Joselito

Artist: Joselito

LP: El Triunfador Joselito, Vol. III

Song: "Arbolea"

[ listen ]

I'm back from my trip to Washington's northeast wooded wilderness, where there weren't many chances for record-hunting. I did, however, manage to sniff out some vinyl in the little logging town of Colville. This Joselito LP was something I found at the Habitat For Humanity Thrift Store on Main Street. Fortunately it was in decent shape, since 90% of the records they offer had evidently been tied behind a leaky cement mixer and dragged through town before being priced and put on shelves.

Born in Beas de Degura, Spain in February of 1943, José Jiménez Fernández (aka. Joselito) was nicknamed "The Little Nightingale" for his lovely fluttery voice, and also because it was the title of his first film. He went on to appear in a number of movies in both Spain and Mexico, including "Aventuras de Joselito y Pulgarcito," in which some of the songs from this record appear. Unfortunately, Joselito eventually grew up, his voice changed and his popularity faded by the end of the 1960s. He reportedly went on to become a heroin addict, found work as a mercenary in Africa and was arrested in 1990 for trafficking drugs and guns. According to his biography on IMDB here, Joselito now lives in Valencia and is clean and sober! You can read more about the life and career of Spain's "Little Nightingale" on Wikipedia here.