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You might think of Julio Iglesias as a love-ballad crooner for the old folks - and indeed, you wouldn't be far off. But this crooner has one of music's most interesting life stories. Beginning his professional life as a goalie for Spanish soccer team Real Madrid, Iglesias became a lawyer after a car accident left him unable to play soccer. This might have been the end of the story, but Iglesias - who'd always played guitar and written songs - won a music contest and was signed by Columbia Records. From there, it was just a matter of time before Iglesias seduced Europe. He recorded hits in Spanish and French before finally conquering North America. We all know the result: his duet on "To All the Girls I've Loved Before" with Willie Nelson, and hundreds of other gentle classics. Iglesias has recently teamed up with Latin Pop hit makers including Alejandro Sanz in an effort to return to that market.
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About The Julio Iglesias
b. Julio Jos? Iglesias de la Cueva, 23 September 1943, Madrid, Spain. Iglesias studied law at Madrid University and played football (goalkeeper) for Real Madrid before suffering severe injuries in a 1963 car accident. While recuperating, he learned guitar and began to write songs. After continuing his studies in Cambridge, England, he entered the 1968 Festivalde la Canci?n in Benidorm. Performing his own composition "La Vida Sigue Igual" ("Life Continues All The Same"), he won first prize and soon afterwards signed a recording contract with the independent Discos Columbia where Ramon Arcusa became his producer. Iglesias represented Spain in the Eurovision Song Contest, subsequently recording the song "Gwendolyne" in French, Italian, and English. During the next few years, he toured widely in Europe and Latin America, scoring international hits with "Manuela" (1974) and "Hey" (1979). His global reach was increased in 1978 when he signed to CBS Records International and soon had hits in French and Italian. The first big English-language success came in 1982 when his version of "Begin The Beguine" topped the UK charts. This was followed by the multi-language compilation album Julio, which sold a million copies in America. Co-produced by Arcusa and Richard Perry, 1100 Bel Air Place was aimed directly at American audiences and included duets with Willie Nelson ("To All The Girls I've Loved Before") and Diana Ross ("All Of You"). A later duet (and international hit) was "My Love" with Stevie Wonder in 1988. Iglesias won the Billboard Latin album of the year award in 1996 for La Carreterra. By the end of the 90s, Iglesias had sold in excess of 220 million albums in seven languages, making him one of the most successful artists ever in the history of popular music. His sons Enrique and Julio Jr. have also enjoyed success as recording artists.
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.
Julio Iglesias was not only the most popular Spanish singing star of the '70s and '80s, but an international sensation as well. Though casual fans may know him best for his smash duet with Willie Nelson, "To All The Girls I've Loved Before," he's had a long and varied career. Besides the romantic pop crooning for which he's most famous, Iglesias has also recorded albums of Brazilian music and tango. In addition to his work with Nelson, Iglesias has collaborated with everyone from Frank Sinatra to Stevie Wonder. Continuing the legacy, his sons Enrique and Julio, Jr. both became Latin pop stars in their own right, making women swoon just the way their father always did.
