by Luis Carlos López
Hispanic Link
José FelicianoSONGWRITERS HALL OF FAME: Longtime composers Desmond Child and Rudy Pérez are launching a center that pays historic tribute to Hispanic composers by opening the Latino Songwriters Hall of Fame in Miami Beach April 23.
John Leguizamo hosts its inaugural “La Musa” induction and awards ceremony at the New World Center.
First inductees are José Feliciano of Puerto Rico, Concha Valdez Miranda of Cuba, Armando Manzanero and José Ángel Espinoza “Ferrusquilla” of Mexico and Julio Iglesias and Manuel Alejandro of Spain.
For addional information you may visit www.latinsonghall.org.
MOTIVATED SPEAKER: Business motivational speaker Michelle Villalobos is featured in the January/February edition of Speaker Magazine, alongside Jessica Kizorek. Villalobos was named by The Miami Herald as one of Miami’s “Top 20 Influencers Under 40,” Villalobos founded Miami’s largest business conference for women, drawing over 700 women over 2 days, twice a year.
For more information on the conferences visit www.MichelleVillalobos.com
Hosting them were chapter president/ WCR-TV4 newsman Brandon Benavides and PBS NewsHour senior correspondent Ray Suárez.
IMPACT AWARDS: The National Hispanic Media Coalition will host its 16th annual Impact awards gala Feb. 22 in Beverly Hills.
This year’s event will honor on-screen talents Mario López, Morena Baccarín, Lana Parrilla and Gina Torres.
The NHMC gala recognizes contributions to the positive portrayal of Latinos in media.
GRANTS AVAILABLE: The International Reporting Project is offering two religion grants for international and U.S. journalists. They are supported by a new grant from the Henry Luce Foundation.
Topics “include tensions or conflict between communities of different faiths, as well as the intersection of religion and politics, economics, access to health, housing, water, the impact of religion on arts and culture, religion and human rights, treatment of minorities and other issues,” says a press release by the organization.
The deadline for the nine-month fellowship is March 8.
All candidates must fill out an application form on which they should describe in detail (at least 1,000 words) the stories they would produce during the nine-month fellowship.
NEW NETWORK: America CV Network, which owns and operates America TeVe in Miami, New York and Puerto Rico, launched a new Spanish-language station under the name Miami TeVe Jan. 28, together with its new branding identity and programming.
In other related music news:
Richie Ray and Bobby Cruz celebrate 50 years of making music together
Puerto Rican salsa legends Richie Ray and Bobby Cruz celebrated Saturday their 50th year of making music together by recalling their greatest hits and giving thanks they’re still alive after their bouts with drugs and alcohol.
Ray, a virtuoso pianist who studied music in New York, and Cruz, who grew up tending goats in the western Puerto Rican district of Hormigueros, told Efe in an interview of their satisfaction at making so many thousands of people happy who have danced to their music. Richard Maldonado Morales, the real name of Richie Ray, called it “a privilege” to complete half a century of an artistic career with Cruz, a kid he met 55 years ago at school.
Both began composing tunes inspired by Puerto Rican singer Ramito and influenced by such Latin American song styles as the guaguanco, the cha cha cha, the boogaloo and the mambo, and even by classical music at times.
