Gary Valenciano

From WikiPilipinas: The Hip 'n Free Philippine Encyclopedia

Gary Valenciano
Image:Gary valenciano.png
Background information
Birth name	Edgardo José Martín Santiago Valenciano
Also known as	Gary V.
Born	August 6, 1964 (age 45) Manila, Philippines
Origin	Philippines
Genre(s)	Gospel, Pop, Dance music
Occupation(s)	Singer, Songwriter, Producer, Actor
Instrument(s)	Vocals, Keyboards, Percussions
Years active	1984 - present
Label(s)	Manila Genesis Entertainment
Website	GaryV.com

Edgardo José Martín Santiago Valenciano, better known as simply Gary Valenciano (shortened to Gary V.), is a Filipino musician, composer, actor, producer, and gospel singer who is best known for many songs, especially those that became theme songs for movies. His energetic dance moves also garnered him the nickname "Mr. Pure Energy."

[edit] Early life and career

Born in the suburb of Santa Mesa in Manila on August 6, 1964, he is the sixth of Vicente Valenciano and Grimilda Santiago Ortiz’s seven children. Santiago Ortiz is a Puerto Rican woman of Italian descent who became a popular opera singer in Manila during the 1960s, and her love for music passed down to her son, Gary. He took his primary and secondary studies in La Salle Greenhills. It was during his high school days, while being on a brief stint the musical group Kundirana, that he devoted himself to music.

He first appeared as a solo in a television show called The Pilita and Jackie Show in 1982, but he was finally noticed after his performances in the TV shows Germspesyal and Penthouse Live. He had his first solo concert, in April 1984, inside the jam-packed Araneta Coliseum. He was soon to make 21 albums, three of them released internationally, including a Christian inspired album called Out in the Dark.

He is married to María Anna Elizabeth "Angeli" Evangelista Pangilinan, with whom he has three children: Juan Paolo Martín, José Angelo Gabriel, and Kristina María Mikaela.

He was one of the 2001 TOYM Awardees for Contemporary Music.

[edit] Discography

[edit] Albums

• Gary (1984)
• Gary...Next (1985)
• Gary...Inside Out (1985)
• From Gary, Merry Christmas (1986)
• Moving Thoughts (1987)
• Faces of Love (1989)
• Heart and Soul (Live Album)
• Shout for Joy (1991)
• Dancing in the Moonlight (1992) - Internationally by Toshiba-EMI in Japan
• Shout Live (1993)
• Hataw Na (1993)
• Move Live (1995)
• Out of the Dark (1995) - Internationally in the United States
• Outside Looking In (1995) - Internationally by Polygram
• Interactive (1998)
• Revive (2001)
• one 2 one (2002)
• I Will Be Here (2002)
• Beyond Words (2003)
• At the Movies (2003)
• Pure Heart (2005)
• Soul Full
• Relevance (2006)

[edit] Songs

This is a list of some of his most notable songs; until recently, artists in the Philippines never release stand-alone singles.

• Take Me Out of the Dark
• Sana Maulit Muli
• Hataw Na
• Natutulog ba ang Diyos
• Sa Yahweh (Ang Sayaw)
• Shout for Joy
• Babalik Ka rin
• The Warrior Is a Child
• ’Di Bale na Lang
• Could You Be Messiah
• That's Why
• We Are the Reason
• Side by Side

[edit] Trivia

• The album Interactive was also released as a CD-ROM, which contains his life and his music. It was the first of its kind in Asia.
• As denoted, At the Movies covers songs that became theme songs for movies, especially his version of the well-known Anak by Freddie Aguilar.
• The songs The Warrior is a Child and Sana Maulit Muli became associated with funerals for deceased young stars. The former was sung by Valenciano during a funeral for actor Rico Yan, while (it was revealed during an interview that) the latter was originally written in English as an apostrophe/rhetorical question to actress Julie Vega.
• First Filipino to be appointed UNICEF's Ambassador of Goodwill for the Philippines on December 1998.
• He has appeared several commercials, sometimes with best friend Martin Nievera.
• He has also starred in twelve movies, appearing beside Vilma Santos and Lorna Tolentino to name a few. He was even awarded for such roles.
• He was also involved in musical theater, playing the lead role in Joseph the Dreamer.
• He was diagnosed with type I diabetes mellitus when he was 14 years old [1], and reports about his diabetes attacks, especially those that occur while on tour, usually worry fans, friends, and family. But his condition is said to have "put things into perspective."
• His new blog at www.lifeanddiabetes.com.ph, launched in July 2009, is about his and his wife's experiences with diabetes, hoping to create more awareness, inspire diabetics and also help their loved ones cope with the disease.
• Like Gary himself, his mother is also diabetic.[2]
• He appeared in the 41st "Kōhaku Utagassen," the Japanese New Year's Eve Red-and-White Song Festival, a prestigious event where elite musicians are invited to go in teams to showcase their talents to the world and battle it out with endurance and song.
• His favorite basketball player is Michael Jordan.
• His favorite past time is cycling.
• Gary's dad, Vic Valenciano, had recently published a photographic and biographical book simply entitled, "Gary Valenciano." The book is 175 pages of pictures and excerpts from cover to cover. Gary's favorite picture in the book was when he was flying a kite, because it was of a memory of when his father had made him a second kite to take the place of a previous kite he tried to fly, but got snagged in a tree. Gary says, the photo is symbolic because it shows that if at first you don't succeed, you have to keep trying, but don't do it on your own. Instead, be with the ones who means the most to you, in this case, Gary was happy that he succeeded with his father.
• Gary's first T.V. commercial was for a pop product named "Fresh Gusto," a refreshing cola drink.

[edit] External Links

• Gary Valenciano at the Internet Movie Database
• Gary Valenciano's Official Website
• Gary V and his Wife's Blog on Life and Diabetes

[edit] Original Source

Original content from Wikipedia under GNU Free Documentation License. See full disclaimer.