By the 1990s, he had stopped courting the English pop market and concentrated on recording mainly in Spanish, as well as a handful of other languages. Iglesias’ popularity continued to grow throughout the ’80s, although he only had one more pop crossover hit, 1988’s “My Love,” a duet with Stevie Wonder. Featuring the Top Ten hit duet with Willie Nelson “To All the Girls I’ve Loved Before,” the album sold over three million copies in America and peaked at number five on the pop charts it also spawned “All of You,” a hit duet with Diana Ross. However, his major crossover success was 1984’s 1100 Bel Air Place, a collection of duets. It was quickly followed by the compilation record Julio, which became a big success in England and America. His efforts began to pay off in 1981, when his cover of “Begin the Beguine” became a number one hit. At the turn of the decade, Julio Iglesias began to pursue the American and British markets by concentrating on his English recordings. Iglesias began to record not only in Spanish, but in Italian and French as well. By the end of the decade, he was extremely popular - so popular, CBS International sought out a contract with him.
Iglesias won the first prize at the contest, which led to a record contract with Discos Columbia, an independent record label.ĭuring the ’70s, he toured Europe and Latin America, gaining a large fan base with hits like 1975’s Manuela. In 1968, he was a contestant at the 1968 Spanish Song Festival at Benidorm, singing his original song “La Vida Sigue Igual. Before he began a musical career, he finished his law studies at Cambridge University. His career as an athlete was ended after an automobile accident in the mid-’60s.While he was recovering, Iglesias started playing guitar and writing songs. As he studied, he was a goalkeeper for the Real Madrid football team. Iglesias was a smooth, romantic crooner and his appeal translated to many different countries in many different languages.Initially, Iglesias planned to be a lawyer. Julio Iglesias was the most popular Latin singer of the ’70s and ’80s, selling over 100 million albums around the world. He has performed approximately 5,000 concerts during his career. Julio Iglesias has sold 250 million records and released nearly 80 records. Julio Iglesias (born September 23, 1943) in Madrid is Spain’s best selling singer in history and one of the best selling Hispanic singers of all time. Originally published at mp3fortknox - mp3 albums, music news.