José Feliciano

Blind from birth, José Feliciano is recognised as one of the world's most innovative guitarists, crossing many musical genres and even finding unlikely pop success with his imaginative cover of The Doors' Light My Fire. Born in Puerto Rico, his family moved to Spanish Harlem, New York when he was small and, initially proficient on accordion, he was given his first guitar by a family friend at the age of nine. He later had classical lessons and, practising constantly, mastered a mixture of styles, playing along with Andrés Segovia records to jazz music and the rock'n'roll hits of the day. Gravitating to New York's Greenwich Village folk scene, he was signed to RCA and released his first single, Everybody Do The Click, in 1964, a major hit in the Phillipines. His reputation grew after an appearance at Newport Jazz Festival and in 1966 recorded an album of bolero music in Spanish. Early attempts to tour the UK were thwarted by immigration laws that prevented admittance of his guide dog without six months quarantine, a law designed to prevent the spread of rabies. Feliciano made it big internationally in 1968 with his Latino arrangement of Light My Fire, evolving a uniquely distinct approach, which melded brilliant guitar technique with soulful vocals and he even had a hit with a controversial, slowed-down version of Star-Spangled Banner. He further proved his versatility duetting with everyone from Frank Sinatra to Johnny Cash, Bing Crosby, Glenn Campbell, Andy Williams and Diana Ross, sometimes using the pseudonym Werbley Finster; and collaborated with Quincy Jones on music for the movie Mackenna's Gold. He also acted in and composed music for TV shows like Chico and the Man, McMillan & Wife and Kung Fu and guested on albums by John Lennon, Joni Mitchell and Bill Withers, and continued to be a popular concert performer and recording artist through the 2000s.

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