Passion: Julio Iglesias

Love is in the air as Julio Iglesias brings his tour to Morristown

Though he was born in Spain, Julio Iglesias could easily consider himself a citizen of the world.

In a career that started more than 40 years ago, Iglesias has sold more than 300 million albums in 14 languages; his American label, Sony Music Entertainment, claims this figure makes him one of the top 10 best-selling musicians in history. His official website, www.julioiglesias.com, can be viewed in 21 languages, including Japanese, Turkish and Hindi.


The singer's current "Starry Night World Tour" now takes him to Morristown. He will perform at the Community Theatre at Mayo Center for the Performing Arts Friday evening. The current tour is a retrospective in which Iglesias will perform some of the romantic ballads that have gained him a worldwide reputation.


Iglesias has been a star for so long that his career in music would seem preordained. In fact, as a young man he was a law student in Madrid, as well as a goaltender for the local soccer team.


On Sept. 22, 1963, the day before his 20th birthday, Iglesias was involved in a car accident that left him partially paralyzed for more than 18 months; for a time, doctors were unsure if he'd be able to walk again. To develop strength and dexterity in his arms and hands, he learned to play the guitar. Eventually, he completed his law studies in England, but by that time, he had begun writing his own songs.


His break as a musician came in 1968, when he performed his original song "La Vida Sigue Igual" in the annual Benindorm International Song Festival. He won first prize, which led to his signing with Discos Columbia, the Spanish branch of Columbia Records (later part of Sony).


During the 1970s, Iglesias toured Europe and Latin America, cementing his popularity. He expanded his fan base by learning to sing in Italian and French. Inevitably, he started to court the English-speaking market.


The 1981 compilation album "Julio" introduced him to a wider audience in America and England and included a top-selling version of Cole Porter's "Begin the Beguine." The peak of his popularity, though, was "1100 Bel Air Place," a collection of duets. His unlikely collaboration with Willie Nelson, "To All the Girls I've Loved Before," became a Top 10 single, despite some criticism for sexism in its lyrics. The same album featured "All of You," a duet with Diana Ross.


Along the way, Iglesias collected numerous honors, such as Grammy awards and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 1997, he became the first Latin performer to receive the Pied Piper Award from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP); previous winners have included Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald and Barbra Streisand.


In the past decade or so, Iglesias has concentrated less on English-language recordings. He continues to record in Spanish (as well as other languages, including French, German and Japanese). He also has seen his second son, Enrique Iglesias, become a star in his own right.


The "Starry Night World Tour" may seem like a victory lap or a farewell tour, but Iglesias has offered no signs of retiring. He remains a standard-bearer, an unabashed purveyor of love songs.

(Source: http://www.dailyrecord.com/article/20100713/ENT/100712094/-1/UPDATES01/Love-is-in-the-air-as-Julio-Iglesias-brings-his-tour-to-Morristown )