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Jose Mari Chan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In this Philippine name, the middle name or maternal family name is Lim and the surname or paternal family name is Chan.
| Jose Mari Chan曾煥福 | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | José Mari Chan y Lim |
| Also known as | Joe Mari Chan, Mr. Music Man |
| Born | March 11, 1945 (age 78) Iloilo City, Philippine Commonwealth |
| Genres | Adult contemporary, easy listening, pop, Christmas |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals (male alto – tenor), piano, guitar |
| Years active | 1966–present |
| Labels | Top Tunes Universal Records Signature Music Inc. |
| Website | josemarichan.com |
| Chinese name | |
| Traditional Chinese | 曾煥福 |
| Simplified Chinese | 曾焕福 |
| showTranscriptions | |
Jose Mari Lim Chan (Tagalog: [hoˈse ˈmɐɾi ˈtʃan]; born March 11, 1945) is a Filipino singer, songwriter, businessman and TV presenter. Regarded as one of the country’s most renowned balladeers and composers, he is popularly dubbed as the “King of Philippine Christmas Carols”. As of 2001, Chan’s repertoire has sold two million albums and has garnered 37 platinum records to his credit, becoming one of the best-selling Filipino recording artist of all time. He is best-known for his signature song “Christmas In Our Hearts“, which is the biggest selling Filipino Christmas song in history, including hits such as “A Perfect Christmas“,
and “Please Be Careful with My Heart“.
Chan began a career in 1967 and released his debut album Deep in My Heart in 1969. He has since released 14 studio albums, most notable being Constant Change (1989) and Christmas In Our Hearts (1990). The two albums became major successes for Chan, both were certified double Diamond by the Philippine Association of the Record Industry and becoming two of the best-selling albums in the Philippines. With a career spanning five decades, he has been honored by various award-giving bodies such as the Lifetime Achievement Award from PMPC Star Awards for Music, and two “Album of the Year” from Awit Awards.
Early life
Jose Mari Lim Chan was born on March 11, 1945, in Iloilo City and was the first-born child of Antonio Chan and Florencia Lim. His father was an immigrant from Fujian, China who came to the Philippines at age 13 and started a sugar trading company in Bacolod. Chan’s mother was the only child of a Chinese-Filipino couple.
Chan was exposed to music in his childhood with his maternal grandmother from Cebu often playing music at their house and his mother being a pianist. He was also accompanied by the family’s house helper to participate in the radio program Children’s Hour on DYRI where children performed the piano, sang, and recited poetry. At school he was often selected to perform in school programs. Paul Anka and Neil Sedaka are among the songwriters which served as his inspiration in his childhood. Chan wrote his first song at age 13. Chan’s father was supportive of his involvement in Children’s Hour but was reluctant of supporting his music career by the time he was age 14 or 15 when he began composing songs. His father was concerned their Chinese background would put Chan at a disadvantage in the music industry and encouraged him to relegate his music pursuits as a hobby and to pursue a business career instead. When Chan reminded the older gentleman that he did have a flair for composing, he was told that that particular field “would not be enough to support a family.” It was then he realized the wisdom and concern voiced by his parent.
Chan attended the Ateneo de Manila University where he met fellow musician Ramon Jacinto of RJ & the Riots. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics in 1967.
Musical career
Chan first appeared on the local scene as a guest on Pilita Corrales‘s program An Evening with Pilita in 1965. The next year, he became the host and singer of a television show called 9 Teeners of ABS-CBN 3 (now ABS-CBN 2) which aired on weekdays and Saturday in 1966. Since he was a junior student at that time at Ateneo and he was being encouraged to become a businessman, his father only consented his involvement if he was not paid salary for the stint. His first single “Afterglow” was released in 1967. He would release his first album two years later. after he was approached by an independent record producer.
His first long playing album Deep in My Heart was issued in 1969. In 1973, he represented the Philippines in the World Popular Song Festival in Tokyo where his song “Can We Just Stop And Talk Awhile” went into the final entries.
For more or less than four years from 1970 to 1974, Jose Mari Chan was able to compose more than 20 songs for movies and earned him different recognitions and nominations at the Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences Awards (FAMAS Awards). He also wrote several well-loved commercial jingles, among which are the Philippine Airlines‘ “Love at Thirty Thousand Feet”, the Knorr Chinese Soup jingle,
and the Alaska Milk jingle.
Between 1974 and 1975 he was the Star of a series of Television Network Specials spotlighting his words and music.
In 1975, he moved to the United States to run a branch office of their family’s sugar business and remained there for 11 years, continuously composing songs as well. Some of which were recorded by foreign artists. In 1986, he returned to the Philippines and made a comeback to the music industry with the release of his album A Golden Collection, a compilation of his hits along with a brand new composition “Tell Me Your Name” which re-introduced him to a younger audience. The album was released by Universal Records.
On February 14, 1988, Chan performed at the Maynila restaurant within the Manila Hotel as a guest act for Joey Albert‘s Valentine’s Day dinner concert “Here’s to Love”, his first live performance in years.
In 1989, he released his album Constant Change. It was named Album of the Year by the Awit Awards, the local equivalent of the American Grammy Awards and reached the Diamond Record in terms of sales. The Diamond Award is given to albums or singles selling ten million units or more. It was also sold in other Asian countries such as Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.
In 1990, his Christmas album, Christmas in Our Hearts was released. It reached triple platinum status that same year, eventually earning the Double Diamond Record Award in 1995, for selling over 20 million units. The significant popularity of his iconic Christmas songs and the album during the holiday season annually earned him the title “Father of Philippine Christmas Music”.
In 1994, he released his eighth album, Thank You Love, where he has another song “Is She Thinking About Me” with Christine Bersola-Babao and another Christmas song, “Christmas Past”.
His 2001 album A Heart’s Journey won Album of the year in the Awit Awards. In 2005, he composed “We’re All Just One” as the theme song of the 2005 Southeast Asian Games.
In 2007, he released his 12th album Love Letters and Other Souvenirs.
In 2009, Chan was inducted to the Philippines Eastwood City Walk Of Fame. In 2010, Chan was awarded as MYX Magna Award Winner in the MYX Music Awards 2010 for awarding as a contribution for being a singer, composer and also a businessman & TV host.
In 2011, he released his 13th full-length album, The Manhattan Connection: The Songs of Jose Mari Chan. The album, which was produced by Janis Siegel of The Manhattan Transfer. The songs were reimagined by music producer Yaron Gershovsky.
In 2012, he released his 14th overall album Going Home to Christmas. It was his second Christmas album after 22 years since Christmas In Our Hearts was released in 1990.
Due to Chan’s association to Christmas music in the Philippines, he has been a frequent subject of internet memes during the Christmas season in the country which traditionally starts in September. Because of his popularity during these seasons, he was known as the “King of Filipino Christmas Carols”
Business career
He is the chairman and chief executive officer of Binalbagan-Isabela Sugar Company Inc. (BISCOM) and A. Chan Sugar Corporation as of 2018. Upon encouragement of his father, Chan became involved in the family business in 1967 right after he graduated from Ateneo. He later inherited the business from his father. Chan has described his business career as his second priority behind his family affairs and ahead of his music career. In 1975, he had to move to the United States in relation to his family’s sugar business and returned to the Philippines in 1986.
Personal life
He is married to Mary Ann Ansaldo and has five children, who have inherited their musical talent from him. His daughter, Liza, has been featured in several duets with him. His sons Joe and Mike Chan formed a musical duo and released their debut album in 2019 under Star Music. Although currently based in and residing primarily in Metro Manila with his family, Chan maintains his homes in Iloilo and Cebu.
Chan is a devout Roman Catholic.
Awards
| Award | Award Giving Body | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Philippines for the Arts | Ten Outstanding Young Men Awards | 1974 |
| Lifetime Achievement Award | Philippine Association of the Recording Industry | — |
| Dangal ng Musikang Pilipino Award | Philippine Association of the Recording Industry | — |
| Antonio C. Barreiro Lifetime Achievement Award | Metro Pop Foundation | — |
| Elite Platinum Award | ABS-CBN | 2005 |
| Dangal ng OPM | Organisasyon ng Pilipinong Mang-aawit | 2011 |
| Puso ng Saya Award | GMA Network Sunday Pinasaya | 2019 |
The Bacolod city government in 2018 named him as their adopted son by the Bacolod City Council, and as their honorary mayor during the administration of Mayor Evelio Leonardia for his role in the growth of the Bacolod’s sugar industry.
| Year | Award Giving Body | Category | Nominated Work | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Awit Awards | Best Performance by a Male Recording Artist (Performance Award) | “Windmills of Your Mind“ | Nominated |
| Best Performance by a Male Recording Artist (People’s Choice Award) | “Windmills of Your Mind“ | Nominated | ||
| 2009 | Eastwood City Walk Of Fame | Celebrity Inductee | — | Won |
| 2010 | MYX Music Awards | MYX Magna Award | — | Won |
| 2019 | PMPC Star Awards for Music | Levi Celerio Lifetime Achievement Award | — | Won |
Discography
Albums
- Deep in My Heart (1969)
- Can We Just Stop and Talk Awhile (1973) – Tokyo World Popular Song Festival
- Afterthoughts (1974)
- Here and Now (1975)
- A Golden Collection (1985)
- Constant Change (1989) – 2× Diamond
- Christmas in Our Hearts (1990) – 2× Diamond
- Thank You, Love (1994)
- Strictly Commercial: The Jingles Collection (1997)
- Souvenirs (1998)
- A Heart’s Journey (2001) – Awit Awards, Album of the Year
- Love Letters and Other Souvenirs (2007)
- The Manhattan Connection (2011)
- Going Home to Christmas (2012)
- Christmas in Our Hearts: 25th Anniversary Edition (2015)
Christmas in Our Hearts (Album)
| Christmas in Our Hearts | |
|---|---|
| |
| Studio album by Jose Mari Chan | |
| Released | November 17, 1990 |
| Recorded | 1990 (see recording locations) |
| Genre | Holiday, Adult Contemporary, Easy listening, Spiritual |
| Language | English |
| Label | Universal |
| Producer | Jose Mari Chan |
| Jose Mari Chan chronology | |
| Constant Change (1989)Christmas in Our Hearts (1990)Thank You Love (1994) | |
| Alternate cover | |
| 25th Anniversary Edition cover | |
| Singles from Christmas in Our Hearts | |
| “Christmas in Our Hearts (with Liza Chan)” Released: November 1990″A Perfect Christmas” Released: December 1990 | |
Christmas in Our Hearts is the seventh studio album and the first Christmas album by Filipino singer-songwriter and businessman Jose Mari Chan. It was released on November 17, 1990, by Universal Records. The album sold over 600,000 units in the Philippines in 2006, certifying Double Diamond by the Philippine Association of the Record Industry (PARI). It is considered to be the first OPM album to surpass the Diamond status. It is currently the biggest-selling album in the Philippines, selling more than 800,000 copies to date. Due to the recurring popularity of the song and album during the annual holiday season, Chan became known to Filipinos as “The Father of Philippine Christmas Music.”
The album also features cover versions of “A Christmas Carol”, “This Beautiful Day”, and “Christmas Children” from the 1970 musical Scrooge.
The album has been re-released as a 25th Anniversary Edition on iTunes, Spotify, and Spinnr on October 30, 2015.
Background
According to Chan, the title track and first single of the album, “Christmas in Our Hearts“, was originally an arrangement titled Ang Tubig Ay Buhay (“Water Is Life”), based on a poem written by Chari Cruz-Zarate. He took him two days to set the words to music, intending to make it a silver jubilee song for the Assumption High School Class of 1963. He described the poetry of Ang Tubig ay Buhay as very beautiful, which he found easy to compose a melody for.
It was a catchy, pretty melody, which I felt was too precious to use only for a Class Homecoming. So I decided to turn it into a Christmas song.
Before production started, Chan had attended Mass at the Santuario de San Antonio Parish in Forbes Park, Makati; when a young lyricist named Rina Cañiza knocked on his car window. Cañiza would later replace the poem with the lyrics of “Christmas in Our Hearts” as we know it today, using Chan’s melody for Ang Tubig ay Buhay. Chan also contributed some words to the song upon its submission, wherein his record producer, Bella Dy Tan, gave her opinion that the song was not going to sell because it was a Christian song. Chan then came up with the song, “A Perfect Christmas”, which Tan said would be a hit. However, when Chan played both songs at a press conference, the media and DJs singled out “Christmas in Our Hearts” as their favorite. Tan was astonished to observe that the public loved the song. “Christmas in Our Hearts” eventually became a runaway hit and remains one of the most played songs in public places all over the Philippines.
Commercial performance
Christmas in Our Hearts is the best-selling album not only by Chan, but by an Original Pilipino Music (OPM) artist to date. Just weeks after the album was released, it was certified triple platinum by the Philippine Association of the Record Industry (PARI) in 1990. In December 2006, it was awarded with a Double Diamond certification by the PARI on GMA Network‘s SOP (Sobrang Okey Pare) for selling more than 600,000 units in the Philippines. It makes Chan the only Filipino artist to achieve the feat, with two Double Diamond albums—the other one being Constant Change. It makes the album the best-selling OPM Christmas album of all time. In addition, it always tops album charts during Christmas season. The album has sold over 800,000 copies in the country to date.
25th Anniversary Edition
In celebration of the album’s 25th anniversary, Universal Records announced on their Facebook page that Christmas in Our Hearts is to be re-released in a special 25th Anniversary Edition. It was first released online on iTunes, Spotify and Spinnr on October 30, 2015, and was released on CD on November 11, 2015.
Track listing
All tracks were produced by Jose Mari Chan.
- “A Wish on Christmas Night” (Chan, Pinky Valdez)
2. “Do You Hear What I Hear?” (Gloria Shayne, Noël Regney)
3. “Mary’s Boy Child” (Jester Hairston)
4. “Christmas in Our Hearts” (with Liza Chan) (Chan, Rina Cañiza)
5. “A Christmas Carol” (featuring the Ateneo Glee Club) (Leslie Bricusse)
6. “A Perfect Christmas” (Chan)
7. “Give Me Your Heart for Christmas” (Robert Goodman)
- “This Beautiful Day”—Jaymie Magtoto (Bricusse)
8. “The Sound of Life” (Chan, Valdez)
9. “Christmas Children” (Bricusse)
10. “Little Christmas Tree” (Mickey Rooney)
11. “When a Child Is Born” (Ciro Dammicco, Fred Jay)
12. “It Is the Lord!” (Chan, Maria Christina Ansaldo Estrada)
13. “The Lord’s Prayer” (Traditional)
15. “Count Your Blessings (Instead of Sheep)” (Irving Berlin)
16. “May the Good Lord Bless and Keep You” (Meredith Willson)
25th Anniversary Edition bonus track
- “The Sound of Life (Instrumental)” (Louie Ocampo, Chan, Valdez)
2. “Christmas Past” (Chan, Ocampo)
Songs
- “Afterglow” (1967)
- Pines” (1967)
- “Run Jimmy Run”
- “I Only Live to Love You”
- “High and Mighty”
- “Seventh Dawn” (accompanied by the Sandpipers)
- “This Guy’s in Love with You”
- “Deep in My Heart”/”Leave You” (1969)
- “Walk on Girl”
- “Love Is for the Two of Us” (with Pilar Pilapil)
- “Can We Just Stop and Talk Awhile”
- “From Day to Day” (1973)
- “Refrain”
- “Times We’re In” (1973)
- “What Is a Sweetheart” (1976)
- “A Love to Last a Lifetime”
- “A Love Song” (1978)
- “Tell Me Your Name”/”One of Many” (1985)
- “Beautiful Girl” (1989) also covered by Martin Nievera,
- Christian Bautista,
- Parokya Ni Edga
- & Ben&Ben)
- “Can’t We Start Over Again” (1989)
- “A Perfect Christmas” (1990) (also covered by Various OPM Artists Feat. Ben&Ben, December Avenue, Moira Dela Torre & More)
- “Christmas in Our Hearts” (1990) (also covered by American Pop Acapella Vocal Group,
- Pentatonix Feat. Lea Salonga in 2022)
- “A Whole New World” (duet with Lea Salonga) – as part for Philippine soundtrack release of Disney’s Aladdin (1992)
- “Please Be Careful with My Heart” (1989) (featuring Regine Velasquez) – used as the theme for the TV series of ABS-CBN, Be Careful with my Heart
- “Constant Change” (1989)
- “Is She Thinking About Me?” (featuring Christine Bersola-Babao)
- “If We Only Had More Time Together”
- “Easier Said Than Done”
- “Love at Thirty Thousand Feet” (1976) – commercial jingle of the flag carrier of the Philippines, Philippine Airlines
- “My Girl, My Woman, My Friend” (1988) – featuring Janet Basco
- “Perhaps Love” – featuring Liza Chan
- “So I’ll Go”
- “Here and Now”
- “Emmanuel” (2001) – official anthem of the 15th World Youth Day in 2000.
- “We’re All Just One” (2005) – official anthem of the 2005 Southeast Asian Games
- “Afraid for Love to Fade”
- Counterpoint to Lennon & McCartney’s “Here, There & Everywhere”
- “Radio Romance” – station identification jingle of Radio Romance 101.9 (now MOR 101.9)
- “Big Beautiful Country” – station identification jingle of the now-defunct television station Banahaw Broadcasting Corporation (BBC2) “now ABS-CBN 2 or now currently known as Kapamilya Channel & A2Z 11”
- “Good Old Fashioned Romance”
- “Part of Your Life”
- “Mr. Songwriter”
- “Sing Me Your Song Again, Daddy”
- “No Rewind, No Replay”
- “Thank You, Love” (2007)
- “The Sound of Life”
- “Empty Space” (2003) – original by the Bukas Palad Music Ministry
- “Going to the Past”
- “Christmas Past”
- “Constantly” (2012)
- “Pagdating ng Pasko” (2013) – first Filipino Christmas song
Collaborations
- Gold Ito! (Dyna Music, 1988)
- Ginintuang Diwa ng Pasko (Universal Records/WEA Records, 1989)
- Maayong Pasko (Universal Records/WEA Records, 1989)
- Jamie Rivera – Lord, Heal Our Land (Star Music, 2001)
- Presence (Universal Records 2002)
- Only Selfless Love 2 (Universal Records, 2003)
- Something More (JesCom Music, 2004)
- Best of OPM Love Songs (Universal Records, 2005)
- Best of OPM Acoustic Hits (Universal Records, 2005)
- OPM Gold Christmas (Universal Records, 2006)
- OPM Superstars Christmas (Universal Records, 2006)
- Sail On…His Most Holy Face (Universal Records, 2006)
- OPM Platinum Christmas (Universal Records, 2007)
- Isang Kinabukasan: A GMA Kapuso Foundation Benefit Album (GMA Music, 2007)
- HOPE… Healing of Pain and Enlightenment (Star Music, 2007)
- No. 1 Signature Hits OPM’s Best (Vicor Music Corp., 2008)
- Senti 18 Pinoy Love Hits (Vicor Music Corp., 2008)
- Bongga! (The Biggest Retro OPM Hits) (Universal Records, 2008)
- Bongga! 2 (The Biggest Retro OPM Hits) (Universal Records, 2009)
- Paalam, Maraming Salamat Pres. Aquino (A Memorial Tribute Soundtrack) (Star Music, 2009)
- RJ Duets (MCA Music, 2012)
- A Love to Last (The Official Soundtrack) (Star Music, 2017)
Music videos
- Christmas In Our Hearts (Original released in 1990, music video + karaoke video releases in 1991 featuring his real life daughter Liza Chan-Parpan; re-released music video exclusive by MYX Channel for MYX Live featuring Julie Ann San Jose as a new version in 2019, and a re-released as a music video with the Chan Clan in 2020)
- A Perfect Christmas (Original released in 1990, music video releases in 1991; re-released music video exclusive by MYX Channel for MYX Live as a new version in 2019)
- A Wish On Christmas Night (Original released in 1990, music video releases in 1991; re-released music video exclusive by MYX Channel for MYX Live as a new version in 2019)
- Do You Hear What I Hear? (Original released in 1990)
- Beautiful Girl (Original released in 1989, music video released in 1991)
- Tell Me Your Name (Original released in 1985, music video released in 1991)
- Christmas Past (Original released in 1994, music video released in 1995)
- Constantly (2012, featuring his best friend guitarman RJ Jacinto)
- Afterglow (2013, featuring his best friend guitarman RJ Jacinto)
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