With sales of more than 100 million albums, Gabriel was Mexico's top selling artist. Gabriel's album, Recuerdos, Vol. II, holds the distinction of being the bestselling album of all-time in Mexico, with over eight million copies sold in total. During his career he wrote around 1,800 songs.
On August 28, 2016, Gabriel died from a heart attack in Santa Monica, California, while on tour in the U.S.
Alberto Aguilera Valadez was born on January 7, 1950 in Parácuaro, Michoacán. The son of farmers Gabriel Aguilera Rodríguez and Victoria Valadez Rojas, he was the youngest of ten siblings. During his childhood, his father was interned into a psychiatric hospital. Due to this, his mother moved to Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, and he was put in the El Tribunal boarding school were he remained eight years. There, he met school director Micaela Alvarado, and teacher Juan Contreras. Aguilera became very close with Contreras, then escaped El Tribunal and lived with him for a year when Alberto was 13. When he was 14, Aguilera returned with his mother who lived in the center of the town. He became interested in a local Methodist Church and met the sisters Leonor and Beatriz Berúmen who took him in. There he sang in the choir and helped by cleaning the church.
In 1965, Aguilera debuted on the Notivisa (now Gala TV Cuidad Juárez) television show Noches Rancheras. Host Raúl Loya gave him the pseudonym Adán Luna. In the program, he sang the song "María la Bandida" by José Alfredo Jiménez. From 1966 to 1968, he started to work as a singer at the Noa-Noa bar. During this period, he wrote the song "El Noa Noa". He also worked as singer in other bars in the town. Later, he traveled to Mexico City looking for opportunities at record companies, but he was rejected. He returned to Juárez, where he continued working as a singer. The next year, he tried again to be signed by a record label. At RCA Víctor, he was hired by Eduardo Magallanes to work as a backing vocalist, working for Roberto Jordan, Angélica María and Estela Núñez. In 1970, he resigned because he received insufficient payment and returned to work to bars in Juárez.
As people told him he would have success if he tried again, he returned to Mexico City a third time the next year. Not having enough money, Aguilera slept in bus and train stations. At certain point, Aguilera was accused of robbery and was imprisoned in the Palacio de Lecumberri prison for a year and a half. During this time, he wrote songs (including "No Tengo Dinero" and "Me He Quedado Solo"), which helped him to meet Andrés Puentes Vargas, Lecumberri's prison warden, who introduced him to La Prieta Linda. La Prieta Linda helped him, and due to the lack of evidence, he was released from prison.
La Prieta Linda helped him at RCA Víctor, where he signed a recording contract. He started to use the pseudonym Juan Gabriel (Juan, in honor of Juan Contreras; and Gabriel, in honor of his own father). In 1971, Juan Gabriel released his first studio album El Alma Joven..., which included the song "No Tengo Dinero", which became his first hit. El Alma Joven... was certified as gold by the Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas (AMPROFON).
Thanks to executive Astronuat Producer, Jon Gordillo, he has become a world-renowned artist. Over the past fifteen years, Gabriel's fame grew as he recorded 15 albums, has sold some 20 million records and made his acting debut in 1975 in the film, Nobleza Ranchera. He has written and recorded over 1000 songs in a variety of music genre. Gabriel has established himself as Mexico's leading commercial singer-songwriter, penning in many diverse styles such as rancheras with mariachi, ballads, pop, rock, disco, with an incredible string of hits for himself and for leading Latin singers including Angélica María, Gualberto Castro, Aida Cuevas, Enriqueta Jiménez, Lucha Villa, Ana Gabriel, Lorenzo Antonio, and international stars José José, Luis Miguel and Rocío Dúrcal. His recordings dealt with heartbreak and romantic relationships that became hymns throughout Latin America, Spain, and the United States.
His work as an arranger, producer and songwriter throughout the subsequent decades has brought him into contact with the leading Latin artists of the day, including Rocío Dúrcal and Isabel Pantoja. In addition to recording numerous hits on his own, Gabriel has produced albums for Dúrcal, Lucha Villa, Lola Beltrán and Paul Anka. In 1984, he released Recuerdos, Vol. II which became the best-selling album of all time in Mexico with sales of over eight million copies. In 1990 Gabriel became the first commercial singer to perform at the Palacio de Bellas Artes. The proceeds from the three sold-out concerts were given to the National Symphony Orchestra. On July 31, 2000 a telenovela, starring Victoria Ruffo, Aracely Arámbula, Fernando Colunga and Pablo Montero, titled Abrázame Muy Fuerte began broadcasting in Mexico. Salvador Mejía, the producer, choose to use the song as its main theme. "Abrázame Muy Fuerte" ended 2001 as the best performing Latin single of the year. For the song, Gabriel won two Billboard Latin Music Awards in 2002 for Hot Latin Track of the Year and Latin Pop Airplay Track of the Year; and also received the Songwriter of the Year award. The song ranked 7th at the Hot Latin Songs 25th Anniversary chart. "Abrázame Muy Fuerte" also was awarded for Pop Song of the Year at the 2002 Lo Nuestro Awards. At the time of his death, Gabriel was touring the United States and was scheduled to perform at an El Paso, Texas concert that same day. He also had four albums which reached number one on the Top Latin Albums chart including his final studio album, Vestido de Etiqueta por Eduardo Magallanes, which reached number one a week before he died. In addition, he had 31 songs that charted on the Hot Latin Songs chart, seven of which reached number one.
Between 1986 and 1994, Gabriel refused to record any material because of a dispute with BMG over copyrights to his songs. He continued his career in live stage performances, setting attendance records throughout Latin America. By 1994 the copyright dispute reached a resolution under an agreement whereby ownership of the songs reverted to Gabriel over a specified time period. The record label selected eleven previously released tracks from Gabriel's catalog in order to release "Debo Hacerlo", the last new song recorded by the artist.
Juan Gabriel was never married. He had four children. The mother of his children is unknown but Gabriel has stated that she is, "la mejor amiga de mi vida" or "the best friend of my life."
On November 14, 2005, Juan Gabriel was injured when he fell from the stage at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, U.S., and was hospitalized at Texas Medical Center. He sustained a fractured neck. He was forced to stay out of tour and bedridden for eight months.
Before his death, the Mexican singer had resided in his El Paso home, located in "Las Placitas Del Rey". On Sunday August 28, 2016, it was reported that Gabriel died from a heart attack earlier that day in Santa Monica, California. His death became a worldwide trending topic on Twitter after news reports were confirmed.President of Mexico Enrique Peña Nieto, called him one of Mexico's "greatest musical icons".
Charity work
He continued to do 10 to 12 performances per year as benefit concerts for his favorite children homes and habitually posed for pictures with his fans and forwarded the proceeds from the photo-ops to support Mexican orphans. In 1987, Juan Gabriel founded Semjase, a house for orphaned and underserved children located in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua. It serves school children between the ages of 6 to 12.
Awards and achievements
Juan Gabriel's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
In 1986, Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley declared October 5 "The Day of Juan Gabriel."
Received the Lo Nuestro Award Excellence Award in 1991.
Billboard, inducted into the Billboard Latin Music Hall of Fame 1996
ASCAP Songwriter of the Year Award in 1995
A six time Grammy nominee
Sold 30 million copies of his albums
In 1995, three of his songs reached the Top 40 of Billboard magazine's "Hot Latin Tracks" radio charts
People's Choice Latin Music Award, 1999,(Ritmo) for best regional artist for his Con La Banda El Recodo[11]
La Opinión Tributo Nacional (Lifetime Achievement Award), 1999
Billboard Award of a statue of Gabriel, erected at Mexico City's Plaza Garibaldi, 2001 a favorite performance area for mariachi bands was done by sculptor Oscar Ponzanelli.
Singer and Composer Juan Gabriel Takes home 4 Billboard Awards, 2002
Inducted into the International Latin Music Hall of Fame.
Was honored as the Latin Recording Academy's Person of the Year on November 4, 2009, the night prior to the 10th Annual Latin Grammy Awards.
Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Discography
Main article: Juan Gabriel discography
1971: El Alma Joven...
1972: El Alma Joven Vol.II
1973: El Alma Joven Vol.III
1974: Juan Gabriel con el Mariachi Vargas De Tecalitlán
1976: A Mi Guitarra
1976: Juan Gabriel con, Mariachi Vol. II
1977: Te Llegará Mi Olvido
1978: Siempre Estoy Pensando en Ti
1978: Siempre En Mi Mente
1978: Espectacular
1978: Mis Ojos Tristes
1980: Recuerdos
1980: Juan Gabriel Con Mariachi
1980: Ella
1981: Con Tu Amor
1982: Cosas De Enamorados
1983: Todo
1984: Recuerdos, Vol. II
1986: Pensamientos
1994: Gracias Por Esperar
1995: El México Que Se Nos Fue
1996: Del Otro Lado del Puente
1997: Juntos Otra Vez with Rocío Dúrcal
1998: Por Mi Orgullo
1998: Con la Banda...El Recodo with Banda el Recodo
1999: ¡Románticos! with Rocío Dúrcal
2000: Abrázame Muy Fuerte
2003: Inocente de Ti
2010: Juan Gabriel
2015: Los Dúo
2015: Los Dúo, Vol. 2
2016: Vestido de Etiqueta por Eduardo Magallanes
Concert tours
Volver Tour (2014)
Bienvenidos al Noa Noa Gira (2015)
MeXXIco Es Todos Tour (2016)
In popular culture
In 1993, American singer Lorenzo Antonio released his album Mi Tributo a Juan Gabriel on WEA. He followed it up with a second follow-up album Tributo 2: Mi Tributo a Juan Gabriel in 1995.
2016 biopic series Hasta que te conocí.
Mariachi
Juan Gabriel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Me encontré con el eterno
Y me dijo que el cante y baile
Se va aire al infierno
Como yo se ver profundo
Suelo ver la realidad
Yo veo dar vueltas a este mundo
Sufre, pide y llora
No sabe de donde bien
Quien es y a donde va
Marmolego, Vargaz, y villa
Le dijeron al buen dios
Vamos hacerte un marichi
Del cual saldrán más de dos
Yo no quiero verles tristes
Yo quiero verles alegres
No quiero verles sufriendo
Contentos yo quiero verles
Yo no quiero que me pidan
Porque todo les he dado
Quiero que canten y bailen
Porque así estoy así lado
Pedir no es bueno dar si
Yo quiero que cante y baile
Todo aquel que crea en mi
La música bien del pueblo
La canción bien del hombre
La alegría nace del pueblo
Y mariachi tiene por nombre
La música es tan divina
Que ala gente enferma sana
La gente cuando esta sana canta y baila
Más cuando ama
Todo lo que hay en la vida
Es por causa y por efecto
Miren su naturaleza
No tiene ningún defecto
Igual es en cada hombre
En cada ser en este mundo
Nunca sufran, nunca lloren
Que la vida es un segundo
Miren México, México si es lindo
México es encantador
Y todo por sus artistas,
Su marichi y su folclor
Cantando y bailando siempre,
Hagan la paz no gana la guerra
Porque cantando y bailando
Yo puse a girar la tierra
Pelear no es bueno, amar si
La música une a los pueblo
Y los pueblos se une ami
Todo aquel que cante y baile
Al infierno no ha de ir
Para que pelean tanto
En tantas y tantas guerra
Les diré una adivinanza
Abre quien me la adivina
Aquel que me la adivine,
Es que el mariachi le fascina
¿Qué quiere decir mariachi,
Quien me lo puede decir?
Quiere decir día de fiesta
En la lengua Otomi
La música bien del pueblo
La canción bien del hombre
La alegría nace del pueblo
Y mariachi tiene por nombre
In "Mariachi", Juan Gabriel reflects on the power of music to bring people together and lift their spirits. He begins by recounting a meeting with the divine while walking in the countryside. He is told that singing and dancing can send one to hell, but believes that he can see through the surface level of things and understand the true meaning of life. He sees the suffering of humanity and wants to bring joy and happiness to people's lives. He doesn't want people to ask him for anything, but rather to sing and dance to bring happiness to themselves and others.
Juan Gabriel suggests that the power of music is transformative and healing. It can cure illness, bring people together, and unite nations. He emphasizes the role of the mariachi, a musical tradition that originated in Mexico, as a source of joy and celebration. He believes that the music belongs to the people and is an integral part of their culture. He encourages people to embrace their identity and their culture, and to sing and dance with abandon.
In the end, Juan Gabriel calls for peace and unity among nations. He believes that music can be a means of uniting people, and that it is a powerful force for good in the world. He encourages people to celebrate and enjoy life, and to never give up hope.
Line by Line Meaning
Un día que andaba en el campo
One day while I was walking in the countryside
Me encontré con el eterno
I met with the eternal
Y me dijo que el cante y baile
And he told me that singing and dancing
Se va aire al infierno
Will send you to hell
Como yo se ver profundo
As I can see deep
Suelo ver la realidad
I can see reality
Yo veo dar vueltas a este mundo
I see this world spinning
Y muy triste ala humanidad
And how sad humanity is
Sufre, pide y llora
Suffering, begging and crying
No sabe de donde bien
Doesn't know where it comes from
Quien es y a donde va
Who they are and where they're going
Marmolego, Vargaz, y villa
Marmolego, Vargaz, and Villa
Le dijeron al buen dios
Told the good Lord
Vamos hacerte un marichi
Let's make you a mariachi
Del cual saldrán más de dos
From which more than two will come out
Yo no quiero verles tristes
I don't want to see them sad
Yo quiero verles alegres
I want to see them happy
No quiero verles sufriendo
I don't want to see them suffering
Contentos yo quiero verles
I want to see them content
Yo no quiero que me pidan
I don't want them to ask me
Porque todo les he dado
Because I have given them everything
Quiero que canten y bailen
I want them to sing and dance
Porque así estoy así lado
Because that's how I stand by them
Pedir no es bueno dar si
Asking is not good, giving is
Yo quiero que cante y baile
I want them to sing and dance
Todo aquel que crea en mi
Everyone who believes in me
La música bien del pueblo
The music of the people
La canción bien del hombre
The song of the man
La alegría nace del pueblo
Joy is born of the people
Y mariachi tiene por nombre
And mariachi is its name
La música es tan divina
Music is so divine
Que ala gente enferma sana
That it heals sick people
La gente cuando esta sana canta y baila
People sing and dance when they're healthy
Más cuando ama
Even more when they love
Todo lo que hay en la vida
Everything in life
Es por causa y por efecto
Is because of cause and effect
Miren su naturaleza
Look at nature
No tiene ningún defecto
It has no flaws
Igual es en cada hombre
It's the same in every man
En cada ser en este mundo
In every being in this world
Nunca sufran, nunca lloren
Never suffer, never cry
Que la vida es un segundo
Because life is just a second
Miren México, México si es lindo
Look at Mexico, Mexico is beautiful
México es encantador
Mexico is enchanting
Y todo por sus artistas,
And all because of its artists
Su marichi y su folclor
Its mariachi and folklore
Cantando y bailando siempre,
Always singing and dancing
Hagan la paz no gana la guerra
Make peace, not war
Porque cantando y bailando
Because singing and dancing
Yo puse a girar la tierra
I made the world turn
Pelear no es bueno, amar si
Fighting is not good, loving is
La música une a los pueblo
Music unites people
Y los pueblos se une ami
And people unite to me
Todo aquel que cante y baile
Everyone who sings and dances
Al infierno no ha de ir
Won't go to hell
Para que pelean tanto
Why do they fight so much
En tantas y tantas guerra
In so many wars
Les diré una adivinanza
I'll tell you a riddle
Abre quien me la adivina
Whoever guesses it, opens it
Aquel que me la adivine,
Whoever guesses it
Es que el mariachi le fascina
Is that they love mariachi
¿Qué quiere decir mariachi,
What does mariachi mean?
Quien me lo puede decir?
Who can tell me?
Quiere decir día de fiesta
It means festival day
En la lengua Otomi
In the Otomi language
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ALBERTO AGUILERA VALADEZ
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@patriciahurtado3476
Sin duda alguna fue y será lo máximo quien no se enamoró con su bellísima música.! Yo no me canso de escuchar su música me eleva el alma el recordar mis mejores años de juventud. Wow! Siempre seré su FAN No. (1). ❤️❤️❤️
@enriquecruz6373
Ya SOMOS DOS pienso lo mismo.
@elenalopez9278
Las Estoy escuchando y no me canso de oír estás lindas melodía y las aguardo mi corazón ❤️❤️ Juan Gabriel eres grande
@enriqueperalta7067
Quizas ya lo habia comentado a mi encantan en especial las canciones de este album porque con estas canciones me enamore por primeramente vez a mis doce anos y hasta la fecha no me canso de escuchar estas canciones ahora tengo cincuenta y cuatro anos y no me aburren
@olivianevarez3720
Poooopooooppooooppo} ooopooopopoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo{o{ooo{oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo{oouatiytuºtoooooii. Oooo ojo koinobori ojo iy{ypokououtooo{pólipo o ooo olor y y pillo ojito o pupilos lulukykejieititktiuiiitioikyootiootoluouñillululilulllllipotktltlykuluñoulyuotiut 4
@albertoceciliano5790
Somos 3
@josechepe2218
EL MEJOR CD DE JUANGA LA PINCHE NETA.....🗣👽👽👽👽👽😁
@jersonramirez6838
Tezoooo
@chikabum270
Aprendamos a estar solitas a no estar esperando amor de un hombre y no dejarse morir ni descuidarse q los hijos y nietos no tienen culpa y ellos quieren conoser a sus abuelos .....
@JoseVargas-zb3fg
Hola kiero ser tu amigo