Wilkins | |
|---|---|
 Wilkins in the 1970s | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Germán Wilkins Vélez Ramírez |
| Born | March 10, 1953 Mayagüez, Puerto Rico |
| Genres | Pop, Latin, tropical music |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, composer |
| Years active | 1968–present |
| Labels | Masa Records (1978–present) EMI (1998) Masa Records (1995–present) BMG (1991–1995) WEA Latina (1987–1990) Masa Records |
Wilkins (born 1953) is a Puerto Rican pop music singer and composer.
Wilkins (birth name: Germán Wilkins Vélez Ramírez [note 1] ) was born in the city of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, but raised in Mexico City, Mexico. His father, Germán Vélez Forestier, was a radio announcer and part-time singer (he was Mon Rivera's singing partner at the beginning of Mon's career in El Duo Huasteca). As a child, he enjoyed putting on a "show" for his loved ones, which included his sister Bruni Vélez, who would later become a newscaster and TV journalist in Puerto Rico. Wilkins joined the high school choir where he sang solo. During his free time, he sang as back-up for local groups. [1]
The family returned to Puerto Rico in 1971, and while seeking a degree in Biology at the University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez, Wilkins decided to pursue a formal singing career. In 1973, Wilkins made his recording debut with an album titled Wilkins (produced by Tito Puente), which was followed in 1974 and in 1975 with the recordings of the albums Por Tu Rumbo (By Your Path) and a second Wilkins, respectively. The albums' successes were followed by several successful concerts, both in Puerto Rico and Latin America. Wilkins' music has also been popular in (Germany) and Japan. Wilkins became the first pop music performer to sing in the Luis A. Ferré Performing Arts Center in San Juan, Puerto Rico, which was only reserved for classical music performers. [1]
In 1980, Wilkins released Respiraré (I Will Breathe) which was named best recording of the year by ASCAP. He was twice named by Billboard and ASCAP as the singer and composer of the year. In 1988, Wilkins participated in the film Salsa , as a homeless person, starring Robby Rosa alongside the likes of Celia Cruz and Tito Puente. In the movie, he sang the song "Margarita", which he composed and which is also included in his Paraiso Perdido album. "Margarita" became one of his greatest "hits" and he won Gold Record Awards in Puerto Rico, Latin America, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Germany, Greece, Egypt, South Africa and the Philippines. [1]
| External audio | |
|---|---|
 You may listen to Wilkins' "Margarita" on YouTube. |
In the 1980s, a dance craze called the "Lambada" (The Forbidden Dance) spread across the world. Wilkins sang the Latin version of the song, which became a huge success. In 1984, Wilkins included the "Lambada (Llorando Se Fue)" in his album of 15 tracks titled Una Historia Importante (An Important Story). [2]
In 1991, Wilkins' song "Sopa de Caracol" (Conch Soup), co-produced by Emilio Estefan, reached the German "Hit Parade List" and over 25,000 people attended a concert that he gave in Berlin, after the fall of the Berlin Wall. [3]
Wilkins suffered a personal tragedy when his young son Gabriel died of a brain tumor when he was only 19 years old. He stayed away from the music world for three years. In 1995, he recorded El Amor Es Mas Fuerte (The Love is Stronger) which won a "Tu Musica Award" as best album of the year. He was also awarded the Dominican Republic's Casandra Award that same year. He then made his official comeback with a sold-out concert at San Juan's Hiram Bithorn Stadium, formerly the biggest concert and sports venue in Puerto Rico. That same year he also won another Gold Record Award for the recording of Wilkins-Leyenda, which consists of a set of four CDs with 70 songs. In the 1990s, he released several other successful albums such as Pole-Pole and held a concert in El Morro fortress in San Juan. In 2005, Wilkins released his 43rd album, Tu Fan, recorded in Italy. Wilkins has won over 23 Gold Record and 10 Platinum Record Awards over the years. [1]
In November 2006, Wilkins released a Greatest Hits collection, featuring a DVD with 17 music videos and five new songs, called Disco de Oro: Cuatro Décadas de Éxitos y Cinco Nuevas Canciones. [4]
In December 2007, Wilkins held a press conference in Puerto Rico to announce his retirement from music after 40 years of career. He said the decision stems from his desire to take care of his nephew (son of Wilkins' sister, Bruni Vélez, who died in 2006) and his mother. [5]
Wilkins has been married four times. He had a son, Gabriel, with his first wife, who died in 1994 of a brain tumor. His sister, Bruni Velez, died in 2006 from Lou Gehrig's disease at the age of 55. Wilkins recorded a song dedicated to her, called "Te Extraño" ("I Miss You") that is included in his latest album "Disco de Oro". [6]
Yolanda Rosa Monge Betancourt, known professionally as Yolandita Monge, is a Puerto Rican singer, actress, and television personality. She has been active in the music business since her teen years and has recorded 27 studio albums and two live albums, as well as several greatest hits compilations and special appearance recordings.
Danny Rivera is a singer and songwriter born in San Juan whose career spans nearly 50 years. He is well known in Puerto Rico for his political activism. In 2008, Rivera acquired Dominican Republic citizenship. After 12 years of work, Danny Rivera and Nelson González in 2014 finished work putting new life into the classical bolero - in Spanish. Rivera and González Hit the Heart of the Latin American Song Book on Obsesión
Silverio Pérez Figueroa is a Puerto Rican musician, writer, comedian, entrepreneur and broadcasting media host.
Lambada is a dance from State of Pará, Brazil. The dance briefly became internationally popular in the 1980s, especially in the Philippines, Latin America and Caribbean countries. It has adopted aspects of dances such as forró, salsa, merengue, maxixe, carimbó and Bolivian saya.
Olga Teresa Tañón Ortiz is a Puerto Rican singer-songwriter. Over the course of her career, she has earned two Grammy Awards, three Latin Grammy Awards, and 29 Premio Lo Nuestro Awards.
Raphy Leavitt was a Puerto Rican composer and founder of the salsa orchestra, La Selecta.
Michael Stuart is an American salsa singer, songwriter and actor.
Mon Rivera is the common name given to two distinct Puerto Rican musicians, namely Monserrate Rivera Alers and his oldest son, Efraín Rivera Castillo, . This article refers mainly to Efraín Rivera Castillo, a popular band leader known in salsa, plena and Latin jazz circles.
Domingo Quiñones is a singer of salsa music. He is also a composer, producer and actor.
Tony Vega Cesar, known professionally as Tony Vega is a Puerto Rican salsa singer.
Julio César "Tito" Rojas López, also known as "El Gallo Salsero", was a Puerto Rican salsa singer and songwriter.
Nino Segarra is a singer, composer, musician and musical arranger.
Ángel Santos Vega Colon, aka Santitos Colón, was a Puerto Rican bolero and mambo singer, born in Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico and raised in Mayagüez. He was also known by the moniker: "The Man with The Golden Voice".
The Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra (PRSO) a musical ensemble sponsored by the Government of Puerto Rico. It has 80 regular musicians from around the world performing a 52-week season which includes symphonic concerts, operas, ballets, pops, and other activities.
"Lambada", also known as "Chorando Se Foi (Lambada)" or "Llorando Se Fue (Lambada)" (both meaning 'crying, he/she went away' in Portuguese and Spanish, respectively), is a song by French-Brazilian pop group Kaoma. It featured guest vocals by Brazilian vocalist Loalwa Braz, and was released as the first single from Kaoma's debut album, Worldbeat (1989). The accompanying music video, filmed on Cocos beach in the city of Trancoso, in the state of Bahia, Brazil featured the Brazilian child duo Chico & Roberta.
"Llorando se fue" is a Bolivian folk song recorded by Los Kjarkas in 1981 on the album Canto a la mujer de mi pueblo and released as a B-side of the "Wa ya yay" single in 1982. The song has been very popular in Latin America since the 1980s and has been covered several times. It obtained international fame with artists such as Wilkins in 1984, Argentine singer Juan Ramón in 1985, Brazilian singer Márcia Ferreira in 1986 and the French-Brazilian pop group Kaoma in 1989. Kaoma's cover "Lambada" was an unauthorized translation of the song and based on the music of Cuarteto Continental group and Márcia Ferreira's Portuguese version that led to a successful lawsuit against Kaoma's producers Olivier Lorsac and Jean Karakos. Recently, the song was adapted by several artists including Ivete Sangalo, Red Fox's "Pose Off", Jennifer Lopez for her 2011 single "On the Floor", Don Omar's "Taboo" and Wisin & Yandel's "Pam Pam".
Miguel Poventud a.k.a. "El Niño Prodigio de Guayama" and "Miguelito", was a Puerto Rican musician, singer, actor and composer of Boleros. Among the singers who have interpreted his musical compositions are Johnny Albino, Héctor Lavoe and Daniel Santos.
The Palacio de Recreación y Deportes German Wilkins Vélez Ramírez is a coliseum located in the city of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. It has capacity for 5,500 spectators. It was remodeled in preparation for the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games. In March 2008, José Guillermo Rodríguez, mayor of the city, announced in a concert given by Wilkins that after the Central American and Caribbean Games the arena would have the name of Germán Wilkins Vélez Ramírez, commonly known as "Wilkins". Wilkins inaugurated the arena with a concert 20 years before. The arena also has an acoustic conch outside, it bears the name of another Mayagüez native Frankie Ruiz.
Sol D' Menta is a rock en español band from Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. The band was formed in 1994 and became one of the most successful bands in the island. They became the first Puerto Rican band to be signed by a multinational label (Polygram) with whom they released their first eponymous album in 1996.
Luz Nereida Vélez is a Puerto Rican television news reporter and anchorwoman on the WAPA-TV news show NotiCentro 4, having worked since 1978.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
