JOSE MARI CHAN

Jose Mari Chan is considered as one of the country’s most foremost popular music writers, with his songs as popular now as it was in the 1960’s when he recorded his first hits. He was born in Iloilo on March 11, 1945. His first single Afterglow, released in 1967 was a big hit, despite the monopoly of foreign acts such as the Beatles and the Beach Boys in the Philippine music industry. He was able to release his first long playing album in 1969. From 1970 to 1974, he composed more than 20 theme songs for movies, earning for him several nominations at the FAMAS Awards. He continued to write songs even as he stayed in the United States for more than 10 years; and occasionally, his songs were recorded by foreign artists. He had a breakthrough in 1989, when his album Constant Change not only was named Album of the Year by the Awit Awards but also reached Diamond Record in terms of sales; it also enjoyed high patronage in international countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia. His Christmas album Christmas In Our Hearts reached triple platinum status in 1990.