Raphael

Miguel Rafael Martos Sánchez (born 5 May 1943), often simply referred to as Raphael, is a Spanish singer. Raphael is recognized as one of the most successful Spanish singers in the world, having sold more than 70 million records worldwide in 7 languages. Currently, he is considered one of the most active singers of the so-called "divos of the romantic ballad", touring throughout America and Europe, transmitting for 60 years of artistic career, a repertoire full of novelty, for which his oldest songs are being recorded again, thus remastering with modern sounds closer to today's youth. Childhood Raphael was born Miguel Rafael Martos Sánchez in Linares, province of Jaén (Spain). As a consequence, he is nicknamed both "El Ruiseñor de Linares" ("Nightingale of Linares") and "El Divo de Linares" ("The Divo from Linares") but is also known as "El Niño". His family moved to Madrid when he was nine months old, and he started singing when he was just three years-old. He joined a children's choir at age four. When he was 9, he was recognized as the best child voice in Europe at a contest in Salzburg, Austria. His two idols, when he was growing up, and with whom he announced, on 6 October 2014, his plans to record posthumous duets with, were said to be US singer Elvis Presley and French diva Edith Piaf. Career First recordings