Raphael

Miguel Rafael Martos Sánchez, born 5 May 1943 in Linares, Spain, is a Spanish singer whose career spans more than six decades. He began performing at a very young age, joining a choir as a child and receiving formal vocal training that underpinned his later work. His first commercial recordings appeared in the early 1960s, and his breakthrough came with the single “Yo soy aquél”, released on Hispavox, which brought him national recognition after representing Spain at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1966. During the second half of the 1960s he released a succession of successful studio albums, including Raphael (1965), Canta… (1966), and Al ponerse el sol (1967), followed by Raphael en vivo (1969), which showcased his theatrical performance style. Throughout the 1970s he maintained a steady output with albums such as Aleluya… (1970), Algo más (1971), and Volveré a nacer (1972), consolidating his presence in Spanish and international pop music. In 1982 he was awarded a Uranium Disc in recognition of more than 50 million records sold worldwide. In 2003 he underwent a liver transplant, after which he became a prominent public advocate for organ donation and returned to the stage with subsequent touring activity. He has appeared alongside artists such as Manolo Escobar in televised performances, though without an officially released joint recording. Miguel Rafael Martos Sánchez  continued to perform and record into the 2020s, releasing the album Victoria in 2022, and his cultural legacy is reflected in the Raphael Museum in Linares, which houses more than four hundred personal artifacts.