José José

b. José Romulo Sosa Ortiz, 1948, Mexico City, Mexico. One of the truly traditional artists working in the Latino music firmament, José José, dubbed The Prince Of Songs by his supporters, has recorded gentle, romantic ballads in his affecting baritone for over four decades. The son of opera tenor José Sosa Esquivel and concert pianist Margarita Ortiz, he grew up listening to the music of Frank Sinatra and Johnny Mathis in addition to native balladeers. His debut single for Orfeon Records was released in 1965, when he was just 17 years old. Following his first appearance on television, he formed the trio Los Peg. Eventually he was offered a solo contract by composer Rubén Fuentes with RCA Records. His first album was credited to his new stage name, José José, adopted in tribute to his father, who had recently died. That album, and practically every subsequent recording bearing his name, became a sizeable national hit. Starting in 1970, he also launched a film career, appearing in Buscando Una Sonrisa. Several subsequent appearances culminated in a starring role in 1993’s Perdóname Todo. Despite his retiring demeanour, in stark contrast to some of his peers in the South American recording industry, conservative estimates of his record sales suggest more than 35 million sales. 1984’s Secretos alone sold four million copies. In the 90s his success began to transfer increasingly to the American charts, where songs such as ‘Como Tu’, Amnesia’ and ‘Llora Corazon’ became staples of the Billboard Latin charts. This fact was acknowledged by his induction into the Billboard Latin Music Hall Of Fame in 1997.