ARTIST

Ricky Martin

The "overnight" success of Ricky Martin in 1999 just reveals how ethnocentric America (well, at least the American press) still is with regards to pop culture. Martin, a former child actor, has actually been an international star since he spent five years as a founding member of that New Kids On The Block with Latino flair prototype, Menudo. When growing up forced him out, the Puerto Rico native graduated to a Mexican soap opera before spending three years in the mid-'90s as a star of U.S. soap General Hospital. He then appeared on Broadway in Les Miserables, still finding time to record four Spanish-language LPs that sold more than 30 million copies worldwide.

This was all before his appearance on the 1999 Grammys, which instantly made him a star in America and brought him to the attention of Madonna. As a result, his self-titled English-language album debut was perhaps the most anticipated pop event since the Beatles' appearance on Ed Sullivan, while his gyrating pelvis is the most envied and admired since Elvis Presley first broke the barrier in the late '50s.

Ricky Martin didn't disappoint, topping the chart, fueled by the omnipresent single "Livin' La Vida Loca." The success made him the first Latin music artist to simply explode the form into the mainstream, achieving true international crossover superstardom in the process. The album also included the hits "Shake Your Bon-Bon," "She's All I Ever Had," and "The Cup Of Life."

However, Rickymania waned somewhat with the release of 2000's Sound Loaded. The album debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200, and spawned the hit "She Bangs," but it was no match for the hysteria that surrounded Martin in 1999.

Following the lukewarm reception of Sound Loaded, Martin's record company opted to shore up his Latin roots with the 2001 release, La Historia, which collects Martin's biggest Spanish-language hits. Martin returned with Almas Del Silencio, an album of new Spanish-language tunes, in May 2003.

Written by Bill Holdship