Armando Manzanero Canché (7 December 1935 – 28 December 2020) was a Mexican

Mayan Mayan most commonly refers to: * Maya peoples, various indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica and northern Central America * Maya civilization, pre-Columbian culture of Mesoamerica and northern Central America * Mayan languages, language family spoken ...

musician, singer, composer, actor and music producer, widely considered the premier Mexican romantic composer of the postwar era and one of the most successful composers of Latin America. He received a

Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award The Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award is a special Grammy Award that is awarded by The Recording Academy The Recording Academy (formally the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences; abbreviated NARAS) is an American learned academy of ...

in the United States in 2014. He was the president of the Mexican Society of Authors and Composers (Sociedad de Autores y Compositores de México).

Early life

Manzanero was born in Ticul, Yucatán on 7 December 1935. His father was singer and composer Santiago Manzanero and his mother Juanita Canché Baqueiro played the jarana jarocha. At the age of eight he was introduced to the world of music at the ''Escuela de Bellas Artes'' (School of Fine Arts) of his native city, later furthering his musical studies in

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...

Career

In 1950, at the age of fifteen, he composed his first melody titled ''Nunca en el Mundo'' (Never in the World), of which twenty-one versions in different languages have been recorded to date.Armando Manzanero , terra
/ref> The following year he began his professional career as a pianist. In 1957 he was signed as musical director by the Mexican branch of CBS International and as Musical Promoter for EMI,Compositores Yucatecos – Armando Manzanero
/ref> becoming the next year the pianist of Latin American artists such as Pedro Vargas,

Lucho Gatica Luis Enrique Gatica Silva (11 August 1928 – 13 November 2018),
''The New York Times''. Retriev ...

and

Raphael Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, better known as Raphael (; or ; March 28 or April 6, 1483April 6, 1520), was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. His work is admired for its clarity of form, ease of composition, and visual ...

. In 1959, an executive of RCA Victor urged him to record his first album of love songs, which he named ''Mi Primera Grabación'' (My First Record). In 1965 he won first place at the ''Festival de la Canción'' (Song Festival) in Miami with the song ''Cuando Estoy Contigo'' (When I'm With You).Biomusica Epoca De Oro: Biografia De Armando Manzanero
/ref> In 1970, his song "

Somos Novios "Somos Novios" (Spanish for "We Are Lovers") is a song first recorded by Mexican songwriter Armando Manzanero in 1968. Originally a French song " J'ai le mal de toi", different versions with unrelated lyrics in different languages have been writte ...

" was reissued with new lyrics by Sid Wayne, composer for

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the " King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. His ener ...

. The English version, "It's Impossible", was performed by

Perry Como Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como (; May 18, 1912 – May 12, 2001) was an Italian-American singer, actor and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century, he recorded exclusively for RCA Victor for 44 years, after signin ...

and was nominated for a

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

In 1978 he won first place at the Mallorca Festival in Spain, with the song ''Señor Amor'' (Mister Love). In 1982, the song ''Corazón Amigo'' (Heart Friend), was honored at the Yamaha Festival. In 1993 ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...

'' magazine gave him an award for his excellent musical career. In 2011, Manzanero became President of and one of the main directors of the ''Asociación Nacional de Autores y Compositores'' (Mexican National Association of Authors and Composers). He also served as Vice President of the association from 1982 through 2011. His work in defense of

copyright A copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive right to copy, distribute, adapt, display, and perform a creative work, usually for a limited time. The creative work may be in a literary, artistic, educatio ...

laws has strengthened this organization and has given it international acclaim. Armando Manzanero2010

His work has been performed by singers such as Tito Rodriguez,

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the " Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular entertainers of the 1940s, 1950s, and ...

Shirley Bassey Dame Shirley Veronica Bassey (; born 8 January 1937) is a Welsh singer. Best known for her career longevity, powerful voice and recording the theme songs to three James Bond films, Bassey is widely regarded as one of the most popular vocalist ...

Andrea Bocelli Andrea Bocelli (; born 22 September 1958) is an Italian tenor and multi-instrumentalist. He was born visually impaired, with congenital glaucoma, and at the age of 12, Bocelli became completely blind, following a brain hemorrhage resulting fro ...

, Raquel Bitton,

Tony Bennett Anthony Dominick Benedetto (born August 3, 1926), known professionally as Tony Bennett, is an American retired singer of traditional pop standards, big band, show tunes, and jazz. Bennett is also a painter, having created works under his birt ...

Laura Pausini Laura Pausini (; born 16 May 1974) is an Italian singer. She rose to fame in 1993, winning the newcomer artists' section of the 43rd Sanremo Music Festival with her debut single " La solitudine", which became an Italian standard and an interna ...

, Alejandro Fernández,

Luis Miguel Luis Miguel Gallego Basteri (born 19 April 1970) is a Puerto Rican-born Mexican singer, often referred to as ''El Sol de México'' (The Sun of Mexico), which is the nickname his mother gave him as a child—"mi sol". Luis Miguel has sung in mu ...

, Franck Pourcel, Paul Mauriat,

Ray Conniff Joseph Raymond Conniff (November 6, 1916 – October 12, 2002) was an American bandleader and arranger best known for his Ray Conniff Singers during the 1960s. Biography Conniff was born November 6, 1916 in Attleboro, Massachusetts, United St ...

, María Martha Serra Lima, Mina, Claudio Nicoletti,

, Roberto Carlos,

Christina Aguilera Christina María Aguilera (; ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and television personality. Known for her four-octave vocal range and ability to sustain high notes, she has been referred to as the " Voice of ...

Dionne Warwick Marie Dionne Warwick (; born December 12, 1940) is an American singer, actress, and television host. Warwick ranks among the 40 biggest U.S. hit makers between 1955 and 1999, based on her chart history on ''Billboards Hot 100 pop singles ch ...

Manoella Torres Manoella Torres is an American singer and actress of Puerto Rican descent based in Mexico who has had an extensive career that continues to this day. She has recorded over 350 songs by famous songwriters including Armando Manzanero, Juan Carl ...

, Marco Antonio Muñiz,

Angelica Maria ''Angelica'' is a genus of about 60 species of tall biennial and perennial herbs in the family Apiaceae, native to temperate and subarctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere, reaching as far north as Iceland, Lapland, and Greenland. They grow t ...

José José José Rómulo Sosa Ortiz (17 February 1948 – 28 September 2019), known professionally as José José, was a Mexican singer and actor. Born into a family of musicians, José began his musical career in his early teens playing guitar and sin ...

, Tania Libertad, Lucero,

Cristian Castro Christian Sáinz Valdés Castro (born 8 December 1974), known professionally as Cristian Castro or Cristian, is a Mexican pop singer. He is the son of actors Veronica Castro and Manuel "El Loco" Valdés, and nephew of actors Ramón Valdés ...

, and

Il Divo Il Divo (; ) are a multi-national classical crossover vocal group. The male quartet, which originated in the United Kingdom in December 2003, consists of tenors Urs Bühler, David Miller, and Sébastien Izambard. It also included baritone ...

, Carmen París, as well as with pianist

Raúl di Blasio Raul, Raúl and Raül are the Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish, Galician, Asturian, Basque, Aragonese, and Catalan forms of the Anglo-Germanic given name Ralph or Rudolph. They are cognates of the French Raoul. Raul, Raúl or Raül may re ...

and others. Manzanero composed more than four hundred songs, fifty of which have given him international fame. He participated in numerous radio and television shows, recorded more than thirty albums, and composed the musical scores of several movies. During the fifty years of his musical career, Manzanero gave performances all over Latin America, particularly in

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(Brazil),

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

(Argentina), El Metropolitan (Mexico), the Teresa Carreño Theater of

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(Venezuela),

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(New York), and many other cities in Europe and Asia. His most famous songs include ''Voy a apagar la luz'' (I'm Going to Turn Off the Lights), ''Contigo Aprendí'' ( With you I Learned... ), ''Adoro'' (I Adore), ''No sé tú'' (I don't know if you...), ''Por Debajo de la Mesa'' (Underneath the Table) ''Esta Tarde Vi Llover'' (English version "Yesterday I Heard the Rain"), ''Somos Novios'' (English version "It's Impossible"), ''Felicidad'' (Happiness) and '' Nada Personal'' (Nothing Personal). Some of his melodies have also been recorded by jazz artists, like

Bill Evans William John Evans (August 16, 1929 – September 15, 1980) was an American jazz pianist and composer who worked primarily as the leader of his trio. His use of impressionist harmony, interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, block ch ...

, Abbey Lincoln, Tete Montoliu.

Death

On 17 December 2020, Manzanero was hospitalized in

after being diagnosed with

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quick ...

during the

COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico The COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). The virus was confirmed to have reached Mexico in February 2020. Ho ...

. Manzanero died eleven days later from the virus, aged 85 on 28 December 2020, twenty one days after his birthday.Murió Armando Manzanero a los 85 años de edad
/ref> His body was

cremated Cremation is a method of final disposition of a dead body through burning. Cremation may serve as a funeral or post-funeral rite and as an alternative to burial. In some countries, including India and Nepal, cremation on an open-air pyre ...

and his ashes were transferred to Mérida, in Yucatán where he was born and where there is a house museum in his honor.

Recognition

Manzanero was presented with the Excellence Award at the 1993 Lo Nuestro Awards. He received the Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010 as well as the

in 2014. Manzanero was inducted into the International Latin Music Hall of Fame in 2000, the ''Billboard'' Latin Music Hall of Fame in 2003, and the Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2013. Manzanero was presented with the ASCAP Latin Heritage Award in 2010. He also earned the ''Billboard'' Latin Music Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020.

Selected discography

* 1959: ''Mi Primera Grabación'' * 1967: ''A mi amor... Con mi amor'' * 1967: ''Manzanero el Grande'' * 1968: ''

'' * 1968: '' Armando Manzanero, su piano y su música'' * 1969: ''Para mi siempre amor'' * N/A: ''Que bonito viven los enamorados'' * 1976: ''Lo mejor de Armando Manzanero'' * 1977: ''Fanático de ti'' * 1977: ''Corazón Salvaje'' * 1979: ''Ternura y Romance'' * 1981: ''Mi trato contigo'' * 1982: ''Otra vez romántico'' * 1985: ''Armando Manzanero'' * 1987: ''Cariñosamente, Manzanero'' * 1988: ''Mientras existas tú'' * 1992: ''Las canciones que quise escribir'' * 1993: ''Entre amigos'' * 1995: ''El piano... Manzanero y sus amigos'' * 1996: ''Nada Personal'' * 1997: ''Intimos'' (Ft. Bebu Silvetti) * 1998: ''Manzanero y La Libertad'' (Ft. Tania Libertad) * 2001: '' Duetos'' * 2002: ''Duetos 2'' * 2002: ''Lo Mejor de lo Mejor'' * 2005: ''Lo Esencial'' * 2006: ''De la A a la Z'' (Ft. Susana Zabaleta)-DVD * 2008: ''Las mujeres de Manzanero'' * 2009: ''Amarrados'' (Ft. Susana Zabaleta) * 2012: "Armando un Pancho" (Dueto – Francisco Cespedes) * 2014: "Des Armando a Tania" (Dueto – Tania Libertad)

Notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Manzanero, Armando 1935 births 2020 deaths Singers from Yucatán (state) Musicians from Yucatán (state) Writers from Yucatán (state) People from Mérida, Yucatán Mexican people of Maya descent Mexican composers Mexican composers of popular or traditional folk music Mexican male singer-songwriters Mexican pianists Latin Grammy Award winners Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winners Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winners Latin music songwriters Latin music composers Male pianists 21st-century pianists 21st-century Mexican male singers 20th-century pianists 20th-century Mexican male singers 21st-century composers 20th-century composers Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico Latin music record producers Bolero singers