| Julio
Iglasias, was the most popular Latin
singer of the '70s and '80s, selling
over 100 million albums around the
world. Iglesias was a smooth, romantic
crooner and his appeal translated to
many different countries in many
different languages.
Initially, Iglesias planned to be a
lawyer. As he studied, he was a
goalkeeper for the Real Madrid football
team. His career as an athlete was ended
after an automobile accident in the
mid-'60s. While he was recovering,
Iglesias started playing guitar and
writing songs. Before he began a musical
career, he finished his law studies at
Cambridge University. In 1968, he was a
contestant at the 1968 Spanish Song
Festival at Benidorm, singing his
original song "La Vida Sigue Igual."
Iglesias won the first prize at the
contest, which led to a record contract
with Discos Columbia, an independent
record label.
During the '70s, he toured Europe and
Latin America, gaining a large fan base
with hits like 1975's "Manuela." By the
end of the decade, he was extremely
popular -- so popular, CBS International
sought out a contract with him. He
signed with the label in 1978. Iglesias
began to record not only in Spanish, but
in Italian and French as well. At the
turn of the decade, Julio Iglesias began
to pursue the American and British
markets by concentrating on his English
recordings. His efforts began to pay off
in 1981, when his cover of "Begin the
Beguine" became a number one hit. It was
quickly followed by the compilation
record Julio, which became a big success
in England and America. However, his
major crossover success was 1984's 1100
Bel Air Place, a collection of duets.
Featuring the Top Ten hit duet with
Willie Nelson "To All the Girls I've
Loved Before," the album sold over three
million copies in America and peaked at
number five on the pop charts; it also
spawned "All of You," a hit duet with
Diana Ross. Iglesias' popularity
continued to grow throughout the '80s,
although he only had one more pop
crossover hit, 1988's "My Love," a duet
with Stevie Wonder.
By the 1990s, he had stopped courting
the English pop market and concentrated
on recording mainly in Spanish, as well
as a handful of other languages. His
popularity did not diminish at all in
his third decade of recordings -- he was
still capable of selling millions of
records and selling out concerts around
the world. |
