Marc Anthony

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7 Feb 2024

Marc Anthony

Marco Antonio Muñiz, known professionally as Marc Anthony, was born on September 16, 1968. He is an American singer, songwriter, and actor, renowned as the top-selling tropical salsa artist of all time. With four Grammy Awards, eight Latin Grammy Awards, and twenty-nine Lo Nuestro Awards to his name (the most for any male artist), Anthony has achieved remarkable success in his career, selling over 12 million albums worldwide.

Anthony is celebrated for his Latin salsa compositions and ballads, earning him numerous accolades and honors. In 2009, he was bestowed with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) Lifetime Achievement Award, in addition to the 2009 CHCI Chair's Lifetime Achievement Award on September 16, 2009. Notably, Anthony holds the Guinness World Record for the best-selling tropical/salsa artist and for having the most number-one albums on the Billboard Tropical Albums year-end charts. He also holds the record for the artist with the most number-one songs on the Billboard Latin Tropical Airplay chart, with 32 songs reaching the top spot.

Marco Antonio Muñiz, better known as Marc Anthony, was born in New York City to Puerto Rican parents. His father, Felipe Muñiz, worked in a hospital cafeteria and was also a musician, while his mother, Guillermina Quiñones, was a housewife.

Growing up in East Harlem, also known as Spanish Harlem or El Barrio, Anthony is the youngest of eight children. He was raised in the Roman Catholic faith. His musical education began at home, where his father, Felipe, who was a professional guitarist, taught him to sing in both Spanish and English.

As a child, Anthony was exposed to various musical genres and artists, including rock, rhythm and blues, and pop. He was particularly influenced by artists like José Feliciano, Air Supply, Héctor Lavoe, Willie Colón, and Rubén Blades. Tito Puente, the renowned Puerto Rican percussionist and bandleader, had a significant impact on Anthony's life, both personally and professionally.

Marc Anthony began his career as a session vocalist for freestyle music and underground New York house music acts. To avoid confusion with his namesake, he changed his name from Marco Antonio Muñiz to Marc Anthony. He initially worked as a songwriter and backing vocalist for pop acts like Menudo and the Latin Rascals.

Unlike many New York salsa musicians of the past, Anthony's salsa style was heavily influenced by African American and urban genres such as rhythm and blues and house music, which he listened to while growing up.
His first album, "Rebel," released in 1988 on Bluedog Records, was a freestyle music record. In the same year, he wrote and produced "Boy I've Been Told" for fellow freestyle artist Sa-Fire. In 1989, Anthony sang backup vocals for Ann-Marie on the freestyle club hit "With or Without You," produced by Little Louie Vega and Todd Terry.

In 1990, Anthony collaborated with Little Louie Vega and Todd Terry on a duet with Chrissy I-eece called "You Should Know By Now." In 1992, he provided vocals for "Love Change," a track on the flip-side of a 13" vinyl released by Elan and The Powermachine titled "Here's Your Hat," produced by Todd Terry. Anthony also worked with Little Louie Vega on many freestyle club hits, including "Ride on the Rhythm" and tracks from the "When The Night Is Over" album, such as the freestyle classic "Time."

In 1992, Vega and Anthony opened for Latin bandleader Tito Puente at New York's Madison Square Garden. After 1992, Anthony transitioned from freestyle to salsa and other Latin styles, marking a significant shift in his musical career.

Initially reluctant to become a salsa musician, Marc Anthony declined an offer from Ralph Mercado, president of RMM Records, to make an album in this genre. However, his perspective changed when he heard Juan Gabriel's hit song, "Hasta Que Te Conocí," while in a taxi. This song influenced him to reconsider, and he asked Mercado if he could record it as a salsa tune.

Inspired by the music of Tito Puente, Héctor Lavoe, Rubén Blades, and Juan Gabriel, Marc Anthony released his Spanish-language debut album, "Otra Nota," in 1993. The album included a cover of Bread's "Make It with You." Subsequent tours throughout the Americas, including an opening slot for Blades, established Anthony as one of the newest stars in salsa.
By the early 1990s, Anthony had sold more salsa records than any other performer

worldwide, solidifying his position among the most important new salsa artists of the decade.
In 1994, he was featured on La India's album "Dicen Que Soy," on the song "Vivir Lo Nuestro."
His 1995 follow-up, "Todo a su tiempo," won Anthony a Billboard Award for Hot Tropical Artist of the Year. The album was also nominated for a Grammy, featuring hits like "Te Conozco Bien," "Hasta Ayer," "Nadie Como Ella," "Se Me Sigue Olvidando," "Te Amare," and "Llegaste A Mi." The album sold more than 800,000 copies and achieved gold record status in both the United States and Puerto Rico.

Anthony's next Spanish language album, "Contra La Corriente," was accompanied by the television special "Marc Anthony: The Concert from Madison Square Garden," broadcast on HBO on Valentine's Day in 2000. The album's song "Y Hubo Alguien" became Anthony's first number-one single on the Billboard Hot Latin Tracks and the first by a salsa musician. The album also became the first salsa album to enter the English language Billboard 200 chart.
"Otra Nota," "Todo a Su Tiempo," and "Contra La Corriente" established Marc Anthony as the top-selling singer in the history of the genre, capable of selling out prestigious venues internationally, including Madison Square Garden.