My Interview with legendary guitarist and musician Jose Felician, when he visited Bangalore recently.....
Remember the opening song, ‘Old turkey buzzard’, of the timeless classic Mackenna’s Gold? It was the husky, high-pitched voice of Jose Feliciano that brought the song to life.
After nearly half a century in the world music scene and countless records, the guitar virtuoso continues to enthral people with his evergreen hits.
"I am not tired of playing music because it is not a job that I do, it’s my passion, I enjoy singing. I’ll go were life takes me," says the 62-year old multi-Grammy winner who started his music career in the Latin American market.
Feliciano, the man who made Spanish music truly global, says that his Puerto Rican roots and American upbringing has influenced his music. "I grew up listening to Spanish music till I was about five years and then I was exposed to blues, rock and roll and all that has influenced my music."
Born blind in a family of 11 children, he took to music very early. He learned to play the guitar himself. Early in his career he started playing Latin pop and bolero music. "My first record came out in 1966, I had two albums that year and one next year."
However, his first major break in the English music market came in 1968 with his album ‘Feliciano’, featuring hit single "light my fire", a refashioned version of the song by the same title by the band "The Doors".
Then it was followed by superhit songs in both Spanish and English. On ‘Feliz Navidad’, one of Feliciano’s biggest hits and one of the most popular Christmas song, he said: "My producer asked me to write a Christmas song and I thought about it. I was also sad that I was away from my family at that time. My parents and siblings were in Puerto Rico and I was living at that time in California. The song brought me closer to my family."
He has worked with some of the greatest musicians of the time. "I was a big fan of the Beetles. I played guitar for an album by John Lennon, eventually it never came out.," he said. " I don’t think it is ever going to come out," he added with a smile.
He courted with controversy when he, for the first time ever, played the American national anthem, The Star Spangled Banner, differently. " I only tried to play it differently but it became quite an issue," he said without delving much into it.
He has also written and composed songs. "I go to my studio and compose the music and then start working on the lyrics for the song. I started writing in the 1960s but I think your writing improves over time and it is much better now. My writing did not have the depth when I first started," he says.
Talking on his musical prayer for peace, "Killing is not the answer", he said: " I first thought of this song after 9/11 and set to work on it."
Feliciano has done more than music and he has also tried his hand at hosting radio shows, appeared in television specials and even dabbled with acting. " It was good experience," he says, "I am not saying that I am a great actor but I enjoyed acting."
Feliciano has toured across the world. "I have performed across the world. I am doing more tours now than I was doing in my earlier days. In Asia, I have performed in Japan, Hong Kong and The Philippines."
However, Feliciano, keeping up to his reputation of being a goodwill ambassador, voiced his anger against the indiscriminate whaling and poaching of tigers. "I am angry with the Japanese now because of whale hunting. It is sad that they are killing the whales they should stop it. In India the tiger is also getting poached, the Bengal tiger has almost become extinct. It should be prevented," he said.
Feliciano on his first trip to India says that he has got an amazing response from the crowd so far. " The tour has been wonderful. I’ve always wanted to come to India. I’ve read a lot about India. I know there is immense poverty here, but it is there everywhere, this country is so technologically advanced it can overcome all that."
He has also detoured into the spiritual side of India. "I have read books by Swami Paramahamsa Yogananda. I visit the Self-Realisation Centre and I find it great," he said.
