Julio Iglesias

Julio José Iglesias de la Cueva, born on September 23, 1943, in Madrid, Spain, began his career path with aspirations beyond music. Initially, he pursued a law degree at Complutense University of Madrid while also playing as a goalkeeper for Real Madrid Castilla in the Segunda División. His professional football ambitions were cut short in 1963 due to a serious automobile accident that left him unable to walk for two years. During his recovery, a nurse provided him with a guitar to help restore dexterity in his hands, which subsequently ignited his musical talent. Following his rehabilitation and a period of studying English in Cambridge, England, he returned to complete his law degree.

His music career formally began in 1968 when he won the Benidorm International Song Festival with “La vida sigue igual,” a song later used in a film depicting a fictionalized version of his life. He signed with Discos Columbia and released his debut album, “Yo Canto,” which spent 15 weeks on the Spanish charts, peaking at No. 3. In 1970, Iglesias represented Spain at the Eurovision Song Contest with “Gwendolyne,” securing fourth place. He achieved significant European success with “Un canto a Galicia,” sung in Galician, which sold one million copies in Germany, and further expanded into the Italian market in 1975 with the song “Se mi lasci non vale.” Throughout the 1970s, he released notable albums such as “A flor de piel” (1974), “El amor” (1975), and “Soy” (1973), establishing a strong presence in the European music scene.

In 1979, Iglesias moved to Miami, United States, and signed with CBS International, diversifying his music by singing in French, Italian, Portuguese, and German. The 1981 album “De niña a mujer,” dedicated to his daughter Chabeli, included his first English-language hit, a cover of “Begin the Beguine,” which reached No. 1 in the UK. His 1984 album, “1100 Bel Air Place,” solidified his status in the English-speaking market, selling over three million copies in the US and featuring collaborations with Willie Nelson (“To All the Girls I’ve Loved Before”) and Diana Ross (“All of You”). He received a Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop Album in 1988 for “Un hombre solo” and continued to collaborate with artists like Stevie Wonder, Dolly Parton, and Frank Sinatra. Iglesias maintained his global popularity into the 21st century, continuing to tour and release albums, and was recognized with an Honorary Doctorate from Berklee College of Music in 2015 for his significant contributions to music.