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Nearly (often stylised as NearLY) is the solo musical project of former Nine Inch Nails drummer, Jerome Dillon. Dillon plays most of the music himself. The 2005 debut release is entitled Reminder. Claudia Sarne (of 12 Rounds) contributes the vocals.

Jerome is currently in the studio with engineer/programmer Joshua Kincheloe working on the follow-up to reminder.^[1]

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

• Reminder (2005)

Singles[link]

• Straight to Nowhere (2006)

References[link]

External links[link]

• NearLY official Myspace
• NearLY official website

Aleksander Kostarev a Russian instrumental progressive rock musician. Though his musical career started back in the 70's, it was only the 2000s that he gained recognition, becoming one of the most important artists of the Russian progressive rock scene.

Style[link]

Being a guitarist, the music of Kostarev is instrumental. His musical genre is usually considered progressive rock, but actually its a mixture that includes art rock, psychedelic rock, jazz fusion, experimental rock and many more.

Biography[link]

Alexander Kostarev was born on July 1, 1954 in Sverdlovsk.

The first band he played with was Perekrestok, which was formed in 1976 while being students at the Ural University.

In 1986 Kostarev moved to Moscow and together with other musicians started a band called Quadraphonic Sound Theatre, which soon changed to CosMoBob. At the same time Kostarev worked with many Russian jazz and rock musicians as a session guitarist, one of them being Yegor Letov.

In 1995 CosMoBob changed its name to Dead Music, but soon returned to CosMoBob.

In the 2000s Kostarev started performing solo and gained popularity as one of the most important Russian progressive rock figures.

In 2003 the band CosMoBob decided to change its name to Kostarev's Group. In 2003 the Kostarev Group first album was released by Starless Records. The album was called Live@InProg 2003 and it was recorded during the bands performance at the InProg music festival in 2003.

In the years 2003-2005 Kostarev Group was a constant act in the InProg festival, the 2000s most important progressive rock festival in Russia and one of the most important in the world.

In the year 2006 Alexander Kostarev was specially invited to lead the Jam session that concluded the first day of the InProg 2006 festival. At the same year the Kostarev Group song "who's flying over me" appeared on the "Theme of Appreciation - A Worldwide Tribute to Eddie Jobson" compilation.

In 2006 Alexander Kostarev released a compilation called Kostarev. Works 1978-2006, which included chosen recordings of Alexander Kostarev and different groups he played with at the period of 1978-2006.

Discography[link]

• Kostarev Group. Live@InProg 2003 (Live album)(2003)
• Kostarev. Works 1978-2006 (compilation)(2006)

Trivia[link]

• In 1987 the guitar-maker Yevgeniy Berezov created specifically for Alexander Kostarev a green extra-long guitar which has 29 frets on a 770 mm length scale tuned in the C# key. The name Alexander gave to it was "a green long instrument". It turns into a regular E-key-tuned guitar once a capo is placed at the third fret.^[1]
• Kostarev appeared six times in the InProg festival. Currently, it is the record for the biggest number of appearances in the InProg festival for one man/band.

References[link]

1. ^ kost_ins

External links[link]

• The official site of the Kostarev Group (English) (Russian)
• The Kostarev Group Myspace page (English)
• Kostarev's personal page in LiveJournal (Russian)
• About the band from the Russian Association Of Independent Genres site (English)
• An article about the main Russian progressive rock and art-rock bands where Kostarev's group are mentioned (Russian)
• A review about the Live@InProg 2003 album (English)
• About the band from another web-site (Russian)

Joe Cocker
Joe Cocker in 2008
Background information
Birth name	John Robert Cocker
Also known as	Vance Arnold, "The Sheffield Soul Shouter"
Born	(1944-05-20) 20 May 1944 (age 68) Sheffield, West Riding of Yorkshire, England, UK
Genres	Blues, rock, blues-rock, blue-eyed soul
Occupations	Musician, songwriter, actor
Instruments	Vocals, harmonica, guitar, drums
Years active	1960–present
Labels	Regal Zonophone A&M Capitol EMI Decca
Associated acts	The Grease Band
Website	www.cocker.com www.columbia.de/joecocker/

John Robert "Joe" Cocker, OBE (born 20 May 1944) is an English rock and blues singer, who came to popularity in the 1960s, and is most known for his gritty voice, his idiosyncratic arm movements while performing, and his cover versions of popular songs, particularly those of the Beatles.

He is the recipient of several awards, including a 1983 Grammy Award for his #1 hit "Up Where We Belong", a duet he performed with Jennifer Warnes. He was ranked #97 on Rolling Stone's 100 greatest singers list.^[1]

Biography[link]

Early life[link]

Cocker was born on 20 May 1944 at 38 Tasker Road, Crookes, Sheffield, West Riding of Yorkshire. He is the youngest son of a civil servant, Harold Cocker, and Madge Cocker. According to differing family stories, Cocker received his nickname of Joe either from playing a childhood game called "Cowboy Joe" or from a local window cleaner named Joe.

Cocker's main musical influences growing up were Ray Charles and Lonnie Donegan. Cocker's first experience singing in public was at age 12 when his elder brother Victor invited him on stage to sing during a gig of his skiffle group. In 1960, along with three friends, Cocker formed his first group, the Cavaliers. For the group's first performance at a youth club, they were required to pay the price of admission before entering. The Cavaliers eventually broke up after a year and Cocker left school to become an apprentice gasfitter while he pursued a career in music.^[2]

Early career (1961–1966)[link]

In 1961, under the stage name Vance Arnold, Cocker continued his career with a new group, Vance Arnold and the Avengers.^[3] The name was a combination of Vince Everett, Elvis Presley's character in Jailhouse Rock, (which Cocker misheard as Vance) and country singer Eddy Arnold.^[4] The group mostly played in the pubs of Sheffield,^[3] performing covers of Chuck Berry and Ray Charles songs. In 1963, they booked their first significant gig when they supported the Rolling Stones at Sheffield City Hall. In 1964, Cocker signed a recording contract as a solo act with Decca and released his first single, a cover of the Beatles' "I'll Cry Instead" (with Jimmy Page playing backup guitar). Despite extensive promotion from Decca lauding his youth and working class roots, the record was a flop and his recording contract with Decca lapsed at the end of 1964.^[5] After Cocker recorded the single, he dropped his stage name and formed a new group, Joe Cocker's Big Blues. There is only one known recording of Joe Cocker's and Big Blues on an EP given out by Sheffield College during Rag Week and called Rag Goes Mad at the Mojo. It contained a cover of Curtis Mayfield's "I've Been Trying" and a track of "Saved".^{[citation needed]}

The Grease Band (1966–1969)[link]

In 1966, after a year-long hiatus from music, Cocker teamed up with Chris Stainton, whom he had met several years before, to form the Grease Band.^[3] The Grease Band was named after Cocker read an interview with jazz musician Jimmy Smith, where Smith described another musician as "having a lot of grease". Like the Avengers, Cocker's group mostly played in pubs in and around Sheffield. The Grease Band came to the attention of Denny Cordell, the producer of Procol Harum, the Moody Blues and Georgie Fame. Cocker recorded the single "Marjorine" without the Grease Band for Cordell in a London studio. He then moved to London with Chris Stainton, and the Grease Band was dissolved. Cordell set Cocker up with a residency at the Marquee Club in London, and a "new" Grease Band was formed with Stainton and keyboardist Tommy Eyre.^[6]

After minor success in the US with the single "Marjorine", Cocker entered the big time with a groundbreaking rearrangement of "With a Little Help from My Friends", another Beatles cover, which, many years later, was used as the opening theme for The Wonder Years. The recording features lead guitar from Jimmy Page, drumming by BJ Wilson, backing vocals from Sue and Sunny, and Tommy Eyre on organ. The single made the Top Ten on the British charts, remaining there for thirteen weeks and eventually reaching number one, on 9 November 1968.^[7] It also reached number 68 on the US charts.^[8]

The new touring line-up of Cocker's Grease Band featured Henry McCullough on lead guitar, who would go on to briefly play with McCartney's Wings. After touring the UK with the Who in autumn 1968^[9] and Gene Pitney and Marmalade in early winter 1969, the Grease Band embarked on their first tour of the US in spring 1969. Cocker's album With a Little Help from My Friends was released soon after their arrival and made number 35 on the American charts, eventually going gold.^[10]

Joe Cocker at Woodstock (1969)

During his US tour, Cocker played at several large festivals, including the Newport Rock Festival and the Denver Pop Festival. In August, Denny Cordell heard about the planned concert in Woodstock, New York and convinced organiser Artie Kornfeld to book Cocker and the Grease Band for the Woodstock Festival. The group had to be flown into the festival by helicopter due to the large crowds. They performed several songs, including "Delta Lady", "Something's Comin' On", "Let's Go Get Stoned", "I Shall Be Released", and "With a Little Help from My Friends". Cocker would later say that the experience was "like an eclipse... it was a very special day."^[11]

Directly after Woodstock, Cocker released his second album, Joe Cocker!. Impressed by his cover of "With a Little Help from My Friends", Paul McCartney and George Harrison allowed Cocker to use their songs "She Came in Through the Bathroom Window" and "Something" for the album.^[12] Recorded during a break in touring in the spring and summer, the album reached number 11 on the US charts and garnered a second UK hit with the Leon Russell song, "Delta Lady".

Throughout 1969 he was featured on variety TV shows like The Ed Sullivan Show and This Is Tom Jones. Onstage, he exhibited an idiosyncratic physical intensity, flailing his arms and playing air guitar, occasionally giving superfluous cues to his band.^{[citation needed]} At the end of the year Cocker was unwilling to embark on another US tour, so he dissolved the Grease Band.

Mad Dogs and Englishmen (1969–1971)[link]

Cocker in 1970.

Despite Cocker's reluctance to venture out on the road again, an American tour had already been booked so he had to quickly form a new band in order to fulfil his contractual obligations. It proved to be a large group of more than 30 musicians, including pianist and bandleader Leon Russell, three drummers, and backing vocalists Rita Coolidge and Claudia Lennear. The new band was christened "Mad Dogs and Englishmen" by Denny Cordell after the Noël Coward song of the same name. His music at this time evolved into a more bluesy type of rock, often compared to that of the Rolling Stones. During the ensuing Mad Dogs and Englishmen tour (later described by drummer Jim Keltner as "a big, wild party"),^[13] Cocker toured 48 cities, recorded a live album, and received very positive reviews from Time and Life for his performances. However, the pace of the tour was exhausting. Russell and Cocker had personal problems and Cocker became depressed and began drinking excessively as the tour wound down in May 1970. Meanwhile, he enjoyed several chart entries in the US with "Cry Me a River" and "Feelin' Alright" by Dave Mason. His cover of the Box Tops' hit "The Letter", which appeared on the live album and film, Mad Dogs and Englishmen, became his first US Top Ten hit. After spending several months in Los Angeles, Cocker returned home to Sheffield where his family became increasingly concerned with his deteriorating physical and mental health.^[14] In the summer of 1971 the A&M Records single release appeared in the US of "High Time We Went". This became a hit, reaching number 22 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, but was not issued on an album until November 1972 on the Joe Cocker album.

On the road (1972–1982)[link]

In early 1972, after nearly two years away from music, Cocker went on tour with a group that Chris Stainton had formed. He opened with a performance in Madison Square Garden which was attended by about 20,000 people. After touring the US, he embarked on a European tour where he played to large audiences in Milan, Italy and Germany. He then returned to the US for another tour in autumn 1972. During these tours the group cut the songs that would be part of his newest album, Joe Cocker. A mixture of live songs and studio recordings, the album peaked at number 30 on the US charts.^[15]

Cocker performing on 16 October 1980 in the National Stadium, Dublin.

In October 1972, when Cocker toured Australia, he and six members of his entourage were arrested in Adelaide by police for possession of marijuana. The next day in Melbourne, assault charges were laid after a brawl at the Commodore Chateau Hotel,^[16] and Cocker was given 48 hours to leave the country by the Australian Federal Police. This caused huge public outcry in Australia, as Cocker was a high-profile overseas artist and had a strong support base, especially amongst the baby boomers who were coming of age and able to vote for the first time. It sparked hefty debate about the use and legalisation of marijuana in Australia and gained Cocker the nickname of "the Mad Dog".^[17] Shortly after the Australian tour, Stainton retired from his music career to establish his own recording studio. After his friend's departure and estrangement from longtime producer Denny Cordell, Cocker sank into depression and began using heroin. In June 1973 he kicked the habit, but continued to drink heavily.^[18]

At the end of 1973, Cocker returned to the studio to record a new album, I Can Stand A Little Rain. The album, released in August 1974, was number 11 on the US charts and one single, a cover of Billy Preston's You Are So Beautiful, reached the number 5 slot.^[19] Despite positive reviews for the album, Cocker struggled with live performances, largely due to his problems with alcohol. One such instance was reported in a 1974 issue of Rolling Stone magazine, saying during two West Coast performances in October of that year he threw up on stage.^[20]

In January 1975, he released a second album that had been recorded at the same time as I Can Stand a Little Rain, Jamaica Say You Will. To promote his new album, Cocker embarked on another tour of Australia, made possible by the country's new Labor government. In late 1975, he contributed vocals on a number of the tracks on Bo Diddley's The 20th Anniversary of Rock 'n' Roll all-star album. He also recorded a new album in a Kingston, Jamaica studio, Stingray. However, record sales were disappointing; the album reached only number 70 on the US charts.^[21]

In 1976, Cocker performed "Feelin' Alright" on Saturday Night Live. John Belushi joined him on stage doing his famous impersonation of Cocker's stage movements. At the time, Cocker was $800,000 in debt to A&M Records and struggling with alcoholism. Several months later, he met producer Michael Lang, who agreed to manage him on the condition that he stay sober. With a new band, Cocker embarked on a tour of New Zealand, Australia and South America. He then recorded a new album with session work by Steve Gadd and Chuck Rainey, and a new, young bassist from Scotland, Rob Hartley. Hartley also toured briefly with Cocker's friends in 1977. In the autumn of 1978, he went on a North American tour promoting his album, Luxury You Can Afford. Despite this effort, it received mixed reviews and only sold around 300,000 copies.^[22]

In 1979, Cocker joined the "Woodstock in Europe" tour, which featured musicians like Arlo Guthrie and Richie Havens who had played at the 1969 Woodstock Festival. He also performed in New York's Central Park to an audience of 20,000 people. The concert was recorded and released as the live album, Live in New York.^[23] He also toured Europe and appeared on the German television recording amphitheatre, Rockpalast, the first of many performances on the show. In 1982, Cocker recorded a song with jazz group the Crusaders on their album Standing Tall. The song was nominated for a Grammy Award and Cocker performed it with the Crusaders at the awards ceremony. Cocker then released a new reggae-influenced album, Sheffield Steel, recorded with the Compass Point All Stars, produced by Chris Blackwell and Alex Sadkin.

Later career (1982–present)[link]

Cocker performing in Hallandale, Florida in 2003

In 1982, at the behest of producer Stewart Levine, Cocker recorded the duet "Up Where We Belong" with Jennifer Warnes for the soundtrack of the 1982 film An Officer and a Gentleman. The song was an international hit, reaching number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and winning a Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo. The duet also won an Academy Award for Best Original Song, and Cocker and Warnes performed the song at the awards ceremony. Several days later, he was invited to perform "You Are So Beautiful" with Ray Charles in a television tribute to the musician. He then joined singer Ronnie Lane's 1983 tour to raise money for the London-based organisation Action for Research into Multiple Sclerosis, in particular because Lane was beginning to suffer from the degenerative disease. Musicians such as Pete Townshend, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck and Chris Stainton also participated in the tour which included a performance at Madison Square Garden. While on another tour that year, Cocker was arrested by Austrian police after refusing to perform because of inadequate sound equipment. The charges were eventually dropped and Cocker was released.^[24] Shortly after the incident, he released his ninth studio album, Civilized Man. His next album Cocker was dedicated to his mother, Madge, who died when he was recording in the studio. A track from the album, "You Can Leave Your Hat On" was featured in the 1986 film 9½ Weeks. The album eventually went Platinum on the European charts.^[25] His 1987 album Unchain My Heart was nominated for a Grammy Award, although it did not win. One Night of Sin was also a commercial success, surpassing Unchain My Heart in sales.

Throughout the 1980s, Cocker continued to tour around the world, playing to large audiences in Europe, Australia and the United States. In 1988, he performed at London's Royal Albert Hall and appeared on The Tonight Show.^[26] He also performed for President George Bush Snr. at an inauguration concert in February 1989. In 1992, his version of Bryan Adams' "Feels Like Forever" made the UK Top 40.^[27]

Cocker performed the opening set at Woodstock '94 as one of the few alumni who played at the original Woodstock Festival in 1969 and was very well received.

In 2007, Cocker appeared playing minor characters in the film Across the Universe, as the lead singer on another Beatles' hit, "Come Together".^[28] Cocker was awarded an OBE in the Queen's 2007 Birthday Honours list for services to music.^[29] To celebrate receiving his award in mid December 2007, Cocker played two concerts in London and in his home town of Sheffield.

Cocker performing in 2007

In April and May 2009, Cocker conducted a North American tour in support of his album Hymn for My Soul.

He sang the vocals on Little Wing for the Carlos Santana album, Guitar Heaven: The Greatest Guitar Classics of All Time, released on 21 September 2010. In the autumn of 2010, Cocker toured Europe promoting his studio album Hard Knocks.

Cocker returned to Australia in 2008 and again in 2011, the latter of which featured George Thorogood and the Destroyers as an opening act.^[30]

His recent live band consists of Mike Finnigan (Hammond B3), Nick Milo (piano, keyboard), Norbert Fimpel (saxophone, harmonica, accordion, percussion), Gene Black (guitar), Oneida James-Rebeccu (bass) and Jack Bruno (drums).

Personal life[link]

In 1963, Cocker began dating Eileen Webster, also a resident of Sheffield. The couple dated intermittently for the next thirteen years, separating permanently in 1976. In 1978, Cocker moved onto a ranch owned by Jane Fonda in Santa Barbara, California, United States. Pam Baker, a local summer camp director and fan of Cocker's music convinced the actress to rent the house to Cocker. Baker began dating Cocker and they eventually married on 11 October 1987.^[31] The couple reside on the Mad Dog Ranch in Crawford, Colorado, United States.

Cocker is not related to fellow Sheffield-born musician Jarvis Cocker, despite this being a rumour (particularly in Australia, where Jarvis' father Mac Cocker was a radio DJ who allowed listeners to believe he was Joe Cocker's brother).^[32][33]

Discography[link]

For a comprehensive list of recordings see Joe Cocker discography.

Studio albums[link]

• With a Little Help from My Friends (1969)
• Joe Cocker! (1969)
• Mad Dogs and Englishmen (1970)
• Joe Cocker (1972/EU: 1973)
• I Can Stand a Little Rain (1974)
• Jamaica Say You Will (1975)
• Stingray (1976)
• Luxury You Can Afford (1978)
• Sheffield Steel (1982)
• Civilized Man (1984)
• Cocker (1986)
• Unchain My Heart (1987)
• One Night of Sin (1989)
• Night Calls (1991/US: 1992)
• Have a Little Faith (1994)
• Organic (1996)
• Across from Midnight (1997)
• No Ordinary World (1999/US: 2000)
• Respect Yourself (2002)
• Heart & Soul (2004/US: 2005)
• Hymn for My Soul (2007/US: 2008)
• Hard Knocks (2010/US: 2012)

Notes[link]

References[link]

• The New Musical Express Book of Rock, 1975, Star Books, ISBN 0-352-30074-4.
• Bean, Julian P. (2003). Joe Cocker: The Authorised Biography. London: Virgin Books. ISBN 1-85227-043-8. 

Further reading[link]

• Guinness Book of British Hit Singles – 16th Edition – ISBN 0-85112-190-X
• The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits – ISBN 0-85112-250-7
• Guinness Book of British Hit Albums – 7th Edition – ISBN 0-85112-619-7
• Guinness Rockopedia – ISBN 0-85112-072-5
• The Great Rock Discography – 5th Edition – ISBN 1-84195-017-3

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Joe Cocker

• The Official Website of Joe Cocker
• Photos taken by photographer Linda Wolf, one of the two official photographers of the Joe Cocker, Mad Dogs and Englishmen Tour, 1970

José Carreras performing at World Economic Forum 2011

Josep Maria Carreras i Coll (Catalan pronunciation: [ʒuˈzɛp kəˈreɾəs]; born 5 December 1946), better known as José Carreras (Spanish pronunciation: [xoˈse kaˈreɾas]), is a Spanish Catalan tenor particularly known for his performances in the operas of Verdi and Puccini.^[1] Born in Barcelona, he made his debut on the opera stage at the age of 11 as Trujamán in Manuel de Falla's El retablo de Maese Pedro and went on to a career that encompassed over 60 roles on the stages of the world's leading opera houses and in the recording studio.

He gained fame with a wider audience as one of The Three Tenors along with Plácido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti in a series of mass concerts that began in 1990 and continued until 2003.^[2] Carreras is also known for his humanitarian work as the president of the José Carreras International Leukaemia Foundation (La Fundació Internacional Josep Carreras per a la Lluita contra la Leucèmia), which he established following his own recovery from the disease in 1988.^[3]

Life and career[link]

Early years[link]

The youngest of three children, Carreras was born in Sants, a working class district in Barcelona, Spain.^[4] In 1951, his family emigrated to Argentina in an unsuccessful search for a better life. However, within a year they had returned to Sants where Carreras was to spend the rest of his childhood and teenage years.^[5]

He showed an early talent for music and particularly singing, which intensified at the age of 6 when he saw Mario Lanza in The Great Caruso.^[6] The story recounted in his autobiography and numerous interviews is that after seeing the film, Carreras sang the arias incessantly to his family, especially 'La donna è mobile', often locking himself in the family's bathroom when they became exasperated with his impromptu concerts.^[7] At that point, his parents, with the encouragement of his grandfather Salvador Coll, an amateur baritone, found the money for music lessons for him. At first he studied piano and voice with Magda Prunera, the mother of one of his childhood friends, and at the age of 8, he also started taking music lessons at Barcelona's Municipal Conservatory.

At the age of 8, he also gave his first public performance, singing 'La donna è Mobile' accompanied by Magda Prunera on the piano, on Spanish National Radio. A recording of this still exists and can be heard on the video biography, José Carreras – A Life Story.^[8] On 3 January 1958, at the age of 11, he made his debut in Barcelona's great opera house, the Gran Teatre del Liceu, singing the boy soprano role of Trujamán in Manuel de Falla's El retablo de Maese Pedro. A few months later, he sang for the last time as a boy soprano at the Liceu in the second act of La Bohème.

Throughout his teenage years, he continued to study music, moving on to the Conservatori Superior de Música del Liceu and taking private voice lessons, first with Francisco Puig and later with Juan Ruax, whom Carreras has described as his "artistic father". Following the advice of his father and brother, who felt that he needed a 'back-up ' career, he also entered the University of Barcelona to study chemistry, but after two years he left the university to concentrate on singing.

1970s and 1980s[link]

Juan Ruax encouraged Carreras to audition for what was to become his first tenor role at the Liceu, Flavio in Norma, which opened on 8 January 1970. Although only a minor role, the few phrases he sang caught the attention of the production's leading lady, the eminent soprano and fellow Catalan, Montserrat Caballé. She asked him to sing Gennaro with her in Donizetti's Lucrezia Borgia, which opened on 19 December 1970. It was his first principal adult role, and the one which he considers to be his true debut as a tenor. In 1971, he made his international debut in a concert performance of Maria Stuarda in London's Royal Festival Hall, again with Caballé singing the title role. Caballé was instrumental in promoting and encouraging his career for many years, appearing in over 15 different operas with him, while her brother and manager, Carlos Caballé, was also Carreras's manager until the mid-1990s.

During the 1970s Carreras's career progressed rapidly. In late 1971, he won first prize in Parma's prestigious Voci Verdiane competition which led to his Italian debut as Rodolfo in La bohème at the Teatro Regio di Parma on 12 January 1972. Later that year he made his American debut as Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly with the New York City Opera. Other major house debuts followed – the San Francisco Opera in 1973, as Rodolfo; the Philadelphia Lyric Opera Company in 1973, as Alfredo in La traviata; the Vienna Staatsoper in 1974, as the Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto; London's Royal Opera House in 1974, as Alfredo; the New York Metropolitan Opera in 1974, as Cavaradossi in Tosca; and La Scala, Milan in 1975, as Riccardo in Un ballo in maschera. By the age of 28, he had already sung the tenor lead in 24 different operas in both Europe and North America, and had an exclusive recording contract with Philips, which resulted in valuable recordings of several less often performed Verdi operas, notably Il Corsaro, I due Foscari, La battaglia di Legnano, Un giorno di regno, and Stiffelio.

Carreras's leading ladies during the 1970s and 1980s included some of the most famous sopranos and mezzo-sopranos of the day: Montserrat Caballé, Birgit Nilsson, Viorica Cortez, Renata Scotto, Ileana Cotrubaş, Sylvia Sass, Teresa Stratas, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Frederica von Stade, Agnes Baltsa, Teresa Berganza, and Katia Ricciarelli. His artistic partnership with Ricciarelli began when they both sang in the 1972 La bohème at Parma and lasted for 13 years, both in the recording studio and on stage. They later made a studio recording of La bohème for Philips Classics and can be heard together on over 12 other commercial recordings of both operas and recitals, predominantly on the Philips and Deutsche Grammophon labels.^[9]

Of the many conductors he worked with during this period, the one with whom Carreras had the closest artistic relationship and who had the most profound influence on his career was Herbert von Karajan.^[10] He first sang under Karajan in the Verdi Requiem at Salzburg on 10 April 1976, with their final collaboration in a 1986 production of Carmen, again at Salzburg. With Karajan's encouragement, he increasingly moved towards singing heavier lirico-spinto roles, including Aïda, Don Carlos, and Carmen, which some critics have said were too heavy for his natural voice and may have shortened his vocal prime. (See the section on Carreras's voice.)

The 1980s saw Carreras occasionally moving outside the strictly operatic repertoire, at least in the recording studio, with recitals of songs from zarzuela, musicals, and operettas. He also made full-length recordings of two musicals – West Side Story (1985) and South Pacific (1986) – both with Kiri Te Kanawa as his co-star. His 1987 Philips recording of the Argentine folk mass, Misa Criolla, conducted by its composer, Ariel Ramírez, brought the work to a worldwide audience. Although many of Carreras's stage performances are available on video, he also ventured into film. In 1986, he portrayed the 19th century Spanish tenor Julián Gayarre in Romanza Final (The Final Romance) and in 1987, he started working on a film version of La bohème directed by Luigi Comencini.

It was during the filming of La bohème in Paris that he was found to be suffering from acute lymphoblastic leukemia and given a 1 in 10 chance of survival. However, he recovered from the disease after undergoing a gruelling treatment involving chemotherapy, radiation therapy and an autologous bone marrow transplant at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. Following his recovery, he gradually returned to both the operatic and the concert stage, embarking on a tour of come-back recitals in 1988 and 1989 and singing with Montserrat Caballé in Medea (Mérida, 1989) and in the world premiere of Balada's Cristóbal Colón (Barcelona, 1989)

1990 – present[link]

Carreras backstage at the Royal Albert Hall, December 2001

The 1990s continued to see Carreras performing on the operatic stage in Carmen and Fedora and making role debuts in Samson et Dalila (Peralada, 1990), Verdi's Stiffelio (London, 1993), and Wolf-Ferrari's Sly (Zurich, 1998). However, his opera performances became less frequent as he increasingly devoted himself to concerts and recitals. His final performance in a fully staged opera was on 12 July 2002 in Tokyo, where he reprised the title role in Sly, while his final operatic performances at the Gran Teatre del Liceu, the opera house where his career began, were in Samson et Dalila (March 2001).

In 1990 the first Three Tenors concert, took place in the Baths of Caracalla in Rome on the eve of the 1990 FIFA World Cup finals. It was originally conceived to raise money for Carreras's leukemia foundation and as a way for his colleagues, Plácido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti, to welcome their "little brother" back to the world of opera. However, it and the subsequent Three Tenors concerts brought Carreras a fame that went far beyond the opera house.^[11] It is estimated that over a billion people around the world watched the television broadcast of the 1994 Three Tenors concert in Los Angeles.^[12] By 1999, the CD from the first Three Tenors concert in Rome had sold an estimated 13 million copies, making it the best-selling classical recording of all time.^[13] The early 1990s also saw Carreras serving as the Musical Director for the opening and closing ceremonies of 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games, and performing in a worldwide concert tour in tribute to his first singing hero, Mario Lanza.

Carreras's recording and concert repertoire has now moved almost entirely into Neapolitan songs, the light classical genre, and 'easy-listening'.^[14] He has also increasingly performed and recorded with artists from outside the classical music world, such as Diana Ross, Edyta Górniak, Lluis Llach, Peter Maffay, Udo Jürgens, Klaus Meine, Charles Aznavour, Kim Styles, Sarah Brightman, Sissel Kyrkjebø, Debbie Harry, Majida El Roumi, and Giorgia Fumanti.

Humanitarian work[link]

Following his own recovery from leukemia, Carreras sought both to repay the debt he owed to medical science and to improve the lives and care of other leukemia sufferers. On 14 July 1988, he established the José Carreras International Leukemia Foundation (Fundació Internacional Josep Carreras per a la Lluita contra la Leucèmia) in Barcelona. The foundation, which publishes a tri-monthly magazine on its activities, Amigos de la Fundación, concentrates its efforts in four main areas:

• Development of clinical research into the cure and treatment of leukemia through scholarships and research grants.

• Campaigns to increase bone marrow and cord blood donation for leukemia patients requiring transplants, along with the operation of REDMO, the Spanish national registry of bone marrow donors.

• Strengthening of the research and clinical infrastructures in both leading international institutions and hospitals and laboratories in the developing world.

• Provision of social services to leukemia patients and their families, including free accommodation near transplant centres.

The José Carreras International Leukaemia Foundation also has affiliates in the U.S., Switzerland, and Germany, with the German affiliate the most active of the three. Since 1995, Carreras has presented an annual live television benefit gala in Leipzig to raise funds for the foundation's work in Germany. Since its inception, the gala alone has raised well over €71 million. Carreras also performs at least 20 charity concerts a year in aid of his foundation and other medical related charities. He is an Honorary Member of the European Society for Medicine and the European Haematology Association, an Honorary Patron of the European Society for Medical Oncology, and a Goodwill Ambassador for UNESCO.

Awards and distinctions[link]

Carreras has received numerous awards and distinctions for both his artistic and humanitarian work. These include: Commander of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur (France); Gran Croce di Cavaliere and Grande Ufficiale della Repubblica Italiana; Grand Decoration for Services to the Republic of Austria; the Cruz de Oro del Orden Civil de la Solidaridad Social from Queen Sofia of Spain, The Prince of Asturias Prize, and the Bundesverdienstkreuz from the Federal Republic of Germany. On 23 February 2004, the Austrian Post Office issued a 1€ stamp to commemorate the 30th anniversary of his debut at the Vienna Staatsoper.

He has Honorary Doctorates from the University of Barcelona and Miguel Hernández University (Spain); Napier, Loughborough and Sheffield universities (United Kingdom); the Mendeleev Russian University of Chemistry and Technology (Russia); the University of Camerino (Italy); Rutgers University (United States); the University of Coimbra (Portugal); the National University of Music Bucharest (Romania); Philipps-Universität Marburg (Germany); the University of Pécs (Hungary) and most recently, Kyunghee University (Korea) and the University of Porto (Portugal).

In Spain the central plaza in Sant Joan d'Alacant bears his name, as do two theatres – the Auditori Josep Carreras in Vila-seca (near Tarragona) and The Teatro Josep Carreras in Fuenlabrada.^[15]

Family[link]

Throughout his childhood in Barcelona, Carreras's father, Josep Carreras i Soler, worked as a traffic policeman. He had originally been a French teacher. However, he had fought on the Republican side during the Spanish Civil War, and when the Franco government came into power in 1939, he was no longer allowed to teach. His mother, Antonia Coll i Saigi, ran a small hair-dressing salon, where, as a child, Carreras often sang to the customers in return for pocket money. He was very close to his mother, who was convinced that he would one day be a great singer, and her death from cancer when he was only 18 affected him greatly.^[16] In José Carreras: A Life Story, he said that "even now, every time I go on stage, I always, always, have a quick thought for her."^[17] In 1971 Carreras married Mercedes Pérez. They had two children: a son, Albert (born in 1972), and a daughter, Julia (born in 1978). The marriage ended in divorce in 1992. In 2006, Carreras married Jutta Jäger, but separated from her in 2011.^[18] Carreras's nephew, David Giménez Carreras, is a conductor and Director of the Orquestra Simfònica del Vallès.^[19] He has conducted many of Carreras's concerts since the late 1990s as well as his opera performances in Sly at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in June 2000.^[20]

Voice[link]

In its prime, Carreras's voice was considered one of the most beautiful tenor voices of the day.^[21] The Spanish critic, Fernando Fraga has described it as a lyric tenor with the generosity of a spinto, having "a noble timbre, richly coloured and sumptuously resonant". This is particularly true of the middle range of his voice. Fraga also noted, as has Carreras himself, that even in his youth the high notes of the tenor range were always somewhat problematic for him, and became more so as his career progressed.^[22] Like his idol, Giuseppe di Stefano, Carreras was also known for the beauty and expressiveness of his phrasing and for his passionate delivery.^[23] These qualities are perhaps best exemplified in his 1976 recording of Tosca with Montserrat Caballé in the title role and conducted by Sir Colin Davis.^[24] According to several critics ^[25] his assumption of the heavier spinto roles such as Andrea Chénier, Don José in Carmen, Don Carlo, and Alvaro in La forza del destino put a strain on his naturally lyric instrument which may have caused the voice to prematurely darken and lose some of its bloom. Nevertheless he produced some of his finest performances in those roles. The Daily Telegraph wrote of his 1984 Andrea Chénier at London's Royal Opera House: "Switching effortlessly from the lyric poet Rodolfo in La Bohème a few weeks ago to the heroic poet Chenier, the Spanish tenor's vocal artistry held us spellbound throughout." ^[26] Of his 1985 performance in Andrea Chénier at La Scala (preserved on DVD), Carl Battaglia wrote in Opera News that Carreras dominated the opera "with formidable concentration and a cleverly refined vocal accent that imparts to this spinto role an overlay of intensity lacking in his essentially lyric tenor." ^[27] However, Carl H. Hiller's review of the La Scala performance in Opera also noted that while in the quiet phrases of the score "he could display all the tonal mellowness of which this perhaps most beautiful tenor voice of our time is capable", he had difficulty with the high loud notes, which sounded strained and uneasily produced.^[28] Critic Peter G. Davis wrote of Carreras' choice to continue his career:

Even critics hostile to the Three Tenors phenomenon draw the veil of charity over Carreras's charmless contributions to those mechanized events, hesitating to point out that his voice lost its luster and lyric beauty long before its owner fell ill. Yet that unpleasant fact never seems to dampen the enthusiasm of his fans, who may be less interested in music and expressive singing than in applauding triumph over adversity.^[29]

Recordings[link]

Listed below is a representative selection of notable commercial recordings from the peak years of José Carreras's career. He has an extremely large discography and videography, which also includes many performances preserved on private recordings. The complete list of recordings through 1999 is available on Carreras's official web site (see External links).

Complete operas[link]

• Bizet: Carmen (Agnes Baltsa, José Carreras, Leona Mitchell, Samuel Ramey, The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, James Levine) DVD Deutsche Grammophon 73000
• Donizetti: L'elisir d'amore (Katia Ricciarelli, José Carreras, Leo Nucci, Susanna Rigacci, Domenico Trimarchi, Coro della RAI di Torino, Orchestra Sinfonica Della Rai Di Torino, Claudio Scimone) CD Philips 00289 475 4422
• Donizetti: Lucia di Lammermoor (Montserrat Caballé, José Carreras, Samuel Ramey, New Philharmonia Orchestra, Jesús López-Cobos) CD Philips 00289 470 4212
• Giordano: Andrea Chénier (José Carreras, Piero Cappuccilli, Eva Marton, Nella Verri, Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala, Riccardo Chailly) DVD Kultur ISBN 0-7697-8050-4
• Halévy: La Juive (June Anderson, Julia Varady, José Carreras, Philharmonia Orchestra, Antonio Almeida) CD Philips 00289 475 7629
• Massenet: Werther (José Carreras, Frederica Stade, Isobel Buchanan, Thomas Allen, Robert Lloyd, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Colin Davis) CD Philips 00289 475 7567
• Puccini: La Bohème (Katia Ricciarelli, José Carreras, Chorus of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Colin Davis) CD Philips 00289 442 2602
• Puccini: Manon Lescaut (Kiri Te Kanawa, José Carreras, Paolo Coni, Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Riccardo Chailly) CD Decca 460-750-2
• Puccini: Madama Butterfly (Mirella Freni, Teresa Berganza, José Carreras, Juan Pons, Philharmonia Orchestra, Giuseppe Sinopoli) CD Deutsche Grammophon 423 5672
• Puccini: Tosca (Montserrat Caballé, José Carreras, Ingvar Wixell, Chorus of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Colin Davis) CD Philips 00289 464 7292
• Saint-Saëns: Samson et Dalila (Agnes Baltsa, José Carreras, Jonathan Summers, Simon Estes, Paata Burchuladze, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, Sir Colin Davis) CD Philips 000289 475 8706
• Verdi: Un ballo in maschera (Montserrat Caballé, José Carreras, Ingvar Wixell, Chorus of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Colin Davis) CD Philips 00289 470 5862
• Verdi: Il Corsaro (Montserrat Caballé, Jessye Norman, José Carreras, New Philharmonia Orchestra, Lamberto Gardelli) CD Philips 00289 475 6769
• Verdi: Don Carlo (José Carreras, Agnes Baltsa, Fiamma Izzo D'amico, Piero Cappuccilli, Ferruccio Furlanetto, Berlin Philharmonic, Herbert von Karajan) DVD Sony Classical 48312
• Verdi: I due Foscari (José Carreras, Piero Cappuccilli, Katia Ricciarelli, Samuel Ramey, ORF Symphony Orchestra, Lamberto Gardelli), CD Philips 422426
• Verdi: La forza del destino (Sesto Bruscantini, José Carreras, Montserrat Caballé, Piero Cappuccilli, Nicolai Ghiaurov, Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala, Giuseppe Patané) CD Myto 984192
• Verdi: Un giorno di regno (Jessye Norman, Fiorenza Cossotto, José Carreras, Ingvar Wixell, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Lamberto Gardelli) CD Philips 00289 475 6772
• Verdi: I lombardi alla prima crociata (José Carreras, Ghena Dimitrova, Carlo Bii, Silvano Carroli, Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala, Gianandrea Gavazzeni) DVD Kultur 2036
• Verdi: Simon Boccanegra (Piero Cappuccilli, Mirella Freni, José Carreras, Nicolai Ghiaurov, José van Dam, Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala, Claudio Abbado) CD Deutsche Grammophon 449 7522
• Verdi: Stiffelio (Sylvia Sass, José Carreras, Matteo Manuguerra, ORF Symphony Orchestra, Lamberto Gardelli) CD Philips 00289 475 6775

Recitals, sacred music and cross-over[link]

• Bernstein: West Side Story (Kiri Te Kanawa, José Carreras, Tatiana Troyanos, Kurt Ollmann, Marilyn Horne, Leonard Bernstein) CD Deutschegrammophon 457 1992
• Puccini: Messa di Gloria (José Carreras, Hermann Prey, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Claudio Scimone) CD Erato 48692
• Ramirez: Misa Criolla, Navidad Nuestra CD Philips 420955
• Verdi: Messa da Requiem (Anna Tomowa-Sintow, Agnes Baltsa, José Carreras, José Dam, Vienna Philharmonic, Herbert von Karajan) CD Deutschegrammophon 439 0332
• Various: Ave Maria (José Carreras, Vienna Boys Choir, Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Uwe Christian Harrer) Philips 4111382
• Various: José Carreras – The Golden Years (arias and songs by Puccini, Verdi, Donizetti, Massenet, Bizet, Lehár, Handel, Gastoldi, Giordano, Tosti, Cardillo, Denza, de Curtis, Lara, d' Hardelot, Brodszky, Bernstein, Lloyd Webber) CD Philips 462892
• Various: The Very Best of José Carreras (arias from Aida, Macbeth, Cavalleria rusticana, Pagliacci, Turandot, Don Carlo, Carmen, Faust, Roméo et Juliette, Polyeucte, Le Cid, Sappho, Hérodiade, La Juive, L'Africaine, Le Roi d'Ys, La Périchole) CD EMI 7243 5 75903 2 7

Notes and references[link]

• Matheopoulos, H., The Great Tenors: From Caruso to the Present, 1999, London: Laurence King Publishing.
• Osborne, R., Conversations with Karajan, 1991, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Taylor, S. and Pullen, R., Montserrat Caballé – Casta Diva, 1994, London: Victor Gollancz Ltd.

Catalan and Spanish languages bibliography

• Alier, R., El Trobador – Retrat de Josep Carreras, 2007, Barcelona: Edicions Dau. ISBN 978-84-935228-5-8
• Nidal, P., Carreras, La Pasion de Vivir, 1988, Barcelona: Clip.
• Perez Senz, J., El Placer de Cantar – Un Retrato Autobiografico, 1988, Barcelona: Ediciones de Nuevo Arte Thor.

External links[link]

• Josep Carreras — official website
• Official website dedicated primarily to Carreras's 2004 CD Energia
• Fundació Internacional Josep Carreras per a la Lluita contra la Leucèmia – the official web site for Carreras's leukemia foundation with versions in Catalan, Spanish and English.
• Deutsche José Carreras Leukämie-Stiftung – the official web site for the German branch of Carreras's leukemia foundation.
• José Carreras at the Internet Movie Database
• The Unofficial José Carreras Web Site – a large data base of media articles and reviews dating from 1970 to 2002.
• The José Carreras Timeline 1958–2004.
• Complete performance records at The New York Metropolitan Opera and La Scala
• Agent Peter Kupfer

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