Víctor Manuel

Spanish singer/songwriter Víctor Manuel launched his career by performing Joselito's "La Campanera" at a school gathering, where he appeared under the name "San José." The young performer entered the group San José y Bossa Nova in 1962 and shortly afterward began studying piano and vocal technique. He started writing and cutting "La Romeria" during 1968; a self-titled album followed in 1969 and Dame la Mano appeared in 1971. That year he also took part in the Gonzalo Suárez film Morbo, then supplied the music for Al Diablo con Amor in 1972. After his marriage to Ana Belén, Manuel relocated to Mexico to stage the musical Ravos while championing protest songs then forbidden by Spanish authorities. His 1976 concert at Madrid’s Monumental Theater eventually surfaced as the album En Directo. In 1983 he recorded another live set, this time joined by his wife, issued as Víctor y Ana en Vivo. Throughout the late eighties and early nineties he served as producer on the films El Vuelo de la Paloma, El Mar y el Tiempo, and El Marido Perfecto.