Raul Midón

Raúl Midón
Raúl Midón at TED2007 in 2007
Background information
Born	(1966-03-14) March 14, 1966 (age 50) Embudo, New Mexico
Origin	New Mexico, United States
Genres	Soul, flamenco, Latin, jazz
Instruments	Guitar, vocals, mouth trumpet
Years active	1993–present
Labels	Artistry, Universal
Website	www.raulmidon.com

Raúl Midón (born March 14, 1966) is a singer-songwriter and guitarist from New Mexico, based in New York City.

Midón was born prematurely in a rural hospital in Embudo, New Mexico, to parents of Argentine and African American descent. His father was a folkloric dancer from Argentina. Midón and his twin brother Marco (now a NASA engineer) were blinded as infants after spending time in an without adequate eye protection. The sounds of music became integral to Midón's life around age 4, when his father introduced him to the drum. Midón learned how to play the guitar while performing in rigorous educational programs, first at a school for the blind and then at a Santa Fe academy while completing his last two years of high school. Midón then attended the University of Miami, which he selected for its jazz curriculum. He graduated from the University of Miami in 1990. In 2008 he purchased a home in Maryland and currently resides there.

Midón began his career as a session singer for numerous Latin recording artists including Shakira, Alejandro Sanz, Julio Iglesias and Jose Feliciano. After touring with Shakira, he set aside this career to pursue a solo career and moved to New York City. In New York City he worked with producer and DJ Little Louie Vega. He wrote and recorded several songs including "Cerca De Mi" with Louie and his production team under the band name "Elements of Life." Elements of Life, led by Louie Vega toured Europe, Japan and Australia in 2003/2004.

Midón was signed by Arif Mardin to Manhattan Records. In Mardin's long career, Midón was his first signing of an artist. Mardin, along with his son, Joe, produced the critically acclaimed of Midón's debut album, State of Mind.