Emilio Estefan

Emilio Estefan Gómez was born in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba to Emilio Estefan Sr. (1919–2003) and Carmen María Gómez (1921–2006).

His father Emilio Estefan Sr. was born in Cuba to Lebanese and Syrian parents and was the second child in a family which consisted of eleven siblings —many of whom were textile traders that traveled throughout Cuba and the Caribbean.

Emilio Sr. was raised by his widowed mother Júlia, as his father had died when he was still a child.

Carmen's parents Antonio Gómez and Carmen Vasquez were Spanish immigrants who met while the latter was working for the Bacardi family.

In addition, Estefan's older brother José (b. 1945) was drafted into the military and could not leave Cuba until 1980.

For about a year, Estefan and his father lived an impoverished life in Spain before relocating permanently to Miami, Florida.

Although circumstances were far better in Miami, Estefan and Emilio Sr. still struggled as they lived in a cramped house with Estefan's aunt and 8 cousins.

Emilio Estefan Gómez (born March 4, 1953) is a Cuban-American musician and producer.

Estefan has won 19 Grammy Awards.

He first came to prominence as a member of the Miami Sound Machine.

He is the husband of singer Gloria Estefan, father of son Nayib Estefan and daughter Emily Estefan, and the uncle of Spanish-language television personality Lili Estefan.

Estefan is credited with paving the way for the crossover explosion of Latin music of the late 90s, mostly through artists that Estefan himself brought to the forefront of the US music stage, including his wife Gloria Estefan, as well as Jon Secada, Ricky Martin, and Shakira.

In 1967, at the age of fourteen, Estefan and his father Emilio Sr. fled Cuba for Spain to escape the Castro regime.

The Estefan family planned to reunite in the United States and, as a result, Carmen chose to remain behind because she did not want to abandon her parents.

Estefan did not reunite with his mother until 1971 when she was finally able to immigrate to the United States.

It was during his formative years that Estefan cultivated his musical sensibilities, as he had often used his accordion-playing skills to earn enough tips to support his father and family.

In 1975, Gloria and her cousin Mercedes "Merci" Navarro (1957–2007) met Estefan while performing at a church ensemble rehearsal.

Estefan, who had formed the band the Miami Latin Boys earlier that year, learned about Gloria through a mutual acquaintance.

While the Miami Latin Boys were performing at a Cuban wedding at Hotel Dupont, Gloria and Merci (who were wedding guests) performed two Cuban standards impromptu.

They impressed the Miami Latin Boys so much that they were invited to join the band permanently with the band's name changing to Miami Sound Machine.

Gloria, who was attending the University of Miami at the time, only agreed to perform during the weekends so that her studies would not be interrupted.

Eventually, Miami Sound Machine would perform with Gloria Estefan (née Fajardo) as the lead singer and headliner.

As a producer, Estefan has shaped and developed the careers of many music superstars.

His influential role in the Latin Boom of the late ‘90s and early ‘00s is reflected in his production and songwriting on albums by Shakira (Laundry Service and Donde estan los ladrones?), Ricky Martin (Ricky Martin and Sound Loaded), Jennifer Lopez (On the 6), Jon Secada, Marc Anthony, Thalia, and others.

He has also produced various events for both general market and Hispanic market television.

These events include the Latin Grammys, Hispanic Heritage Awards, Nuestra Navidad, and some high-profile productions on HBO and Showtime.

He has also produced many musical events at the White House.

Estefan received the BMI "Songwriter of the Year" award in 2005 and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

In 2008, Estefan produced and directed his first full-length documentary 90 Millas to showcase the history and pioneers of Cuban music.

He also received the Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievement Award from the Songwriters' Hall of Fame in 2009.

Estefan gathered dozens of Latino entertainers in 2010 to record Michael Jackson's "We Are The World" in Spanish.

The Spanish language version, already written by Estefan and approved by Quincy Jones, became "Somos El Mundo".

It premiered during El Show de Cristina on March 1, 2010 and the funds went to the Haiti relief.

Also, in 2010, Estefan released his book The Rhythm of Success – How an Immigrant Produced His Own American Dream.

The following year, Estefan presented the book The Exile Experience: A Journey to Freedom in collaboration with writer Carlos Pintado and journalist Carlos Alberto Montaner, which included personal testimonials from different generations of exiles.

The Exile Experience: Journey to Freedom is published in three separate editions – each tailor-made for those who arrived through Operation Pedro Pan, the Freedom Flights and the Mariel boatlift.

Each edition features the names of every Cuban who arrived via one of those three exoduses, and there has been an accumulation of more than 400,000 names amongst the three editions published.

He partnered with the Nederlander Group in 2013 to produce the Broadway musical extravaganza, On Your Feet! The musical is based on the life and musical legacy of the Estefans and Fajardos.

In November 2015, President Barack Obama awarded Estefan the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor.

In 2019 he also received the Gershwin Prize from the Library of Congress.