First recordings Raphael began his professional career by singing with the Dutch record label Philips. To distinguish himself, he adopted the "ph" of the company's name and christened himself 'Raphael'. His first singles were "Te voy a contar mi vida" and "A pesar de todo", among others. Raphael adopted his own peculiar singing style from the beginning; he is known for acting each one of his songs while on stage, emphasizing his gestures with high dramatic effect. It is not unusual for Raphael to ad lib lyrics as to localize a song depending on the venue he's singing at, wear Latin American peasant costumes and dance folk dances within a song, kicking and demolishing a mirror, or doing the moves of a
flamenco dancer or a
bullfighter onstage. He also possesses a wide vocal range, which he often used in the beginning of his career as to evoke a
choirboy approach to some songs.
From Benidorm and Eurovision to becoming an international star When he was nineteen, he won first, second, and third awards at the
Benidorm Song Festival, in
Benidorm, in 1962 and 1963 with the songs: "Llevan", "Inmensidad", and "Tu conciencia". After a brief relation with Barclay record label, who produced just an EP, he signed a contract with
Hispavox recording company, and began a long artistic relationship with the musical director of this label, the late, talented Argentinian orchestrator
Waldo de los Ríos and intensify the partnership with outstanding Spanish songwriter
Manuel Alejandro. Raphael at the
Eurovision Song Contest 1966 and singing "
Yo soy aquél" in Luxembourg, and "
Hablemos del amor" in
Vienna, placing seventh and sixth, respectively. This marked Spain's strongest showing in the contest at the time, leaving the door open for victory the following year, which Spain achieved with "
La, la, la" performed by
Massiel. This served as a turning point in Raphael's career, making him an international star. He traveled and performed worldwide in Europe, Latin America, Puerto Rico, the United States, Russia and Japan. Songs such as "Que Tal Te Va Sin Mi", "Como Yo Te Amo", "En Carne Viva", "Digan Lo Que Digan", "Estar Enamorado", "Estuve Enamorado", and "Desde Aquel Día" cemented his status as a major international singing star. Raphael also began a lucrative film career, appearing in,
Cuando tú no estás (
Mario Camus, 1966), which was followed by
Al ponerse el Sol (Mario Camus, 1967),
Digan lo que digan (Mario Camus, 1968, filmed in Argentina),
El golfo (1969, filmed in Mexico),
El ángel (1969),
Sin Un Adiós (1970, partially filmed in England), and
Volveré a nacer (1972).
Latin American popularity As Raphael became a success in Latin America, he made a habit of recording Latin American folk standards including "Huapango torero", "Sandunga", and "Llorona"; they were hits in Mexico. In 1967 Raphael began a tour throughout America.
American and Spanish television appearances He appeared live on
The Ed Sullivan Show with great success on 25 October 1970, singing (in Spanish, English, and Italian) "Hallelujah" and "Hava Nagila". He appeared again on 27 December 1970, with the songs "Maybe" (Somos), "When my love is around" (Cuando llega mi amor) and "The sound of the trumpet" (Balada de la trompeta). In 1975, Raphael began his own successful program on Spanish Television called
El Mundo de Raphael, where he sang with international stars. He also had a radio program, where he and his wife spoke with and interviewed outstanding personalities, and he starred in soap operas, starting with the Mexican production
Donde termina el camino, shown in the spring of 1978 and later in other countries like Peru and Chile.
Golden 80s Raphael succeeded in the early 1980s with songs such as "¿Qué tal te va sin mí?", "Como yo te amo", "En carne viva" and "Estar enamorado". In 1980 Raphael receives a Uranium disc, in recognition of his fifty million copies sold throughout his recording career. During 1984 and 1985 he recorded two albums with songs written by
José Luis Perales like "Ámame", "Yo sigo siendo aquel", "Dile que vuelva", "Y... Cómo es él" and "Estoy llorando hoy por ti". In 1984 a parody of "Yo soy aquél" was used in a radio spot in
Puerto Rico's gubernatorial race. Then-governor
Carlos Romero Barceló used the parody (complete with a Raphael sound-alike) namely as a jab against opponent, Raphael's namesake, (and noted Spanophile), former governor
Rafael Hernández Colón. Raphael was surprised by the unauthorized use of the music, but was highly amused by the reference. In 1987 he left Hispavox and signed a contract with Columbia (now
Sony Music), where he again recorded songs written by
Roberto Livi like "Toco madera" and "Maravilloso corazón". In 1991 he had a hit with "Escándalo" in Spain, Latin America, and in Japan, where it reached number one. At the end of the 1990s, after ending a contract with
PolyGram, he went back to
EMI. In 1998 the artist published the first part of his memoirs titled
¿Y mañana qué?, from his childhood until his marriage in 1972. Raphael took part in the 2000 Spanish version of the stage musical
Jekyll & Hyde for seven months, with great success. ==Personal life==