I first became aware of José Feliciano and who he was in the Fall of 1977.  I was 12 years old and in the seventh grade, when one day in my English class we received a new workbook titled "Journey's To Fame".   The book contained several short biographies of many well known personalities from different professional fields.

One of the stories in the book that really caught my attention was one that was called "Total Darkness" and it talked about the life and music of José Feliciano.  I remember being totally consumed by the story that I was reading, that somehow I felt a strong bond with this remarkable man that up to that point I knew nothing about.

When I finished reading his story, I remember thinking that I needed to know more about the life and music of this genius musician and little by little I started collecting all of his Spanish albums at first.  I remeber the first Jose Feliciano album that I bought, it was called "El Sentimiento, La Voz y La Guitarra de Jose Feliciano".  As I began listening to this beautiful record, I was mesmerized by José's lovely and soulful voice and his extraordinary guitar playing.  I then realized that I had never in my young life heard anything like it before. Songs like "La Copa Rota", "Amor Gitano" and "Tu Me Haces Falta" captivated me in such a way that I knew I had discovered who was to become my idol and hero for the rest of my life.

By the time that I discovered José's music in Spanish, I was introduced to his English work and I became instantly hooked for life on the marvelous Feliciano sound.  "Light My Fire", was the first song in English that I heard José sing and needless to say I was blown away from start to finish.  Again I had never anyone sing like that before so it was a complete new sound for me but what great sound it was and still is. His interpretation of The Doors rock classic was full of soul,passion and emotion.

I remember my dad giving me a weekly allowance for doing certain chrores around the house so I would learn the value of money early on. However, all of my allowance money went to buying every Feliciano album that I could find. Almost every week after I got paid I would go to the nearest record store and get my hands on whatever I could find from José in English or Spanish I didn't care.

My Feliciano record collection was growing in numbers and I was just as happy as a 12 year old kid could be. The José Feliciano LP collection is among my greatest treasures.  I have LP's from José that are 25 and 30 years old and they are in the same mint condition as when I first bought them even though they have been played over and over thru out the years. There is not one day that goes by that I don't listen to inmitable style of José Feliciano.

His music has been with me through the best and worst times in my life and has healed my heart and soul more times than I can remember.  Joseé's music is food for the soul. Once you get it you can't stop, it is indeed great for the soul.  It is sweet soul music (what a great album that is) that rejuvenates the spirit and cleans the soul.

José Feliciano, the man and his music continues to be one of the most important threads in my life. There is not much that I can say about this extraordinary and remarkable artist that hasn't already been said. He is simply the best there is, he is so great at what he does that other artists cannot be compared to him in any way, shape or form.

Musically speaking any other artist would look rather inferior next to José whose incomparable talent shines through in every song he sings and every concert he performs. He is a brilliant live performer who is able to to put a trance or magic spell on his audience and have them all in the palm of his hand if he wishes to do so.

Feliciano in concert is so overpowering, so amazing that only the lucky people in the planet that have been fortunate enough to catch the magic and fire of José in concert know the energy and intensity of his live performances.  He is probably one of the funniest people I've ever met. His laughter is contagious and before you know it, he has you under his spell again.

His humble demeanor and kindness to others are also great examples of his happy-go-lucky personality.

There is so much to admire José for, that I would need a book to list them all. He has done so much good in his life not only to him and his family but to the world as well.

José you have been and always will be an endless fountain of inspiration to me.  I love you José, As long as you continue to record and perform for all of us who love you, the fire will never be put out.   It will continue to burn bright and strong,always and forever.  God bless you always. Keep rockin my brother, I love you.