de Juárez, Gabriel was known for his flamboyant style, which broke barriers within the Latin music market.[4][5]

Having sold over 100 million copies worldwide, Juan Gabriel is among Latin America's best-selling singer-songwriters.[6] His nineteenth studio album, Recuerdos, Vol. II, holds the distinction of being the best-selling album of all time in Mexico, with over eight million copies sold.[7] During his career, Juan Gabriel wrote around 1,800 songs.[5] Among his most recognized penned songs are "Amor Eterno", "Querida", "Yo No Nací Para Amar", "Hasta Que Te Conocí", "El Noa Noa", "No Tengo Dinero", "Abrázame Muy Fuerte", "Te lo Pido por Favor", "En Esta Primavera", "Pero Qué Necesidad", "Te Sigo Amando", "Siempre en Mi Mente, "De Mí Enamórate", and "Lo Pasado, Pasado", among others; all of them, performed by him and many other artists.[8]

On August 28, 2016, Juan Gabriel died of a heart attack at his home in Santa Monica, California, while still on a tour in the United States. Gabriel was posthumously awarded two Latin Grammy Awards for his album, Los Dúo, Vol. 2.

Early life

Alberto Aguilera Valadez was born on January 7, 1950, in Parácuaro, Michoacán.[9] The son of farmers Gabriel Aguilera Rodríguez and Victoria Valadez Rojas, he was the youngest of ten siblings.[9] During his childhood, his father was interned into a psychiatric hospital.[10] Due to this, his mother moved to Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, and he was put in the El Tribunal boarding school where he remained eight years. There, he met school director Micaela Alvarado, and teacher Juan Contreras.[9] Aguilera became very close with Contreras, then escaped El Tribunal and lived with him for a year when he was 13.[10] In the same year, Aguilera composed his first song.[11] At 14 Aguilera returned to live with his mother in the center of the town.[10] He became interested in a local Methodist Church and met the sisters Leonor and Beatriz Berúmen, who took him in.[9] There he sang in the choir and helped by cleaning the church.[10]

In 1965, Aguilera debuted on the Notivisa (now Gala TV Ciudad Juárez) television show Noches Rancheras.[9][10] Host Raúl Loya gave him the pseudonym Adán Luna. In the program, he sang the song "María la Bandida" by José Alfredo Jiménez.[9][10] From 1966 to 1968, he started to work as a singer at the Noa-Noa bar.[9][10] During this period, he wrote the song "El Noa Noa".[9] He also worked as a singer in other bars in the town.[10] Later, he traveled to Mexico City looking for opportunities at record companies, but he was rejected.[9][10] He returned to Juárez, where he continued working as a singer.[10] The next year, he tried again to be signed by a record label. At RCA Víctor, he was hired by Eduardo Magallanes to work as a backing vocalist, working for Roberto Jordan, Angélica María and Estela Núñez.[10] In 1970, he resigned because he received insufficient payment and returned to work the bars in Juárez.[10]

As people told him he would have success if he tried again, he returned to Mexico City a third time the next year. Not having enough money, Aguilera slept in bus and train stations.[10] At a certain point, he was wrongly accused of robbery,[12] and was imprisoned in the Palacio de Lecumberri prison for a year and a half.[9] During this time, he wrote songs (including "Tres Claveles y Un Rosal" and "Me He Quedado Solo"), which helped him to meet Andrés Puentes Vargas,[9] Lecumberri's prison warden, who introduced him to Mexican singer and actress La Prieta Linda.[10] She helped him, and due to the lack of evidence he was released from prison.[10]

Career

La Prieta Linda helped Aguilera at RCA Víctor, where he signed a recording contract.[13] He started to use the pseudonym Juan Gabriel (Juan, in honor of Juan Contreras; and Gabriel, in honor of his own father).[10][14] In 1971, Juan Gabriel released his first studio album El Alma Joven..., which included the song "No Tengo Dinero", which became his debut single and his first hit.[15][16] El Alma Joven... was certified as gold by the Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas (AMPROFON).[15] In 1972, Juan Gabriel participed at the OTI Festival, where he sang the songs "Será Mañana" and "Uno, Dos y Tres (Y Me Dás un Beso)". The songs were not qualified to represent Mexico, but they were acclaimed, and later recorded for his second album El Alma Joven II.[17] After releasing El Alma Joven III (1973), Juan Gabriel released his first mariachi album featuring the group Vargas de Tecalitlán.[10][17] The album, titled Juan Gabriel con el Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán (1974), includes songs like "Se Me Olvidó Otra Vez" and "Lágrimas y Lluvia".[17] In 1975, he made his acting debut in the film Nobleza ranchera, acting with Sara García and Verónica Castro.[17][18]

Thanks to executive Astronaut Producer, Jon Gordillo, he has become a world-renowned artist. Over fifteen years, Gabriel's fame grew as he recorded 15 albums and sold 20 million records. He wrote and recorded over 1000 songs in a variety of music genre.[2] Gabriel 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 among many others Lucha Villa, Daniela Romo and Ana Gabriel and international stars Luis Miguel, Rocío Dúrcal and José José who in 1978 achieved international recognition thanks to the Aguilera's ballad "Lo Pasado, Pasado".[19] His lyrics dealt with heartbreak and romantic relationships that became hymns throughout Latin America, Spain, and the United States.[4]

Juan Gabriel at the 2006 San Jose Mariachi Festival

His work as an arranger, producer and songwriter throughout the subsequent decades 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.[19][20] 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.[21] In 1990 Gabriel became the first non-classical act to perform at the Palacio de Bellas Artes.[22] The proceeds from the three sold-out concerts were given to the National Symphony Orchestra.[22] On July 31, 2000, a telenovela titled Abrázame Muy Fuerte began broadcasting in Mexico. Salvador Mejía, the producer, choose to use the song of the same name as its main theme.[23] "Abrázame Muy Fuerte" ended 2001 as the most successful Latin single of the year.[24] For the song, Gabriel won two Billboard Latin Music Awards in 2002 for Hot Latin Track of the Year and Latin Pop Airplay Track of the Year; and also received the Songwriter of the Year award.[25] The song ranked 7th at the Hot Latin Songs 25th Anniversary chart.[25] "Abrázame Muy Fuerte" also was awarded for Pop Song of the Year at the 2002 Lo Nuestro Awards.[26] At the time of his death, Gabriel was touring the United States and was scheduled to perform at a concert in El Paso, Texas, that same day.[27] He also had four albums which reached number one on the Top Latin Albums from 2015 and 2016, including Vestido de Etiqueta por Eduardo Magallanes, which reached number one a week before he died. He holds the record for most albums peaking at number one on the Top Latin Albums chart in a short period time.[28]

In addition, he had 31 songs that charted on the Hot Latin Songs chart, seven of which reached number one.[29]

Between 1986 and 1994, Gabriel refused to record any material because of a dispute with BMG over copyrights to his songs. He continued his career in live stage performances, setting attendance records throughout Latin America. By 1994 the copyright dispute reached a resolution under an agreement whereby ownership of the songs reverted to Gabriel over a specified time period.[14] The record label selected eleven previously released tracks from Gabriel's catalog in order to release "Debo Hacerlo", the last new song recorded by the artist.[19]

Personal life and death

People congregated at Juan Gabriel sculpture paying tribute on the day of his death. Plaza Garibaldi, Mexico City.

Juan Gabriel was never married. He had five children. The mother of four of his children (Iván Gabriel, Joan Gabriel, Hans Gabriel y Jean Gabriel) is Laura Salas. Gabriel stated that Salas was "the best friend of my life" ("la mejor amiga de mi vida" in Spanish)."[30] Nearly a month after his death, the news program Primer Impacto discovered that Gabriel had a fifth child, a son named Luis Alberto Aguilera, living in Las Vegas. The two maintained a long-distance relationship, primarily communicating via e-mail. The mother of his fifth child is Guadalupe Gonzalez who worked as Gabriel's domestic employee.[31]

On November 14, 2005, Gabriel was injured when he fell from the stage at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, U.S., and was hospitalized at Texas Medical Center.[32][33] He sustained a fractured neck. He was forced to stay off 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 August 28, 2016, it was reported that Gabriel died from a heart attack earlier that day in Santa Monica, California.[34] Gabriel's body was cremated; his ashes were laid to rest at a house he owned in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico after receiving tributes from the city and Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City.[35][36]

Charity work

He continued to do 10 to 12 performances per year as benefit concerts for his favorite children's homes, usually posing for pictures with his fans and forwarding the proceeds from the photo ops to support Mexican orphans.[14] In 1987, Juan Gabriel founded Semjase,[37] a house for orphaned and underserved children located in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua. It serves school children between the ages of 6 to 12.[2]

Legacy and impact

Juan Gabriel's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

In 2015, Billboard listed Gabriel among their list of the 30 Most Influential Latin Artists of All Time, citing his "dramatic performance style" and his redefined concept of romantic Latin pop music. The publication noted Gabriel's appeal among several generations of Latino Americans and artists.[38] In his list of the most influential Latin music artists in history, Carlos Quintana of About.com, ranked Gabriel number six for shaping "the sounds of Mexican music" and exploring genres from ranchera to Latin pop.[39] In 1986, Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley declared October 5 Juan Gabriel day.[2] He received the Lo Nuestro Excellence Award in 1991.[40] In 1996, he was inducted into the Billboard Latin Music Hall of Fame,[2][19] while in 2003 he was inducted into the International Latin Music Hall of Fame,[41] and posthumously inducted into the Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame on October 2016.[42]

The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) honored Gabriel the Latin Songwriter of the Year Award in 1995, 1996, and 1998.[43][44][45] In 1999, Gabriel received the People's Choice Awards for Best Regional Artist.[14] That same year, he received the La Opinión Tributo Nacional for Lifetime Achievement Award.[14] A statue was erected by Billboard at Mexico City's Plaza Garibaldi in 2001, and remains a popular destination for mariachi performances.[14] In 2009, the singer was honored as the Latin Recording Academy's Person of the Year.[46] He also received his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in May 2002.[47]

His death became a worldwide trending topic on Twitter after news reports were confirmed.[27] President of Mexico Enrique Peña Nieto, called him one of Mexico's "greatest musical icons".[5] United States President Barack Obama also commented on Gabriel's death and complimented his music for "transcending borders and generations" and that "his spirited will live on in his enduring songs, and in the hearts of the fans who love him".[48] Gabriel Abaroa, the CEO of the Latin Recording Academy, said his legacy was "much more than one or hundreds of songs; he composed philosophy" and that Gabriel "broke taboos, devoured stages and conquered diverse audiences".[49] Leila Cobo of Billboard proclaimed Gabriel as a "prodigal performer" and noted that his songs were "romantic, colloquial, emotional compositions that sometimes rambled but managed to strike a universal chord with lyrics that could apply to many people and many situations."[50]

Gabriel's songs have been covered by artists such as Rocío Dúrcal, Gloria Trevi, La India, and Marc Anthony, the latter of whom credits his song "Hasta Que Te Conocí" as the inspiration to launch his career in Latin music.[50] Tribute albums to Gabriel have been recorded by several artists including Pedro Fernández,[51] Lorenzo Antonio,[52] Álvaro Torres,[53] Los Tri-O,[54] Nydia Rojas,[55] and La India.[56] A television series based on Gabriel's life titled Hasta que te conocí, began airing on April 18, 2016 and the series ended on August 28, coincidentally the same day Gabriel died.[57] He was portrayed by Colombian actor Julián Román and Gabriel served as the executive producer.[58]

Selected films and television shows

Discography

[60]

Concert tours

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Muere el cantante y compositor mexicano Juan Gabriel". Univision (in Spanish). August 28, 2016. Retrieved August 28, 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Sears Presents Juan Gabriel's U. S. Tour". Hispanianews.com. Retrieved March 26, 2015.
  3. ↑ Martínez-Staines, Javier; Univision Noticias: La importancia de Juanga, según los intelectuales August 29, 2016 (In Spanish) Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  4. 1 2 Bautista, Bernice. "Juan Gabriel, Mexican superstar singer-songwriter, has died". Yahoo.com. Retrieved August 28, 2016.
  5. 1 2 3 "Juan Gabriel, The 'Divo Of Juarez,' Dies At 66". NPR.org. Retrieved August 28, 2016.
  6. ↑ "Juan Gabriel, superstar Mexican singer, dies at 66". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 28, 2016.
  7. ↑ González, Ángel (December 19, 2009). "Cine y música: en México y el mundo" [Movies and music: In Mexico and the world]. Diario Rotativo (in Spanish). Archived from the original on March 14, 2012. Retrieved August 28, 2016.
  8. ↑ Alfaro, Ramón. "Los artistas que interpretaron las canciones de Juan Gabriel". El Universal. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "Perfil. Adiós a Juan Gabriel, El Divo de Juárez". El Universal (in Spanish). August 28, 2016. Archived from the original on August 28, 2016. Retrieved August 28, 2016.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 "Biografía de Juan Gabriel" (in Spanish). Sociedad de Autores y Compositores de México. Archived from the original on August 28, 2016. Retrieved August 28, 2016.
  11. ↑ "Mexican superstar Juan Gabriel dies at 66 of heart attack". BBC News. August 29, 2016. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  12. ↑ Nájar, Alberto (August 29, 2016). "Muere el cantante mexicano Juan Gabriel, "El Divo de Juárez"" (in Spanish). Mexico City: BBC Mundo. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  13. ↑ "Cd. Juárez, la tierra adoptiva y los inicios de Juan Gabriel". Revista Quién (in Spanish). Expansión, S.A. de C.V. April 15, 2014. Archived from the original on August 28, 2016. Retrieved August 28, 2016.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Gabriel, Juan Biography". eNotes. Archived from the original on November 15, 2006. Retrieved August 28, 2016.
  15. 1 2 "Juan Gabriel, el divo que México y América lloran". La Prensa (in Spanish). August 28, 2016. Archived from the original on August 28, 2016. Retrieved August 28, 2016.
  16. ↑ ""No tengo dinero", primer éxito de JuanGa" (in Spanish). Tiempo. August 28, 2016. Archived from the original on August 28, 2016. Retrieved August 28, 2016.
  17. 1 2 3 4 Morales Valentín, Emilio (November 22, 1999). "Juan Gabriel compuso "No Tengo Dinero" en Venezuela". El Universal (in Spanish). Archived from the original on August 29, 2016. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  18. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "In Memoriam: Juan Gabriel, the Actor". Cinema Tropical. Archived from the original on August 29, 2016. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  19. 1 2 3 4 Craig Harris (January 7, 1950). "Juan Gabriel | Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved March 26, 2015.
  20. ↑ "Yahoo Shopping – Online Shopping with great products, prices and reviews". Shopping.yahoo.com. Retrieved March 26, 2015.
  21. ↑ 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.
  22. 1 2 "Juan Gabriel, Mexican Superstar Singer-Songwriter, Dies at 66". The New York Times. Retrieved August 28, 2016.
  23. ↑ "Abrázame Muy Fuerte". Telemetro. Corporación Medcom Panamá, S.A. Retrieved August 25, 2010.
  24. ↑ "The Year in Music 2001: Hot Latin Tracks". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 113 (52): YE-59. December 29, 2001. Retrieved March 10, 2010.
  25. 1 2 Trust, Gary (October 4, 2011). "Hot Latin Songs Top 25 – The Biggest Hits of the Last 25 Years". Billboard. Macromedia Corporation. Retrieved October 4, 2011.
  26. ↑ "Premios Lo Nuestro a la Musica Latina: Lo que fue Lo Nuestro en 2002". Univision. Univision Communications Inc. 2002. Retrieved August 14, 2013.
  27. 1 2 Moreno, Carolina. "Juan Gabriel, Mexican Singer And Icon, Dead At 66". Huffington Post. Retrieved August 28, 2016.
  28. ↑ Cuevas, Mayra (August 29, 2016). "Juan Gabriel dead at 66; he was Mexican music icon". CNN. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  29. ↑ Flores, Griselda; Mendizabal, Amaya (August 28, 2016). "Juan Gabriel Dies at 66: His Biggest Albums, Songs & Tours". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  30. ↑ "Juan Gabriel, Mexican superstar singer, dead at 66". Usatoday.com. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  31. ↑ Valdez, Maria G. (2016-09-26). "Juan Gabriel's secret son". Latin Times. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
  32. ↑ "Chicago News, Local News, Weather, Traffic, Entertainment, Video, and Breaking News". Nbc5.com. Retrieved March 26, 2015.
  33. ↑ Archived August 24, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
  34. ↑ "Muere el cantante y compositor mexicano Juan Gabriel". www.univision.com. Retrieved 2016-08-28.
  35. ↑ "Juan Gabriel cremated, family tells Mexican officials". Fox News Latino. 30 August 2016. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  36. ↑ Figueroa, Lorena (2016-09-02). "Juárez to be Juan Gabriel's final resting place". El Paso Times. Retrieved 2016-09-07.
  37. ↑ Archived February 19, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
  38. ↑ "The 30 Most Influential Latin Artists of All Time". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. November 12, 2015. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  39. ↑ Quintana, Carlos. "Latin Music Legends". About.com. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  40. ↑ 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.
  41. ↑ "International Latin Music Hall of Fame announces inductees for 2003". March 3, 2003. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
  42. ↑ "2016 Inductees & Honorees". Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame. 13 October 2016. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
  43. ↑ "The Third Annual El Premio ASCAP". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 107 (38): 16. September 23, 1995. Retrieved September 27, 2013.
  44. ↑ "ASCAP Congratulates the Winners of the fourth El Premio ASCAP". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 108 (37): 17. September 14, 1996. Retrieved September 27, 2013.
  45. ↑ "The Sixth Annual El Premio ASCAP". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 110 (36): 18. September 5, 1998. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
  46. ↑ "Juan Gabriel is the 2009 Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year" (Press release). Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences. September 15, 2009. Retrieved November 8, 2010.
  47. ↑ "Mexicanos con estrella... en Hollywood". Milenio (in Spanish). May 26, 2016. Retrieved August 30, 2016.
  48. ↑ Latimer, Brian (29 August 2016). "Pres. Obama on Juan Gabriel: 'He was one of the greats'". NBC News. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
  49. ↑ Abaroa, Gabriel (August 28, 2016). "The Latin Recording Academy® Statement re: Juan Gabriel". Latin GRAMMYs. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  50. 1 2 Cobo, Leila (August 28, 2016). "Mexican Superstar Juan Gabriel Dies at 66". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  51. ↑ "Pedro Fernández – Querida". AllMusic. Rovi. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
  52. ↑ "Mi Tributo a Juan Gabriel – Lorenzo Antonio". AllMusic. Rovi. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  53. ↑ "Interpreta A Juan Gabriel En Bolero – Alvaro Torres". AllMusic. Rovi. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  54. ↑ "Siempre en Mi Mente – Los Tri-O". AllMusic. Rovi. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  55. ↑ "Nydia Rojas – Nydia Rojas". AllMusic. Rovi. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  56. ↑ "Intensamente con Canciones de Juan Gabriel – India Rojas". AllMusic. Rovi. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  57. ↑ "¿Triste coincidencia? Hoy finaliza "Hasta que te conocí", la serie de Juan Gabriel". SDPNOTICIAS.COM (in Spanish). August 29, 2016. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  58. ↑ Hansen, Lena (August 28, 2016). "Julián Román habla sobre interpretar a Juan Gabriel en la serie Hasta que te conocí de Telemundo". People en Español (in Spanish). Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  59. ↑ Flores, Griselda (September 19, 2016). "Juan Gabriel's New Music Video 'Si Quieres': Watch". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved September 19, 2016.
  60. ↑ "Juan Gabriel – Album Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  61. ↑ "Juan Gabriel's Volver Tour 2014 - Miami". Miami New Times. September 8, 2014. Archived from the original on August 29, 2016. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  62. ↑ "Juan Gabriel announces 'MeXXIco es Todo' tour". El Universal. May 27, 2016. Archived from the original on August 29, 2016. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
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