Emilio Estefan, Jr. made a name for himself as the entrepreneur who heads up Estefan Enterprises, Inc. Along with managing the career of his superstar wife Gloria, with whom he developed their singular Latin/pop sound, Emilio has successfully delved into all segments of the music industry, ranging from production to publishing.
Known as the “godfather or the Miami sound,” Emilio was the first to envision the fusion of Latin music and rhythm with English lyrics that became the hottest trend in music since the invention of jazz. In 1975, he formed a group called the Miami Latin Boys that performed traditional Cuban music with a contemporary flavor. The group’s popularity grew and they changed their name to Miami Sound Machine and added a female singer named Gloria Fajardo. By 1985 their song "Conga" had become an international smash hit and transformed the group’s lead singer - now Gloria Estefan, having married Emilio in 1978 – into the first Latin Female crossover superstar. The bouncy, percussion-heavy album was an instant success, becoming the first single to camp out on Billboard’s pop, dance, black, and Latin charts concurrently.
The group enjoyed further success with hits such as "Rhythm is Gonna Get You" and "Anything for You". Gloria launched her solo career in 1989 and went on to sell more than 70 million albums worldwide while Emilio began exploring songwriting and producing, forming his own label, Crescent Moon Productions. He has worked with some of the top recording stars of our time including Jon Secada, Madonna, Jennifer Lopez, Albita, Ricky Martin, Will Smith, Shakira and Alejandro Fernandez.
Today, Emilio Estefan is a five-time GRAMMY winner, a two-time Latin GRAMMY winner, the first-ever Latin Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences’ Person of the Year, a two-time Cable Ace Award winner and the head of a diverse enterprise that includes writing, composing, record production, films, restaurants and a magazine.
A jukebox musical, On Your Feet!, about the life of Gloria and Emilio Estefan premiered on Broadway November 5, 2015.
Gloria and Emilio Estefan live in Miami and have two grown children both active in the entertainment industry.
All bios appear as they were submitted in the year of induction or award presentation.