Jose Feliciano returns for Feb. 22 concert at Big Dome

MANILA, Philippines - An exhilarating mix of soft rock and Latin pop music with superb accompaniment on the guitar from a legendary singer-composer and virtuoso guitarist will sweep the concert scene when Jose Feliciano returns for a major concert on Feb. 22 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City.

The show is the main highlight of the two-night concert series dubbed as Jose Feliciano Philippine Tour 2013 that will kick off on Feb. 21 at the Waterfront Hotel Cebu.

To be mounted by Ovation Productions, the musical extravaganza will reunite the Puerto Rican superstar with millions of Pinoy music enthusiasts whom he has captivated during his numerous shows here in the past, when he performed to sold-out audiences at the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

He will showcase his enduring music and guitar wizardry through a repertoire of hits like Rain, Light My Fire, My Sweet Lord, La Bamba, I Wanna Be Where You Are, Once There Was A Love, It Doesn’t Matter Anyhow, Love Comes From The Most Unexpected Places, Don’t Let The Sun Catch You Crying and Here There And Everywhere.

Other songs that he will perform include Feliz Navidad, Where Did Our Love Go, Baby I Need Your Lovin’, Bomboleo, Samba Pa Ti, California Dreamin’, Sunny, Guantanamera, Malaguena, Everybody Do The Click and Old Turkey Buzzard. 

Initially exposed to music at the age of three, Feliciano got his big break when his family moved from his native Puerto Rico to Spanish Harlem in New York City, where he would play the guitar by himself in his room 14 hours a day, listening to ’50s rock ’n roll records, classical guitarists such as Andres Segovia and jazz players like Wes Montgomery.

After being signed by RCA Records in 1963, he released his debut single, Everybody Do The Click (1964), which became a hit in the Philippines at No. 2, staying 14 weeks in the Top 10 Hit parade.

It was followed in 1965 and 1966 by the launch of his first albums, The Voice and Guitar of Jose Feliciano and A Bag Full Of Soul, two folk-pop-soul albums that showcased his talent on radios across the US, where he was described by a music critic from The New York Times as a “10-finger wizard who romps, runs, rolls, picks and reverberates his six strings in an incomparable fashion.”

After four more chart-topping albums, Feliciano, who became a household name all over Latin America, moved to Los Angeles, where he recorded The Doors’ Light My Fire in a Latin style and released it as a single.

The success of the record — which reached No. 3 on the US pop charts and No. 1 in many other countries, including Canada, Brazil and the UK and awarded a gold disc — won for the then 24-year-old artist two 1969 Grammy Awards for Best New Artist of the Year and Best Pop Song of the Year.

With the awards, the singer achieved international recognition as a pop star and stylistic leader because of his “crossover” from Latino music to English-language pop rock, opening the doors for other Latin artists who now play an important role in the American music industry. 

In 1969, Feliciano made a breakthrough into the US film industry while working with Quincy Jones.

In the ’80s and into the ’90s, he recorded duets with Natalie Cole (Everlasting), Gloria Estefan (Alma Caribena), Diane Schuur on her 1985 album, Schuur Things and Paul Simon on a particular version of his album, Songs From The Capeman.

Feliciano’s musical career has been immortalized with a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Dec. 1, 1987 and had his hands cast on the famous Walk of Fame in Madame Tussaud’s Museum in London. He was also given a star on the Walk of Fame in his native Puerto Rico alongside Jose Ferrer and Raul Julia.

In 2009, he received his eighth Grammy for the album, Señor Bolero, while he got the Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award from LARAS on Nov. 9, 2011.

(Jose Feliciano Philippine Tour 2013 is produced by Ovation Productions and presented by 2nd Avenue, Jack City, Diva Universal, Jack TV, Discovery Channel, History Channel, RJ 100.3 FM, The Philippine STAR, Manila Bulletin, BusinessWorld, Crossover 105.1, 98.3 Easy Rock, Mellow 94.7, 97.9 Home Radio and OptimaSignsolutions. Tickets to the Smart Araneta Coliseum concert are priced at P4,755, P4,225, P3,700, P2,540, P1,585 and P740. For ticket inquiries and reservations, call Ticketnet at 911-5555 or visit www.ticketnet.com.ph. Tickets to the Waterfront Hotel Cebu concert are at P4,000, P3,500, P2,500, P2000, P1,500 and P800. For details, call 232-6888 or 0917-6228705.)