Singer, songwriter, guitarist, and engineer Raul Midón established himself as a first-call session singer upon graduation from the prestigious Studio Jazz program at the University of Miami in 1991. He sang background vocals on over 60 Latin recordings, many of which won GRAMMY Awards. In 1999, he was asked to join Shakira's touring band. During that time, he was creating his own original music and was signed to a development deal with Warner Chappel. He left Shakira’s band to move to NYC to pursue his own career. He debuted at Carnegie Hall with the Movie Music of Spike Lee within a year. Spike engaged him to write the end credit song for “She Hate Me.” At the same time, Raul was signed by legendary producer Arif Mardin to his label under the Blue Note moniker, Manhattan Records. Together with his son Joe Mardin, they produced and released two albums, the acclaimed “State of Mind” and “A World Within A World.” Raul made his television debut on The David Letterman Show, followed by performances on Leno, Ferguson, & Jimmy Kimmel. Raul has worked with countless legends in the industry, including Bill Withers, Herbie Hancock, Sting, Terence Blanchard, and Dianne Reeves. He received two Grammy nominations back-to-back in 2017 and 2018 for his albums “Bad Ass and Blind” and “If You Really Want” in the Best Jazz Vocal Category. He established himself as an accomplished recording engineer, recording all the vocals for both of the aforementioned in his home studio. In 2019, he was invited to speak at his high school Alma Mater, Santa Fe Prep, and was also given the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the University of Miami. His latest album, The Mirror, released on March 20, 2020, was nominated for Best Jazz Album from the A2IM Libera Awards in 2021. Also that year, he was awarded the Disability Rights Ambassador of the Year award, presented to him in a virtual ceremony by his friend and colleague Jason Mraz. Click here for more information about this event!
