Reservoir Media has acquired rights to the recorded music catalogue of Feliz Navidad songwriter-performer José Feliciano. The deal also includes non-exclusive rights to his name, image, and likeness.
Feliz Navidad is a festive evergreen that has made the UK Top 20 in the last few years amid the flood of Christmas songs into the singles chart. Released via Sony Music CG, Feliz Navidad has UK consumption of 1,534,946 units in the modern chart era.
Of course, Feliciano’s catalogue extends way beyond his famous festive staple. He is a Grammy-winning singer, guitarist and songwriter with a career spanning more than six decades. Born in Puerto Rico and raised in New York City's Spanish Harlem, he is recognised as the first Latin artist to cross over into mainstream Anglo-American pop.
Feliciano was born blind and taught himself guitar as a child, going on to perform as a teenager in Greenwich Village. By 1964, Feliciano signed with RCA Victor, and in 1968 he released a recording of The Doors’ Light My Fire that earned him Grammy Awards for Best New Artist and Best Contemporary Pop Vocal Performance, Male.
In the same year, his rendition of the national anthem at the World Series changed how future artists could interpret and perform the song.
In 1970, Feliciano wrote and recorded Feliz Navidad, which has become one of the most played Christmas songs in the world. In addition to the UK chart success, it recently reached No.6 on the US Hot 100. It was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2010 and recently selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry for its "cultural, historical or aesthetic importance in the nation's recorded sound heritage".
José Feliciano’s incredible gift extends far beyond the accomplished hit Feliz Navidad
Donna Caseine
Feliciano is also known for writing and performing the theme to the TV series Chico And The Man, as well as other self-penned works including Rain, Affirmation and Let's Find Each Other Tonight (performed in his 1996 cameo in the film Fargo).
As a collaborator, Feliciano featured on recordings by John Lennon, Joni Mitchell,and Bill Withers. He also recorded a jazz and R&B album, As You See Me Now, with Jools Holland in 2017.
Across his career, Feliciano released 60-plus albums, and his honours include multiple Grammy Awards, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, a Smithsonian National Museum of American History tribute preserving key career artifacts and the National Medal of Arts (2021). Feliciano continues to record and tour worldwide.
José Feliciano commented on the deal: “I’m excited to be in partnership with the talented Reservoir Team, ensuring the enjoyment of my music for generations to come.”
Donna Caseine, Reservoir executive vice president, global creative director, added: “José Feliciano’s incredible gift extends far beyond the accomplished hit Feliz Navidad. His catalogue is extensive, with countless bilingual recordings that helped popularise Latin music with a global audience. José’s legacy is a credit to the high-quality, popular music he has written and shared with the world for over half a century, and it’s an honour to champion José and his body of work at Reservoir."
Reservoir founder and CEO Golnar Khosrowshahi said: “This year, our Reservoir team has focused concertedly on expanding our portfolio of Latin music, and bringing José’s music to Reservoir is an important continuation of those efforts. His countless accolades showcase just how much impact his catalogue has had on Latin and popular music, and we look forward to continuing to support such influential music.”
José Feliciano was represented in the deal by Denny Marte (broker at MPA Advisors), Jay Stollman (Jay Stollman Entertainment) and Brett Green, Esq.
FOLLOW 
