Emilio Estefan
Emilio Estefan Gómez (born March 4, 1953) is a Cuban-American musician and producer.[1][2] Estefan has won 19 Grammy Awards.[3][4][5] 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.
In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Estefan and the second or maternal family name is Gómez.
Emilio 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.[3][6]
Estefan received the BMI "Songwriter of the Year" award in 2005 and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.[7] He also received the Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievement Award from the Songwriters' Hall of Fame in 2009.[8][9]
In November 2015, President Barack Obama awarded Estefan the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor.[10] In 2019 he also received the Gershwin Prize from the Library of Congress.[11]
Background[edit]
Emilio Estefan Gómez was born in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba to Emilio Estefan Sr. (1919–2003)[12][13] and Carmen María Gómez (1921–2006).[14] 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[13][1][2][15][16][17]—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.[18] Carmen's parents Antonio Gómez and Carmen Vasquez were Spanish immigrants who met while the latter was working for the Bacardi family.
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. In addition, Estefan's older brother José (b. 1945) was drafted into the military and could not leave Cuba until 1980.[12] 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.[19] 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.[20]
Awards[edit]
In 1994, Estefan was awarded the El Premio Billboard award for his work in the Latin music industry.[39] In the same year, he was given the Excellence Award at the 1994 Lo Nuestro Awards.[40] At the Latin Grammy Awards of 2000, Estefan received the award for Producer of the Year for his work on the albums Ciego de Amor by Charlie Zaa, El Amor de Mi Tierra by Carlos Vives and was recognized as the first Person of the Year by the Latin Recording Academy.
In 2002, he was appointed to the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities by President George W. Bush.[41] In 2005, Estefan received the BMI "Songwriter of the Year" award and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.[7] Estefan has received honorary doctoral degrees from Barry University, the University of Miami, Florida International University and the Berklee College of Music.[42][43][44] He also received the Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievement Award from the Songwriters' Hall of Fame and the Ellis Island Medal of Honor in 2009.[8][9]
Estefan was inducted into the Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2014.[45] In November 2015, President Barack Obama awarded Estefan and his wife Gloria with the nation's highest civilian honor—the Presidential Medal of Freedom.[10] They were also awarded Lo Nuestro Excellence Award in 2018 and the Gershwin Prize in 2019 from the Library of Congress.[11]
Personal life[edit]
Estefan became romantically involved with the Miami Sound Machine's lead singer Gloria Fajardo in 1976. They married on September 2, 1978, and have a son, Nayib (born September 2, 1980), and a daughter, Emily (born December 5, 1994). The family lives on Star Island.
Emily is a recording artist. Nayib is an aspiring filmmaker and owner of the Nite Owl Theater in Miami.[46][47] On June 5, 2010, Nayib married Lara Diamante Coppola in the backyard of his parents' house. On June 21, 2012, the first Estefan grandchild was born: grandson Sasha Argento Coppola Estefan. Gloria Estefan has said that "Sasha" is a name of Russian descent meaning "benefactor of mankind", and was a possible name for her and Emilio's son, Nayib.[48]