Emilio Estefan Gets A Star On Walk of Fame

HOLLYWOOD WALK OF FAME — Grammy-winning producer Emilio Estefan, who has helped propel the careers of Jennifer Lopez, Ricky Martin and his wife, Gloria Estefan, received the 2,287th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame Thursday.

Gloria Estefan joined her husband in speaking at the ceremony in front of the Hollywood Entertainment Museum. Emilio Estefan's star is next to his wife's.

Born April 3, 1953, in Cuba, Emilio Estefan moved to the United States in 1968, sharing an apartment with 15 relatives and earning a living by running errands for neighbors. He later worked at beauty contests in the Miami area, then for Bacardi, rising from the mailroom to the famed distillers' Latin marketing department.

However, his true passion was music, founding -- and playing the accordion for -- a group that became known as the Miami Latin Boys. Estefan met his future wife at a 1975 event where the group played. Two years later, she accepted his offer to join the group, which was renamed the Miami Sound Machine.

In the early 1980s, after Emilio Estefan signed the group to an exclusive contract with CBS Records, it had a string of No. 1 hits, including "Get Off Your Feet" and "Conga."

When his wife left the group in 1987 to embark on a solo career, Emilio Estefan became a fulltime music producer.

In addition to producing albums by his wife, Martin, and Lopez, Estefan also has produced albums by Lopez's husband, Marc Anthony, Jon Secada, Celia Cruz and Shakira.

In recent years, he has turned to producing such television programming as the Latin Grammy Awards, the Hispanic Heritage Awards and "Nuevas Voces de America," a singing competition which recently completed its first season.

Emilio Estefan is also a member of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities and has produced events at the White House.

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