Cruz Manuel Hernández Santiago (born December 1, 1972), known artistically as Manny Manuel, is a
Puerto Rican musician and singer of
merengue,
bolero
Bolero is a genre of song which originated in eastern Cuba in the late 19th century as part of the trova tradition. Unrelated to the older Spanish dance of the same name, bolero is characterized by sophisticated lyrics dealing with love. It has ...
, and
tropical music
Tropical music ( es, música tropical) is a term in the Latin music, Latin music industry that refers to music genres deriving from or influenced by the Spanish-speaking areas of the Caribbean. It includes the islands of Music of Cuba, Cuba, Music ...
. He became famous first as a member of the group
Los Sabrosos del Merengue, before launching a successful solo career in 1994.
Early life
Manny Manuel was born in the mountain town of
Orocovis, Puerto Rico
Orocovis (from Taino language, Orocobix popularly thought to mean "''remembrance of the first mountain''") is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the Central Mountain Range, north of Villalba and Coamo; south of Morovis and Cor ...
. He studied elementary and
high school
A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...
in the José Rojas Cortés School at his hometown. Since a young age, he started presenting himself in
talent shows
A talent show is an event in which participants perform the arts of singing, dancing, lip-syncing, acting, martial arts, playing an instrument, poetry, comedy or other activities to showcase skills. Many talent shows are performances rather th ...
and other musical activities. He later joined the group Tempo Merenguero, and subsequently became a
vocalist
Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...
and
choreographer
Choreography is the art or practice of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which motion or form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A choreographer is one who cr ...
for the merengue
duo of
Mayra y Celinés.
Musical career
After several years, Manuel joined the group
Los Sabrosos del Merengue, debuting with the hit song "Fiera Callada". After the success of the song, the group released their first album, ''
Sin Fronteras Sin Fronteras (Spanish, translating as 'without borders') may refer to:
* ''Sin Fronteras'' (Dulce María album), 2014
* ''Sin Fronteras'' (Makano album), 2010
{{Disambiguation ...
'', featuring Manuel prominently in the lyrics. The album even included a
cover version
In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...
of
Rocío Dúrcal
María de los Ángeles de las Heras Ortiz (4 October 1944 – 25 March 2006), better known professionally as Rocío Dúrcal (), was a Spanish singer and actress. Widely successful in Mexico, she earned the sobriquet of ''Reina de las Rancheras'' ...
's song "Te Amo". The group continued with their second album titled ''
Haciendo Historia''. These included hits like "Colegiala" and "Frente a Frente", among others.
Soloist career
After recording these two albums with Los Sabrosos, Manuel decided to pursue a solo career. In June 1994, Manuel left the group and on October 1 of the same year debuted as a solo artist. Several months later, he released his first solo album titled ''
Rey de Corazones''. The album was
certified platinum
Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...
after a few weeks. With the success of the album, on November, 1995, Manuel presented himself at the
Luis A. Ferré Performing Arts Center selling out six shows.
In 1996, he released his second album titled ''
Auténtico'' followed by concerts at the Guaynabo Performing Arts Center and at the
Roberto Clemente Coliseum
Roberto Clemente Coliseum (Spanish: ''Coliseo Roberto Clemente'') is a sports and concert arena located in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It was, for many years, Puerto Rico's largest indoor event facility, and remains one of the largest.
General infor ...
. The following year, he collaborated with several artists in concerts and albums like:
* Performances with Trío Los Condes, especially the song "Querube".
* Collaboration with
Antonio Cabán Vale
Antonio Cabán Vale, a.k.a. "El Topo" (born November 22, 1942), is a guitarist, singer and composer of Puerto Rican folkloric themes. He is one of the founders of the "new song" movement (Spanish: ''nueva canción'') of the early 1970s. His danz ...
"El Topo" titled ''
Lo que mi Pueblo Atesora
Lo may refer to any of the following:
Arts and entertainment
* '' Lo!'', the third published nonfiction work of the author Charles Fort
* L.O., a fictional character in the Playhouse Disney show Happy Monster Band
* ''Lo'' (film), a 2009 indep ...
''.
* Recording the
Salsa
Salsa most often refers to:
* Salsa (Mexican cuisine), a variety of sauces used as condiments
* Salsa music, a popular style of Latin American music
* Salsa (dance), a Latin dance associated with Salsa music
Salsa or SALSA may also refer to:
A ...
song "Payaso" from
Raphy Leavitt
Raphy Leavitt (September 17, 1948 – August 5, 2015) was a Puerto Rican composer and founder of the salsa orchestra, La Selecta.
Early years
Rafael Angel Leavitt Rey, born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, was the second of four siblings in his family ...
.
* Release of the album ''Manuel y el Trío Borínquen'' comprising traditional
boleros
Bolero is a genre of song which originated in eastern Cuba in the late 19th century as part of the trova tradition. Unrelated to the older Spanish dance of the same name, bolero is characterized by sophisticated lyrics dealing with love. It has ...
.
* Recording the song "Dame la mano y ven" (a Spanish version of the
Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developme ...
hit song "
I Wanna Hold Your Hand
"I Want to Hold Your Hand" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles. Written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, and recorded on 17 October 1963, it was the first Beatles record to be made using four-track equipment.
With advance orders ...
") for the album ''
Tropical Tribute to the Beatles''.
* Performances of several of
Bobby Capó
Félix Manuel "Bobby" Rodríguez Capó (January 1, 1922 – December 18, 1989) was a Puerto Rican singer and songwriter. He usually combined ballads with classical music and was deeply involved in Puerto Rican folk elements and even Andalusi ...
's hits for the album ''
Siempre Piel Canela'' released by
Banco Popular.
2000–present
Manuel released his next album titled ''
Es Mi Tiempo'' in 1998 which included the hits "Como duele", "Margarita", and a cover of
Alejandro Sanz
Alejandro Sánchez Pizarro, better known as Alejandro Sanz (; born 18 December 1968), is a Spanish musician, singer and composer. Sanz has won 22 Latin Grammy Awards and four Grammy Awards. He has received the Latin Grammy for Latin Grammy Awar ...
' song "Corazón partío". The album took him on a tour through Spain where the album was certified gold. His next album, ''
Lleno de Vida'', preceded a second presentation at the Roberto Clemente Coliseum. This concert was recorded and later released on CD.
After a change of labels and a move to the United States, Manuel released the album ''
Serenata
In music, a serenade (; also sometimes called a serenata, from the Italian) is a musical composition or performance delivered in honor of someone or something. Serenades are typically calm, light pieces of music. The term comes from the Italian w ...
'' in 2003, which included covers of traditional romantic songs. The album sold over 100,000 and Manuel followed it with yet another presentation at the Coliseum in 2004. For this album, he was also nominated for a
Latin Grammy
The Latin Grammy Awards are an award by The Latin Recording Academy to recognize outstanding achievement in the Latin music industry. The Latin Grammy honors works recorded in Spanish or Portuguese from anywhere around the world that has been r ...
.
In 2007, he released another album, ''
Tengo Tanto'', which included fusions of merengue with other Caribbean rhythms like
vallenato
Vallenato () or "Szlager" in Wayuu language (from the German "Schlager"), is a popular folk music genre from Colombia. It primarily comes from its Caribbean region. ''Vallenato'' literally means "born in the valley". The valley influencing th ...
. Manuel was one of several artists selected to perform in "KQ Live Concert" on September 27, 2008, organized by KQ 105 FM, the event included several renowned artists from Puerto Rico and other Latin American locations.
Accident and controversy
On December 29, 2011 a bloody and seriously injured Manny Manuel was found by the side of the Baldorioty de Castro Avenue in San Juan, Puerto Rico in critical condition after witnesses claim he was a victim of a hit and run by an unidentified vehicle. Further investigations are now revealing this could not have been an accident, but an intentional attack against the singer. Investigations are currently being conducted in order to clarify the latest developments.
The Puerto Rican singer went to Orlando and to receive “help in all aspects”, this according to his publicist. He released a new album in 2014
Serenata Vol. 2. On August 22, 2014 Manny Manuel celebrated his 20 years as a singer, with a concert in "El Coliseo Bellas Artes", in Puerto Rico.
On February 24, 2019, after showing clear signs of drunkness, he was ejected of
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Las Palmas (, ; ), officially Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, is a Spanish city and capital of Gran Canaria, in the Canary Islands, on the Atlantic Ocean.
It is the capital (jointly with Santa Cruz de Tenerife), the most populous city in the auton ...
carnival by government officials. After of this, the
City Hall
In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...
of
Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Santa Cruz de Tenerife, commonly abbreviated as Santa Cruz (), is a city, the capital of the island of Tenerife, Province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and capital of the Canary Islands. Santa Cruz has a population of 206,593 (2013) within its admi ...
and the Consistory of the
Puerto de la Cruz
Puerto de la Cruz is a city and municipality in the northern part of the island of Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain. It was formerly known by its English translation, "Port of the Cross", although now it is known by its Spanish name in all lang ...
also canceled the concerts that the artist was going to give in those cities.
Discography
* ''
Especialmente Para Ti!'' (1994)
* ''
Rey de Corazones'' (1995)
* ''
Auténtico'' (1996)
* ''
Es Mi Tiempo'' (1998)
* ''
Lleno de Vida'' (1999)
* ''Manny Manuel'' (2002)
* ''
Serenata
In music, a serenade (; also sometimes called a serenata, from the Italian) is a musical composition or performance delivered in honor of someone or something. Serenades are typically calm, light pieces of music. The term comes from the Italian w ...
'' (2003)
* ''
Nostalgia
Nostalgia is a sentimentality for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations. The word ''nostalgia'' is a learned formation of a Greek language, Greek compound, consisting of (''nóstos''), meaning "homecoming", ...
'' (2004)
* ''
Tengo Tanto'' (2007)
* ''
Rayando el Sol
''Rayando El Sol'' is the ninth studio album by Puerto Rican singer-songwriter Manny Manuel, released by Universal Music on August 17, 2010. The album covers the songs by Mexican rock band, Maná.
Track listing
Charts
See also
*List of nu ...
'' (2010)
* ''
Serenata Vol. 2'' (2014)
See also
*
List of Puerto Ricans
References
External links
Manny Manuel Website – Universal Music LatinoMySpace Official ArtistFacebook Official ArtistTwitter Official ArtistBiography at Fundación para la Cultura PopularBiography by Patricia MaldonadoBiography at LaHiguera.net
{{DEFAULTSORT:Manuel, Manny
1972 births
Living people
People from Orocovis, Puerto Rico
20th-century Puerto Rican male singers
21st-century Puerto Rican male singers
Merengue musicians
Universal Music Latino artists
RMM Records artists