Proceeds From The Gala Will Benefit The Latin GRAMMY Cultural FoundationTM
A Star-Studded Tribute Will Take Place At The South Pacific Ballroom of The Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas on Wednesday, Nov. 18
MIAMI (June 16, 2015) — Four-time Latin GRAMMY® winner and GRAMMY® winner Roberto Carlos has been selected as the 2015 Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year®. The internationally acclaimed Brazilian performer and singer/songwriter will be honored at a star-studded tribute concert on Wednesday, Nov. 18 at the South Pacific Ballroom of the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas. Recognized as O Rei (The King) Roberto Carlos was chosen for his important artistic and social contributions to Latin music and culture. The celebration will feature songs from Roberto Carlos' vast catalog performed by an impressive array of notable artists and friends to be announced in the months to come. A significant portion of the net proceeds from the gala will benefit the Latin GRAMMY Cultural FoundationTM — which provides scholarships, fellowships, grants, and educational programs year-round. The prestigious event will precede the 16th Annual Latin GRAMMY AwardsTM, taking place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, and broadcasting live on the Univision Network on Thursday, Nov. 19 at 8 p.m. ET/PT (7 p.m. Central.)
"To speak of Brazil is to speak of Roberto Carlos," said Gabriel Abaroa Jr., President/CEO of The Latin Recording Academy®. "His immense talent, passion and dedication to his art has made him one of the greatest voices and songwriters in Latin music. It is with great pride that we honor such a musical treasure and we look forward to celebrating his career and his indelible musical legacy."
With a career spanning more than 55 years, the Brazilian musician and singer/songwriter's passion for music began at age nine when he first sang on national radio. Since that time, he has gone on to amass 500 accredited songs as a composer. He is the only Brazilian singer to sell more records than the Beatles or Elvis Presley with more than 120 million albums sold in Latin America.
While his early years were devoted to the youth rock movement of the time, as Roberto Carlos entered the '70s and '80s he established himself as one of the most prolific romantic artists in Latin America with such chart-topping hits as "Detalles," "Emociones," "Amada Amante," "Amigo," "Propuesta," "Lady Laura," and "Mujer Pequena." With an adult contemporary approach to singing, he began sharing his music on a global scale and started recording in Spanish, Italian, English, and French resulting in international crossover success. The result of his hard work and determination has made him the only artist in history to release an album a year for 48 consecutive years while simultaneously releasing albums in Portuguese and Spanish for more than three decades.
Aside from his standing as one of the most iconic singers of his time, he has appeared in several highly rated TV programs and has starred in three successful films. He has toured the globe several times over to sold out audiences across the Americas; continuing to demonstrate his artistic prowess, he recently recorded Roberto Carlos – Primera Fila at London's illustrious Abbey Road Studios, which will be released later this year.
As the 2015 Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year, Roberto Carlos joins a distinguished list of past recipients that includes Miguel Bosé, Plácido Domingo, Gloria Estefan, Vicente Fernández, Juan Luis Guerra, Carlos Santana, Joan Manuel Serrat, Shakira, and Caetano Veloso, among others.
For information on purchasing tickets or tables to this year's Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year gala, please contact The Latin Recording Academy ticketing office at 310.314.8281 or ticketing@grammy.com.
The Latin Recording Academy is an international, membership-based organization comprised of Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking recording artists, musicians, songwriters, producers and other creative and technical recording professionals. The organization is dedicated to improving the quality of life and cultural condition for Latin music and its makers. In addition to producing the Latin GRAMMY Awards to honor excellence in the recorded arts and sciences, The Latin Recording Academy provides educational and outreach programs for the Latin music community either directly or through its Latin GRAMMY Cultural Foundation. For more information about The Latin Recording Academy, please visit LatinGRAMMY.com. For breaking news and exclusive content, follow us at: Twitter, Facebook , Instagram, Vine, Periscope, YouTube, Pinterest, Google+ and Tumblr.
The Latin GRAMMY Cultural Foundation was established by The Latin Recording Academy to promote international awareness and appreciation of the significant contributions of Latin music and its makers to the world's culture, and to protect its rich musical legacy and heritage. The Foundation's primary charitable focus is to provide scholarships to students of Latin music with financial needs, as well as grants to scholars and organizations worldwide for research and preservation of diverse Latin music genres. For more information about the Latin GRAMMY Cultural Foundation, please visit LatinGRAMMYCulturalFoundation.com. For breaking news and exclusive content, follow us at: Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Photo available upon request.
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MEDIA CONTACTS
Lourdes L. Patton
The Recording Academy
310.392.3777
Lourdesl@grammy.com
Nordhia Centeno
Rogers & Cowan
310.854.8284
NCenteno@rogersandcowan.com
Brazil:
Belinha Almendra
Coringa Comunicação
21.2259.6042
belinha@coringacomunica.com.br
Roberto Carlos:
Press - Mauricio Aires
Kassu Produções
21.2247.0809
21.2247.5122
kassu@kassu.com.br
EDITOR'S NOTES:
Please visit the Press Room at LatinGRAMMY.com — The Latin Recording Academy's official website — frequently to receive updates for media credentialing instructions for the 2015 Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year gala and the 16th Annual Latin GRAMMY Awards.
