Happy 2022, Everyone, and thank you for following me and my music for so long!
We're back on the road, thank God; Covid became the cement boots that we all had to wear for way too long. We sincerely hope that you and your loved ones are ok; too many of our people have been lost or broken by this over the past couple of years, and we want you to know that our thoughts and prayers go out to each and every one who is/has been suffering, which, when you think of it, is pretty much all of us.
Despite the lockdown of 2020, though, we were fortunate to be able to remain active and involved creatively, thanks to our label, Anthem Entertainment. Having just released Behind This Guitar for them in January 2020 (my luck; go figure), we still had irons in the fire and the impetus to carry on, if only virtually. So despite it all, we plowed forward!
We relied heavily on the Factory Underground here in Connecticut as our filming location for on-air appearances. During the lock-down we were able to appear on Good Morning America (multiple times), CBS Sunday Morning, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, The Rachel Ray and Tameron Hall shows, a variety of news programs, podcasts and the like, and whatever else could still take place. We created music videos, even a live-streaming concert with my band, which now, by the way, includes my younger son, Mikey, on bass as Trever Coen had relocated to Florida to be with his own family during the pandemic.
Playing with my sons was not a new thing for me, really; ‘Two Kids and a Blind Guy’ was formed when Jonnie was 11, having been playing the drums since he was 3 years old. Mikey took up the bass when he was 7 and I had him and his brother onstage with me at our local tavern within the year. During their stint as a ‘band’ we performed together at EPCOT at Disney World, The Apollo in New York, the Kennedy Center in D.C. and venues in Asia and Europe. So now, here we are again. Only better this time…and it’s pretty great.
With the 50th anniversary of my recording of Feliz Navidad having come upon us in 2020, a tremendous celebration took place spanning something like a year and a half, because as I pointed out, “We need something to celebrate!” So, ‘FN-50,’ as it was dubbed, took root. It was fun and fruitful and plans are continuing now into this new year, because as I still insist, “we need to make each other smile some more…”
Behind This Guitar has become a huge part of the Feliciano brand and I am so grateful, again, to Helen Murphy and her team at Anthem and to Rick Jarrard for having brought this asset to me at this time of my life. It’s a deep well of music and potential which will keep me busy, God willing, for a long, long time…and, we’re just getting started!
So welcome to my brand new website. Since 1997, It’s found a home online and now, again, it’s been reimagined and redefined to bring you to absolutely everything Jose Feliciano.
Visit us often! Sign up for our newsletter and please, keep in touch. Take care. Stay well and God bless you always.
I love you all.
Jose