Emilio Estefan

Emilio Estefan is a Grammy-winning producer and songwriter. Born March 4, 1953 in Havana, Cuba, Estefan is of Lebanese ancestry. He moved to the United States as a teenager. In Miami, he worked as a mailroom worker for the Bacardi rum company before being promoted to its marketing department. While there, he formed a band called the Miami Latin Boys that played Cuban dance music. In 1975, Estefan met Gloria Fajardo at a church gathering and he later invited her to sing with the band, which became the Miami Sound Machine. They married in 1979. The Miami's Sound Machine's blend of Latin rhythms and international pop music produced a number of hits, among them Conga, and by the mid-1980s helped make Gloria Estefan a star. Emilio Estefan's management of his wife's career made him a highly sought-after music producer and arranger. He launched his Sony-music backed Crescent Moon studio in 1994 and worked with a number of rising Latin music stars, among them Thalia, Shakira, Ricky Martin and Carlos Vives. He also kept close to his Cuban roots, working with singer Albita Rodriguez and Cuban music legend Israel "Cachao" Lopez. Along the way, Estefan became a music and business mogul. Estefan Enterprises, the company he owns with his wife Gloria, is involved in music publishing, recording, producing, television and film production, talent management, real estate and restaurants. Among its holdings are the Cardozo Hotel and Lario's restaurant in Miami's South Beach and Bongos restaurant in Miami. Emilio and Gloria Estefan currently live in Miami on Star Island.