Just ahead of the holiday season, the man behind one of its best-known songs has found a new home for his recordings. Reservoir Media announced on Wednesday, October 21, that it has acquired rights to José Feliciano’s recorded music catalog. The deal also gives the Nasdaq-listed independent non-exclusive rights to the artist’s name, image and likeness.
Reservoir did not disclose the price, and it did not say exactly which recordings are included. Feliciano’s best-known recordings, among them “Light My Fire” and “Feliz Navidad,” were first released on RCA Victor.
A six-decade career
Feliciano was born blind in Lares, Puerto Rico, grew up in New York’s Spanish Harlem and taught himself guitar as a child. He was playing Greenwich Village clubs as a teenager and signed with RCA Victor in 1964. His 1968 version of The Doors’ “Light My Fire” reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and won him two Grammys the following year: Best New Artist and Best Contemporary Pop Vocal Performance, Male. That same year, his interpretation of the national anthem at the World Series became a landmark performance.
He wrote and recorded “Feliz Navidad” in 1970. The bilingual song returns to the charts every holiday season, and it reached a Hot 100 high of No. 6 on the chart dated January 2, 2021. The original recording entered the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2010, and this year the Library of Congress added it to the National Recording Registry. Feliciano also wrote and sang the theme for the TV series Chico and the Man, has released more than 60 albums and received the National Medal of Arts.
“I’m excited to be in partnership with the talented Reservoir Team, ensuring the enjoyment of my music for generations to come,” Feliciano said in the announcement. Reservoir founder and CEO Golnar Khosrowshahi said the company has made a deliberate push into Latin music this year and called the Feliciano deal an important continuation of that strategy.
The acquisition follows other Reservoir deals in 2026: a publishing joint venture with TU Publishing in June, the purchase of the Nacional Records catalog in July and, just two days earlier, the acquisition of jazz composer Billy Strayhorn’s publishing catalog. Feliciano was represented by broker Denny Marte of MPA Advisors, Jay Stollman and attorney Brett Green.
Image: Michael Feliciano / Reservoir Media, via https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/reservoir-acquires-rights-to-feliz-navidad-star-jose-felicianos-recorded-music-catalog/.
Source: Music Business Worldwide