Jose Mari Lim Chan (; born March 11, 1945) is a

Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

singer, TV host, songwriter and businessman in the sugar industry. He is currently chairman and CEO of Binalbagan Isabela Sugar Company, Inc. (BISCOM) in

Negros Occidental Negros Occidental ( hil, Nakatungdang Negros; tl, Kanlurang Negros), officially the Province of Negros Occidental, is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Western Visayas Regions of the Philippines, region. ...

and A. Chan Sugar Corporation. He is also the chairman and president of Signature Music, Inc. Awarded in 1974 as one of the Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Philippines. He received a Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Philippine Association of the Recording Industry and The Metro Pop Foundation. Recipient of the first ever ABS-CBN "ELITE Platinum Award" in 2005 and a recipient of the 2006 Dr. Jose P. Rizal Award For Excellence.

Early life

Jose Mari Lim Chan was born on March 11, 1945, in

Iloilo City Iloilo City, officially the City of Iloilo ( hil, Siyudad/Dakbanwa sang Iloilo; fil, Lungsod ng Iloilo), is a 1st class Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines on t ...

and was the first-born child of Antonio Chan and Florencia Lim. His father was an immigrant from

Fujian Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its cap ...

, China who came to the Philippines at age 13 and started a sugar trading company in Bacolod. Chan's mother was the only child of a Chinese-Filipino couple. Chan was exposed to music in his childhood with his maternal grandmother from Cebu often playing music at their house and his mother being a pianist. He was also accompanied by the family's house helper to participate in the radio program ''Children's Hour'' on DYRI where children performed the piano, sang, and recited poetry. At school he was often selected to perform in school programs.

Paul Anka Paul Albert Anka (born July 30, 1941) is a Canadian-American singer, songwriter and actor. He is best known for his signature hit songs including " Diana", " Lonely Boy", " Put Your Head on My Shoulder", and "(You're) Having My Baby". Anka also ...

and

Neil Sedaka Neil Sedaka (; born March 13, 1939) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. Since his music career began in 1957, he has sold millions of records worldwide and has written or co-written over 500 songs for himself and other artists, collabo ...

are among the songwriters which served as his inspiration in his childhood. Chan wrote his first song at age 13. Chan's father was supportive of his involvement in Children's Hour but was reluctant of supporting his music career by the time he was age 14 or 15 when he began composing songs. His father was concerned their Chinese background would put Chan at a disadvantage in the music industry and encouraged him to relegate his music pursuits as a hobby and to pursue a business career instead. When Chan reminded the older gentleman that he did have a flair for composing, he was told that that particular field "would not be enough to support a family." It was then he realized the wisdom and concern voiced by his parent. Chan attended the

Ateneo de Manila University , mottoeng = Light in the Lord , type = Private, research, non-profit, coeducational basic and higher education institution , established = December 10, 1859 , religious_affiliation = Roman Catholic ( Jesuits) , academic ...

where he met fellow musician

Ramon Jacinto Ramón Pereyra Jacinto (born June 3, 1945), best known by his initials RJ, is a Filipino businessman, musician and radio TV personality. He previously served as Undersecretary for Government Digital Broadcast Television and the Digitization of ...

of RJ & the Riots. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics in 1967.

Musical career

Chan first appeared on the local scene as a guest on

Pilita Corrales Pilar Garrido Corrales (born August 22, 1937) is a Filipino pop singer, songwriter, actress, comedian and television presenter. She is dubbed as "Asia's Queen of Songs" and is widely known for her rendition of "Kapantay ay Langit" which eventu ...

's program ''

An Evening with Pilita An, AN, aN, or an may refer to: Businesses and organizations * Airlinair (IATA airline code AN) * Alleanza Nazionale, a former political party in Italy * AnimeNEXT, an annual anime convention located in New Jersey * Anime North, a Canadian a ...

'' in 1965. The next year, he became the host and singer of a television show called ''9 Teeners'' of

ABS-CBN ABS-CBN (an initialism of its two predecessors' names, Alto Broadcasting System and Chronicle Broadcasting Network) is a Philippine commercial broadcast network that serves as the flagship property of ABS-CBN Corporation, a company unde ...

3 (now ABS-CBN 2) which aired on weekdays and Saturday in 1966. Since he was a junior student at that time at Ateneo and he was being encouraged to become a businessman, his father only consented his involvement if he was not paid salary for the stint. His first single "Afterglow" was released in 1967. He would release his first album two years later. after he was approached by an independent record producer. His first long playing album ''Deep in My Heart'' was issued in 1969. In 1973, he represented the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

in the World Popular Song Festival in Tokyo where his song "Can We Just Stop And Talk Awhile" went into the final entries. For more or less than four years from 1970 to 1974, Jose Mari Chan was able to compose more than 20 songs for movies and earned him different recognitions and nominations at the Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences Awards (FAMAS Awards). He also wrote several well-loved commercial jingles, among which are the

Philippine Airlines Philippine Airlines (PAL), a trade name of PAL Holdings, Inc. (Philippine Stock Exchange, PSEPAL (Philippine Air Lines until 1970), is the flag carrier airline of the Philippines. Headquartered at the Philippine National Bank, PNB Financial Cen ...

' "Love at Thirty Thousand Feet", the Knorr Chinese Soup jingle, and the Alaska Milk jingle. Between 1974 and 1975 he was the Star of a series of Television Network Specials spotlighting his words and music. In 1975, he moved to the United States to run a branch office of their family's sugar business and remained there for 11 years, continuously composing songs as well. Some of which were recorded by foreign artists. In 1986, he returned to the Philippines and made a comeback to the music industry with the release of his album ''A Golden Collection'', a compilation of his hits along with a brand new composition "Tell Me Your Name" which re-introduced him to a younger audience. The album was released by

Universal Records Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch–American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...

. On February 14, 1988, Chan performed at the Maynila restaurant within the

Manila Hotel The Manila Hotel is a 550-room, historic five-star hotel located along Manila Bay in Manila, Philippines.

as a guest act for

Joey Albert Joey Albert (born March 19, 1960) is a Filipina pop and jazz singer, musician, lyricist, and songwriter. An alumna of St. Theresa's College Manila and Assumption College San Lorenzo, she began her professional singing career in 1981. In 1982, she ...

's Valentine's Day dinner concert "Here's to Love", his first live performance in years. In 1989, he released his album ''Constant Change''. It was named Album of the Year by the Awit Awards, the local equivalent of the American Grammy Awards and reached the Diamond Record in terms of sales. The Diamond Award is given to albums or singles selling ten million units or more. It was also sold in other Asian countries such as

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Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...

and

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. In 1990, his Christmas album, ''

Christmas in Our Hearts ''Christmas in Our Hearts'' is the seventh studio album and the first Christmas album by Filipino singer-songwriter and businessman Jose Mari Chan. It was released on November 17, 1990, by Universal Records. The album sold over 600,000 units in ...

'' was released. It reached triple platinum status that same year, eventually earning the Double Diamond Record Award in 1995, for selling over 20 million units. The significant popularity of his iconic Christmas songs and the album during the holiday season annually earned him the title "Father of Philippine Christmas Music". In 1994, he released his eighth album, ''Thank You Love'', where he has another song "Is She Thinking About Me" with

Christine Bersola-Babao Christine Peji Bersola-Babao (; born October 30, 1970), known professionally as Tin Tin, is a Filipina multi-media personality. She is best known for starring in the educational television program ''Sine'skwela''. Life and career Christine B ...

and another Christmas song, "Christmas Past". His 2001 album ''A Heart's Journey'' won Album of the year in the Awit Awards. In 2005, he composed "We're All Just One" as the theme song of the

2005 Southeast Asian Games The 2005 Southeast Asian Games, officially known as the 23rd Southeast Asian Games, was a Southeast Asian multi-sport event held in Manila, Philippines. This was the third time the Philippines hosted the games and its first time since 1991. ...

. In 2007, he released his 12th album ''Love Letters and Other Souvenirs''. In 2009, Chan was inducted to the Philippines Eastwood City Walk Of Fame. In 2010, Chan was awarded as MYX Magna Award Winner in the MYX Music Awards 2010 for awarding as a contribution for being a singer, composer and also a businessman & TV host. In 2011, he released his 13th full-length album, ''The Manhattan Connection: The Songs of Jose Mari Chan''. The album, which was produced by

Janis Siegel Janis Siegel (born July 23, 1952) is an American jazz singer, best known as a member of the vocal group The Manhattan Transfer. Musical career In 1965, Siegel made her recording debut with a group called Young Generation on Red Bird Records. A ...

of The Manhattan Transfer. The songs were reimagined by music producer Yaron Gershovsky. In 2012, he released his 14th over-all album ''Going Home to Christmas''. It was his second Christmas album after 22 years since ''Christmas In Our Hearts'' was released in 1990. Due to Chan's association to Christmas music in the Philippines, he has been a frequent subject of

internet memes An Internet meme, commonly known simply as a meme ( ), is an idea, behavior, style, or image that is spread via the Internet, often through social media platforms. What is considered a meme may vary across different communities on the Internet ...

during the Christmas season in the country which traditionally starts in September. Because of his popularity during these seasons, he was known as the "King of Filipino Christmas Carols"

Business career

He is the chairman and chief executive officer of Binalbagan-Isabela Sugar Company Inc. (BISCOM) and A. Chan Sugar Corporation as of 2018. Upon encouragement of his father, Chan became involved in the family business in 1967 right after he graduated from Ateneo. He later inherited the business from his father. Chan has described his business career as his second priority behind his family affairs and ahead of his music career. In 1975, he had to move to the United States in relation to his family's sugar business and returned to the Philippines in 1986.

Personal life

He is married to Mary Ann Ansaldo and has five children, who have inherited their musical talent from him. His daughter, Liza, has been featured in several duets with him. His sons Joe & Mike Chan formed a musical duo and released their debut album in 2019 under Star Music. Although currently based in and residing primarily in Metro Manila with his family, Chan maintains his homes in Iloilo and Cebu. Chan is a devout

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

Awards

The Bacolod city government in 2018 named him as their adopted son by the Bacolod City Council, and as their honorary mayor during the administration of Mayor Evelio Leonardia for his role in the growth of the Bacolod's sugar industry.

Discography

Albums

*''Deep in My Heart'' (1969) *''Can We Just Stop and Talk Awhile'' (1973) - Tokyo World Popular Song Festival *''Afterthoughts'' (1974) *''Here and Now'' (1975) *'' A Golden Collection'' (1985) *'' Constant Change'' (1989) - 2× Diamond *''

'' (1990) - 2× Diamond *'' Thank You, Love'' (1994) *''Strictly Commercial: The Jingles Collection'' (1997) *''Souvenirs'' (1998) *''A Heart's Journey'' (2001) - Awit Awards, Album of the Year *''Love Letters and Other Souvenirs'' (2007) *''The Manhattan Connection'' (2011) *''Going Home to Christmas'' (2012) *''

: 25th Anniversary Edition'' (2015)

Songs

*"Afterglow"/"Pines" (1967) *"Run Jimmy Run" *"I Only Live to Love You"/" Night Time" *" Love Me as Though There Were No Tomorrow" *"High and Mighty"/" Seventh Dawn" (accompanied by

the Sandpipers The Sandpipers were an American easy listening trio who carved a niche in 1960s folk rock with their vocals and innovative arrangements of international ballads and pop standards. They are best remembered for their cover version of " Guantanamer ...

) *"This Guy's in Love with You" *"Deep in My Heart"/"Leave You" (1969) *"Walk on Girl" *"Love Is for the Two of Us" (with

Pilar Pilapil Pilar, Portuguese and Spanish for pillar, may refer to: People * Pilar (given name), a common abbreviation of ''María del Pilar'', including a list of people so named * Pilar (surname), a list of people surnamed Pilar or del Pilar Places Argen ...

) *"Can We Just Stop and Talk Awhile"/"From Day to Day" (1973) *"Refrain"/"Times We're In" (1973) *"What Is a Sweetheart" (1976) *"A Love to Last a Lifetime"/"A Love Song" (1978) *"Tell Me Your Name"/"One of Many" (1985) *"Beautiful Girl" (1989) (also covered by Martin Nievera, Christian Bautista, Parokya Ni Edgar & Ben&Ben) *"Can't We Start Over Again" (1989) *" A Perfect Christmas" (1990) (also covered by Various OPM Artists Feat. Ben&Ben, December Avenue, Moira Dela Torre & More) *"

" (1990) (also covered by American Pop Acapella Vocal Group, Pentatonix Feat. Lea Salonga in 2022) *"

A Whole New World "A Whole New World" is the signature song from Disney's 1992 animated feature film ''Aladdin'', with music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Tim Rice. A duet originally recorded by singers Brad Kane and Lea Salonga in their respective roles as the ...

" (duet with Lea Salonga) - as part for Philippine soundtrack release of

Disney's The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

'' Aladdin'' (1992) *"Please Be Careful with My Heart" (1989) (featuring

Regine Velasquez Regina Encarnacion Ansong Velasquez ( ; born April 22, 1970) is a Filipina singer, actress, and record producer. She is considered one of the most influential figures in Philippine popular culture and is known for her vocal range and beltin ...

) - used as the theme for the TV series of

, ''

Be Careful with my Heart ''Be Careful with My Heart'' is a 2012 Philippine television drama series starring Jodi Sta. Maria and Richard Yap. The series aired on ABS-CBN's ''PrimeTanghali'' noontime block and worldwide via The Filipino Channel from July 9, 2012 to Novem ...

'' *"Constant Change" (1989) *"Is She Thinking About Me?" (featuring

) *"If We Only Had More Time Together" *"Easier Said Than Done" *"Love at Thirty Thousand Feet" (1976) - commercial jingle of the flag carrier of the Philippines,

*"My Girl, My Woman, My Friend" (1988) - featuring Janet Basco *" Perhaps Love" - featuring Liza Chan *"So I'll Go" *"Here and Now" *"Emmanuel" (2001) - official anthem of the 15th World Youth Day in 2000. *"We're All Just One" (2005) - official anthem of the

*"Afraid for Love to Fade" *Counterpoint to Lennon & McCartney's "Here, There & Everywhere" *"Radio Romance" -

station identification Station identification (ident, network ID or channel ID or bumper) is the practice of radio and television stations and networks identifying themselves on-air, typically by means of a call sign or brand name (sometimes known, particularly in th ...

jingle of Radio Romance 101.9 (now MOR 101.9) *"Big Beautiful Country" -

jingle of the now-defunct television station

Banahaw Broadcasting Corporation The Banahaw Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) was a Philippine television network that began operations on November 4, 1973, and ceased transmission on March 20, 1986. The network was well-remembered for its theme song, "Big Beautiful Country" ...

(BBC2) "now ABS-CBN 2 or now currently known as Kapamilya Channel & A2Z 11" *"Good Old Fashioned Romance" *"Part of Your Life" *"Mr. Songwriter" *"Sing Me Your Song Again, Daddy" *"No Rewind, No Replay" *"Thank You, Love" (2007) *"The Sound of Life" *"Empty Space" (2003) - original by the Bukas Palad Music Ministry *"Going to the Past" *"Christmas Past" *" Constantly" (2012) *"Pagdating Ng Pasko" (2013) - first Tagalog Christmas song

Collaborations

*''Gold Ito!'' (Dyna Music, 1988) *''Ginintuang Diwa ng Pasko'' (Universal Records/WEA Records, 1989) *''Maayong Pasko'' (Universal Records/WEA Records, 1989) *''Jamie Rivera – Lord, Heal Our Land'' (Star Music, 2001) *''Presence'' (Universal Records 2002) *''Only Selfless Love 2'' (Universal Records, 2003) *''Something More'' (JesCom Music, 2004) *''Best of OPM Love Songs'' (Universal Records, 2005) *''Best of OPM Acoustic Hits'' (Universal Records, 2005) *''OPM Gold Christmas'' (Universal Records, 2006) *''OPM Superstars Christmas'' (Universal Records, 2006) *''Sail On...His Most Holy Face'' (Universal Records, 2006) *''OPM Platinum Christmas'' (Universal Records, 2007) *''Isang Kinabukasan: A GMA Kapuso Foundation Benefit Album'' (GMA Music, 2007) *''HOPE... Healing of Pain and Enlightenment'' (Star Music, 2007) *''No. 1 Signature Hits OPM's Best'' (Vicor Music Corp., 2008) *''Senti 18 Pinoy Love Hits'' (Vicor Music Corp., 2008) *''Bongga!'' (The Biggest Retro OPM Hits) (Universal Records, 2008) *''Bongga! 2'' (The Biggest Retro OPM Hits) (Universal Records, 2009) *''Paalam, Maraming Salamat Pres. Aquino (A Memorial Tribute Soundtrack)'' (Star Music, 2009) *''

RJ Duets Ramón Pereyra Jacinto (born June 3, 1945), best known by his initials RJ, is a Filipino businessman, musician and radio TV personality. He previously served as Undersecretary for Government Digital Broadcast Television and the Digitization of th ...

'' (MCA Music, 2012) *''A Love to Last (The Official Soundtrack)'' (Star Music, 2017)

Music videos

*Christmas In Our Hearts (Original released in 1990, music video + karaoke video releases in 1991 featuring his real life daughter Liza Chan-Parpan; re-released music video exclusive by MYX Channel for MYX Live featuring Julie Ann San Jose as a new version in 2019, and a re-released as a music video with the Chan Clan in 2020) *A Perfect Christmas (Original released in 1990, music video releases in 1991; re-released music video exclusive by MYX Channel for MYX Live as a new version in 2019) *A Wish On Christmas Night (Original released in 1990, music video releases in 1991; re-released music video exclusive by MYX Channel for MYX Live as a new version in 2019) *Do You Hear What I Hear? (Original released in 1990) *Beautiful Girl (Original released in 1989, music video released in 1991) *Tell Me Your Name (Original released in 1985, music video released in 1991) *Christmas Past (Original released in 1994, music video released in 1995) *Constantly (2012, featuring his best friend guitarman RJ Jacinto) *Afterglow (2013, featuring his best friend guitarman RJ Jacinto)

References

External links

Planet Philippines feature - Jose Mari Chan
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Chan, Jose Mari 1945 births Living people Ateneo de Manila University alumni Filipino chief executives Filipino expatriates in the United States 20th-century Filipino male singers Filipino people of Chinese descent Filipino Roman Catholics Filipino OPM composers Filipino singer-songwriters Hiligaynon people Manila sound musicians People from Iloilo City People from Iloilo Singers from Iloilo Universal Records (Philippines) artists Vicor Music artists Visayan people