AFP
LOS ANGELES
Brazilian singer Roberto Carlos, whose 55-year career has won him the nickname of the King of Latin music, will be honored at this year’s Latin Grammys, organizers announced Tuesday.
The 74-year-old artist has sold more than 120 million records in Latin America, topping The Beatles and Elvis Presley in the region.
“To speak of Brazil is to speak of Roberto Carlos,” said Gabriel Abaroa Jr., president of the Latin Recording Academy. “His immense talent, passion and dedication to his art has made him one of the greatest voices and songwriters in Latin music,” he said in a statement.
Carlos will be celebrated as Person of the Year on November 18 in Las Vegas, a day before the Latin Grammy Awards, which are considered the Latin American music industry’s biggest night of the year.
Carlos - who sings in Spanish, English, Italian and French, along with his native Portuguese - is known for hits including “Un Millon de Amigos” (“One Million Friends”) and romantic ballads such as “Propuesta” (“Proposal”), “Lady Laura” and “Mujer Pequena” (“Little Woman”).
Previous artists named Person of the Year at the Latin Grammys have included Placido Domingo, Gloria Estefan, Carlos Santana and Shakira. Singer Joan Manuel Serrat, a major force in Spain’s pop scene, was honored last year.
Born in the Espirito Santo state north of Sao Paulo, Carlos emerged in the 1960s as one of the leading ambassadors of Brazilian pop music, often known as MPB.
In 1968, he became the first Latin American to win Italy’s Sanremo Music Festival singing contest, with the song “Canzone Per Te” (“Song For You”) performed with Sergio Endrigo.
Carlos re-emerged in 2000 after leaving the public eye due to his wife’s death. He has since been prolific, with a new album, “Roberto Carlos - First Row,” due out this year. He made the album at London’s legendary Abbey Road Studios, best known for the recordings there by The Beatles.