Pepe Aguilar
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Pepe Aguilar (born José Aguilar in 1968, San Antonio, Texas) is an American singer of Mexican descent who sings ranchera music. He is the son of the legends of Mexican show-business Antonio Aguilar and Flor Silvestre. His height: 6' 5" inch
Aguilar was born during a difficult period in his father's career. Antonio Aguilar, who is also a singer and an actor, was not selling his albums well or being hired for films in Mexico, so the Aguilar family emigrated, living in Puerto Rico for a short number of years. In 1973, Pepe Aguilar made his singing debut, on his own request, in front of a Madison Square Garden crowd. Aguilar remembers being scared by the large crowd and he admits that he cried as soon as he saw the public. But, eventually, he integrated to his father's shows, singing on most of his father's concerts.
As a teenager, Aguilar was a member of a rock music band, "Equs". The band did not last long, but it led him to perform on his first CD. Aguilar credits The Who, Ignacio and Pink Floyd among his early musical influences.
In 1990, Aguilar debuted as a solo singer, with his album, Pepe Aguilar con tambora ("Pepe Aguilar with tambora"). The album gained him some celebrity in Mexico and Latin America. He went on to release a number of CDs through the 1990s, and became a producer, starting two record labels and producing songs for Lupita D'Alessio, Lupe Pineda, and Julieta Venegas, among others.
In 1998, Aguilar released Por mujeres como tu ("For Women Like You"). This CD sold two million copies around the world and was listed on the Billboard hits list for fifty-two consecutive weeks, consolidating Aguilar's celebrity. Billboard awarded Aguilar for releasing the "Hot Latin Track of the Year" in 1998.
In 2000, Aguilar released another hit album, Por una mujer bonita ("For a Beautiful Woman"), which earned him a Latin Grammy award. Aguilar has been nominated for Grammys a total of nine times. He has also been nominated for other awards several times.
In 2002, Aguilar became the first Mexican regional music singer to perform at Los Angeles' well-known Hollywood Bowl. He was also the first Hispanic to sing at Los Angeles' Kodak Theater. On September 15, 2003, as Mexicans celebrated their independence day, Aguilar received the symbolic keys to the city of Los Angeles. An estimated number of 20,000 people attended the ceremony. Aguilar released two CDs that year.
Aguilar signed with Sony music in July 2004 and went on to release No soy de nadie ("I belong to no one") later on that year.
Most recently, Pepe sang the Mexican National Anthem before the Floyd Mayweather-Oscar De La Hoya fight.
