Manuel Álvarez-Beigbeder Pérez (born 21 February 1932), better known as Manuel Alejandro, is a Spanish composer of Latin love songs, which are better known as ballads. He has written, composed, and arranged songs for the likes of Luis Miguel, Plácido Domingo, Nino Bravo, Julio Iglesias, Raphael, Hernaldo Zúñiga, José José, José Luis Rodríguez, Emmanuel, Enrique Guzmán, Isabel Pantoja, Rocío Jurado, Rudy Marquez, and Jeanette, among many others.

Biography

Manuel Alejandro was born in 1932 in Jerez de la Frontera–Cádiz. He is the son of one of Spain's most renowned contemporary symphonists, Germán Álvarez Beigbeder. It was his father, an accomplished musician, professor, and composer, who inspired Manuel Alejandro to pursue music and become a composer.

Musical career

Hits of the 60s

He started writing songs for Spanish singer Raphael during the 1960s. Many of those songs are now considered classics. The list includes such hits as:

Hits of the 1970s and '80s

He continued writing a few songs during the 1970s, but reached his peak in the early 1980s with the release of consecutive albums with songs performed by different international artists. A whole generation grew up listening to songs written by him, although not many knew he was the man behind those hits. His repertoire of more than 500 songs includes:

Hits of the 00s

Personal life

He has seven children: Javier, Carlos and Patricia with his first wife and Sandra, Beatriz, Marian and Viviana with his second wife.