José Miguel Class Ponce (September 26, 1935 – April 13, 2017) was a Puerto Rican singer who garnered international fame during the 1960s and 1970s.
Biography
Nicknamed "El Gallito de Manatí" ("Manati's Bantam"), Class achieved fame in
Puerto Rico
; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...
in the 1960s before moving to
Mexico
Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
, where he achieved wide success. His period as a resident there proved important for his career: He released various Mexican music
album
An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...
s and he was able to achieve fame across
Central America
Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...
,
South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...
and the rest of the
Caribbean
The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...
.
When Class returned to Puerto Rico during the decade of the '70s, he immediately landed a weekly
television
Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...
show in
Rafael Perez Perry
Rafael may refer to:
* Rafael (given name) or Raphael, a name of Hebrew origin
* Rafael, California
Fiction
* ''Rafael'' (TV series), a Mexican telenovela
* ''Rafaël'' (film), a 2018 Dutch film
People
* Rafael (footballer, born 1978) ( ...
's Channel 11, which he co-hosted with Awilda (Awilda La Mimosa) Pedrosa. His adopted Mexican accent was noticeable during the run of this show; as a matter of a fact, he kept the Mexican accent for a very long time. His catchphrase was "Yo soy el Gallo!" ("I am the Rooster!") He retired to his hometown of Manati. He released over 20 albums, many of which have been converted into
CD format.
Death
Class died on the morning of April 13, 2017, aged 81 following a long illness at Auxilio Mutuo Hospital in
Hato Rey
Hato Rey ( Spanish for ''king’s cattle farm''), often considered the central business district of Puerto Rico, is a highly urbanized financial, commercial, and residential district in San Juan, the capital municipality of the archipelago and ...
, Puerto Rico.
Selected discography
;Singles
Nuestro Pan De Cada Dia
*"Despedida", written by Jose Manuel "Taty" Calderón Hernandez.
References
External links
José Miguel Class biography, National Foundation for Popular Culture, San Juan, Puerto Rico (in Spanish), prpop.org; accessed April 13, 2017.
SEE English translation here
See also
*List of Puerto Ricans
This is a list of notable people from Puerto Rico which includes people who were born in Puerto Rico (Borinquen) and people who are of full or partial Puerto Rican people, Puerto Rican descent. Puerto Rican citizens are included, as the governm ...
* List of Puerto Rican songwriters
*Irish immigration to Puerto Rico
Irish immigration to Puerto Rico began during the 16th century after the Spanish had colonized the island and has continued to the present day. During the 1500s, several Irish mercenaries in English service deserted and fled to the Spanish Empi ...
1936 births
2017 deaths
People from Manatí, Puerto Rico
21st-century Puerto Rican male singers
21st-century Puerto Rican singers
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