JOSE FELICIANO

'Light My Fire'

Again an odd coincidence and parallel with the first hearing Bob Dylan by someone else (The Byrds - Mr Tambourine Man) I first heard The Doors' 'Light My Fire' by this man. My brother Steve had long come up with interesting taste in music that was a few steps ahead of me(he was four years older than me), Chet Atkins for that guitar picking' country sound, Charlie Byrd, Wes Montgomery for that jazz guitar, and singular unique characters like José and his album featuring the track was rarely off the turntable when he was around.
I preferred The Doors . . . . . . . . . and claimed them for my own

but still thank you José

On this day in music history: June 28, 1968 - “Feliciano!”, the eighth album by Jose Feliciano is released. Produced by Rick Jarrard, it is recorded at the RCA Music Center Of The World in Hollywood, CA from November 21, 1967 - January 6, 7 & 8, 1968. Born in Lares, Puerto Rico, and raised in New York’s Spanish Harlem, Jose Feliciano demonstrates musical talent early on. Blind since birth (due to glaucoma), Jose is taught how to play percussion by an uncle at three. The turning point comes when Feliciano’s father gives him a guitar at nine. Practicing for hours and hours a day, Jose teaches himself the guitar. Taking some formal classical training while attending the Light House School For The Blind, he drops out of school at seventeen to help support his family. At the height of the folk music movement, he plays coffeehouses in New York, and in other cities. While performing in Greenwich Village in 1964, Feliciano is spotted by Jack Somer, an executive at RCA Victor Records, who signs him. Jose records seven albums between 1965 and 1967, finding success in Latin American countries but not in the US. A move to Los Angeles later in 1967 changes the musician’s fortunes at home, in ways that no one will anticipate. Feliciano is paired producer Rick Jarrard, known for producing the Jefferson Airplane’s “Surrealistic Pillow” and his work with Harry Nilsson. Looking to find a balance between Jose’s musical influences, and marrying them to pop styled arrangements, they believe that he can reach a wider audience. In the studio, Jose is backed by veteran jazz musicians Ray Brown (bass), Milt Holland (drums, percussion) and Jim Horn (woodwinds). George Tipton and Perry Botkin, Jr. are brought in to write arrangements for the tracks. The album features covers of recent pop songs from everyone including The Beatles, The Mama & The Papas, and Bobby Hebb. Also covered on the album is The Doors’ “Light My Fire” (#2 Pop, #29 R&B). The L.A. rockers chart topper of the previous Summer, is transformed into a soulful and lush Latin flavored ballad. It’s initially released as the B-side of “California Dreamin’”. A DJ at KJR at Seattle, WA flips it and plays “Light My Fire” instead. It becomes a radio smash, selling over a million copies, and turning Jose Feliciano into a huge star worldwide. The album earns four Grammy nominations, winning for Best New Artist and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance in 1969. In time, “Feliciano!” becomes a landmark album, cementing the commercial viability of Latin American musicians. The album is remastered and reissued on CD in 1994, and is reissued as a 180 gram LP by Speakers Corner Records in 2003. “Feliciano!” peaks at number two on the Billboard Top 200, number three on the R&B album chart, number three on the Jazz chart, and is certified Gold in the US by the RIAA.

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