OT: Juan Gabriel, 1950-2016

[Plebe]

To my friends who don't speak Spanish, I've struggled to identify an analogous English-language artist who doesn't fall short, in some aspect, by comparison to what Juan Gabriel was for Mexico and for Latin America.

Perhaps the best I can come up with is some combination of the gender-nonconformance of Liberace with the cross-societal appeal and humble roots of Johnny Cash. But I don't think that even Cash matches the depth and breadth of musical output of Juan Gabriel, who as a songwriter, arranger and producer churned out a staggering number of international hits over multiple decades, in songs sung both by himself and by other artists.

For the uninitiated, I think the performance below gives a good idea of his qualities as musician and performer. In 1990, Juan Gabriel became the first non-classical musical artist invited to perform in Mexico City's Palacio de Bellas Artes, known as the "Cathedral of Art in Mexico". In 2013 he performed there for the third time, marking his 40th year as a musical artist. I'd like to think the musicianship here transcends any language barrier:

 

[uconn_nyc]

Many Mexicans, myself included, grew up listening to Juan Gabriel's songs. As adults, we continued listening to Juanga, as we all called him. His songs have become musts at parties and gatherings. Every Mexican knows by heart at least one of his songs. He will be remembered. Thank you Plebe for your post.

 

[Plebe]

Many Mexicans, myself included, grew up listening to Juan Gabriel's songs. As adults, we continued listening to Juanga, as we all called him. His songs have become musts at parties and gatherings. Every Mexican knows by heart at least one of his songs. He will be remembered. Thank you Plebe for your post.

Thanks for adding your experience. It's funny, because "Juanga" was most often a nickname of endearment but, on the lips of some who felt the need to act out their homophobia, was sometimes a slur. I can still hear some of them saying "la Juanga" in a mocking tone of voice. (Gustavo Arellano wrote an outstanding column in today's LA Times about this: As a boy, I was taught to ridicule Juan Gabriel. As an adult, I revered him.)

I'll never forget the first Juan Gabriel cassette tape I bought, when I was in high school in the late 80s: Frente a frente, consisting of 12 brilliant songs, all written by him, half of them sung by the great Rocío Dúrcal and the other half by him. I'll never forget one of my best friends, himself a Mexican immigrant and hardly a progressive on the gay issue, riding in the car with me as I played that tape, and at the end of a song he said, "Me has tocado lo más profundo de mi corazón con estas canciones" (You've touched the deepest part of my heart with these songs). As you said, Juan Gabriel has provided a soundtrack of important and memorable moments in our lives.