Raul Midón (born March 14, 1966) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist from New Mexico.

Biography

Early life

Midón was born prematurely in a rural hospital in Embudo,

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

, to parents of

Argentine Argentines, Argentinians or Argentineans are people from Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical, or cultural. For most Argentines, several (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their ...

and

African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

descent. His father was a folkloric dancer from

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

. Midón was raised

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

. Midon and his twin brother Marco were blind as infants after spending time in an

incubator An incubator is anything that performs or facilitates various forms of incubation, and may refer to: Biology and medicine * Incubator (culture), a device used to grow and maintain microbiological cultures or cell cultures * Incubator (egg), a dev ...

without adequate eye protection. The sound of music became integral to Midon's life at age four when his father introduced him to the drum. Midon learned how to play guitar while performing in educational programs at a school for the blind, then at Santa Fe Preparatory School while completing his last two years of high school in 1984. Midon then attended the

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private university, private research university in Coral Gables, Florida, United States. , the university enrolled 19,852 students in two colleges and ten schools across over ...

, which he selected for its jazz curriculum. He graduated from the University of Miami in 1990.

Career

Midon began his career as a session singer for Latin recording artists including

Shakira Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll ( , ; born 2 February 1977) is a Colombian singer-songwriter. Referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Latin Music", she has had a Cultural impact of Shakira, significant impact on the ...

, Alejandro Sanz,

Julio Iglesias Julio José Iglesias de la Cueva (; born 23 September 1943) is a Spanish singer and songwriter. Iglesias is recognized as the most commercially successful Spanish singer in the world and one of the top List of best-selling music artists, reco ...

, and

Jose Feliciano Jose is the English transliteration of the Hebrew and Aramaic name ''Yose'', which is etymologically linked to ''Yosef'' or Joseph. Given name Mishnaic and Talmudic periods * Jose ben Abin * Jose ben Akabya *Jose the Galilean * Jose ben Halafta ...

. After touring with Shakira, he moved to New York City to pursue a solo career. In New York City he worked with producer and DJ

Little Louie Vega Luis Ferdinand Vega Jr. (born June 12, 1965), as known as "Little Louie" Vega, is an American DJ, record producer and remixer of Puerto Ricans in the United States, Puerto Rican ancestry. He is one half of the Masters at Work musical production ...

. He wrote and recorded several songs, including "Cerca De Mi" with Vega and his production team under the band name Elements of Life. The band was led by Vega and toured Europe, Japan, and Australia during 2003 and 2004. Midón was signed by

Arif Mardin Arif Mardin (March 15, 1932 – June 25, 2006) was a Turkish-American music producer, who worked with hundreds of artists across many different styles of music, including jazz, rock, soul, disco and country. He worked at Atlantic Records for ov ...

Manhattan Records Manhattan Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group and operates as a branch of Interscope Capitol Labels Group. Company history Manhattan Records was formed in 1984 by Bruce Lundvall and was later renamed EMI Manhatt ...

. In Mardin's long career, Midon was his first signing of an artist. Mardin and his son Joe produced Midon's debut album, ''State of Mind'' (2005). The album featured a guest performance by

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...

, one of his idols, another one with

Jason Mraz Jason Thomas Mraz ( ; born June 23, 1977) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He rose to prominence with the release of his debut studio album, ''Waiting for My Rocket to Come'' (2002), which spawned the single "The Remedy (I Won't Wo ...

, and a song written in tribute to

Donny Hathaway Donny Edward Hathaway (October 1, 1945 – January 13, 1979) was an American soul singer, keyboardist, songwriter, backing vocalist, and arranger who ''Rolling Stone'' described as a "soul legend". His most popular songs include " The Ghetto" ...

entitled "Sittin' in the Middle." Midon is an avid amateur radio enthusiast, who used his call sign (KB5ZOT) using

Morse code Morse code is a telecommunications method which Character encoding, encodes Written language, text characters as standardized sequences of two different signal durations, called ''dots'' and ''dashes'', or ''dits'' and ''dahs''. Morse code i ...

. Midon released the album ''A World Within a World'' on September 25, 2007. Midon sang the song at the credits for

Spike Lee Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (born March 20, 1957) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, and author. His work has continually explored race relations, issues within the black community, the role of media in contemporary ...

's 2004

LGBT LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, asexual, aromantic, agender, and other individuals. The gro ...

film, ''

She Hate Me ''She Hate Me'' is a 2004 American independent comedy-drama film directed by Spike Lee. The film stars Anthony Mackie, Kerry Washington, Ellen Barkin, Monica Bellucci, Brian Dennehy, Woody Harrelson, Bai Ling, and John Turturro. The f ...

'', titled "Adam n' Eve n' Eve". His song "Everybody" was featured in the soundtrack of the movie ''The Peaceful Warrior'' starring Nick Nolte. Midon's national television debut was on the ''

Late Show with David Letterman ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by Letterman's production com ...

'' on June 28, 2005.

Herbie Hancock Herbert Jeffrey Hancock (born April 12, 1940) is an American jazz musician, bandleader, and composer. He started his career with trumpeter Donald Byrd's group. Hancock soon joined the Miles Davis Quintet, where he helped to redefine the role of ...

featured Midon on the album ''

Possibilities ''Possibilities'' is the thirty-ninth studio album by American jazz pianist Herbie Hancock, released on August 30, 2005, by Hear Music and Vector Recordings. Background The album features a variety of guest musicians such as Trey Anastasio an ...

'' (2006), performing Stevie Wonder's "

I Just Called to Say I Love You "I Just Called to Say I Love You" is a Sentimental ballad, ballad written, produced, and performed by American Rhythm and blues, R&B singer and songwriter Stevie Wonder. It was a major international hit, and remains Wonder's best-selling single to ...

". In 2008 he built a home studio with the help of

Cakewalk The cakewalk was a dance developed from the "prize walks" (dance contests with a cake awarded as the prize) held in the mid-19th century, generally at get-togethers on black slave plantations before and after emancipation in the Southern Unit ...

and the company Dancing Dots, which designs technology for the blind. The studio allowed him to produce music from home without the need of an engineer. Vocals and guitar for his song "Everyone Deserves a Second Chance", which appeared on Cuban pianist Roberto Fonseca's album Akokan, were recorded at his home. He recorded two songs for the Generosity Water project at his home studio, which he calls The Basement Studio. Midon worked with producer

Larry Klein Larry Klein is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer. He is based in Los Angeles. He began his career as a bassist, playing with jazz artists Willie Bobo, Freddie Hubbard, Carmen McRae, Joe Henderson, Bobby Hutcherson, Way ...

on the album ''Synthesis'' (

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, record label * Decca Gold, classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, musical theater record label * Decca Studios, recording facility in West ...

, 2009). He moved to Santa Monica, California, while recording the album, which featured

Vinnie Colaiuta Vincent Peter Colaiuta (born February 5, 1956) is an American drummer known for his technical mastery who has worked as a session musician in many genres. He was inducted into the ''Modern Drummer'' Hall of Fame in 1996 and the ''Classic Drumme ...

Dean Parks Weldon Dean Parks (born December 6, 1946) is an American session guitarist and record producer from Fort Worth, Texas. Parks has one Grammy nomination. Albums Parks was member of the North Texas State One O'clock Lab Band before moving to Los A ...

Jamie Muhoberac Benjamin Edward "Jamie" Muhoberac (born September 11, 1965) is an American session keyboardist with numerous credits. He is best known for his work with Seal and Was (Not Was). He is a touring member of New Jersey rock band My Chemical Romance. ...

Larry Goldings Lawrence Sam Goldings (born August 28, 1968) is an American jazz keyboardist and composer. His music has explored elements of funk, blues, and jazz fusion, fusion. Goldings has a comedic alter ego known as Hans Groiner. Life and career Golding ...

Paulinho Da Costa Paulinho da Costa (, born Paulo Roberto da Costa on May 31, 1948) is a Brazilian percussionist. Beginning his career as a samba musician in Brazil, he moved to the United States in the early 1970s and worked with Brazilian bandleader Sérgio Me ...

, and Klein on bass. Two years later a live album and DVD followed. The album ''Don't Hesitate'' (

Mack Avenue Mack Avenue Records is an independent record label in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan. Background Mack Avenue was founded in 1999 by Gretchen Carhartt Valade, a jazz fan and chair of the American apparel company Carhartt. The company is a sponsor ...

/Artistry, 2014) was recorded at his home studio. The album had appearances by

Lizz Wright Elizabeth LaCharla Wright (born January 22, 1980) professionally known as Lizz Wright, is an American jazz and gospel singer. Early life and education Wright was born in the small town of Hahira, which is northwest of Valdosta, Georgia, one ...

Dianne Reeves Dianne Elizabeth Reeves (born October 23, 1956) is an American jazz singer, who has won five Grammy Awards for her albums. Early life and education Dianne Reeves was born in Detroit, Michigan, into a musical family. Her father sang, her mothe ...

Marcus Miller William Henry Marcus Miller Jr. (born June 14, 1959) is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer. He has worked with trumpeter Miles Davis, pianist Herbie Hancock, singer Luther Vandross, and saxophonists Wayne Shorter and David Sa ...

, and

Richard Bona Richard Bona (born 28 October 1967) is a Cameroon-born American multi-instrumentalist and singer. Early life Bona Penda Nya Yuma Elolo was born in Minta, Cameroon, into a family of musicians, which enabled him to start learning music from a ...

. He wrote the song "Mi Amigo Cubano" with

Bill Withers William Harrison Withers Jr. (July 4, 1938 – March 30, 2020) was an American singer and songwriter. He is known for having several hits over a career spanning 18 years, including "Ain't No Sunshine" (1971), "Grandma's Hands" (1971), "Use Me ( ...

and it led to the film ''

Still Bill ''Still Bill'' is the second studio album by American soul singer-songwriter and producer Bill Withers, released in 1972 by Sussex Records. The album was recorded and produced by Withers with musicians from the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band. Th ...

'' (2014). In 2015, Midon joined the 14th annual Independent Music Awards judging panel. He was also a judge for the 12th and 13th Independent Music Awards. 2017 marked the release of Raul's album ''Bad Ass And Blind'', which was nominated for a

Best Jazz Vocal Album The Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality works (songs or albums) in the vocal jazz ...

. In 2016 he toured the United States under the Monterey Jazz Festival moniker with Gerald Clayton, Nicholas Payton, Gregory Hutchinson, and Joe Sanders. Several of the tunes on this album feature these musicians as well as Lionel Cordew on drums and Richard Hammond on Bass. 2018 Mack Avenue records licensed and released '' If You Really Want'', a recording Raul made with the

Metropole Orkest The Metropole Orkest () is a jazz and pop orchestra based in the Netherlands, and is the largest full-time ensemble of its kind in the world. A hybrid orchestra, it combines jazz, big band and classical symphony orchestra styles. Comprising bet ...

with

Vince Mendoza Vince Mendoza (born November 17, 1961) is an American composer, music arranger and conductor. He debuted as a solo artist in 1989, and is known for his work conducting the Metropole Orkest and WDR Big Band Köln, as well as arranging music f ...

conducting. He received a second Grammy Nomination for this record in the Best Vocal Jazz Album category. Raul also appears as a guest singer on vibraphonist

Joe Locke Joe William Locke (born 24 September 2003) is a Manx actor. He is known for his lead role as high school student Charlie Spring in the Netflix teen series '' Heartstopper'' (2022–present), for which he received a nomination for the inaugural ...

's 2018 release "Subtle Disguise" recording "Motherless Children" and "Who Killed Davey Moore?" In 2019, Raul received the distinguished alumnus of the year award from the University of Miami. He was also asked to speak at his high school alma mater Santa Fe Prep. In 2020, Raul released his album "The Mirror" on March 13. Having toured extensively in 2018, the pandemic sidelined him. He used this time to collaborate with various artists, recording and releasing "Hold Tight" by the Latin Broadway composer Jaime Lozano, Rise Up with German DJ and producer Henrik Schwarz, and participating in the re-worked "Along The Watchtower/Breathe" with vibraphonist

in honor of the Black Lives Matter movement. As a solo artist he released the singles "Dancing Off The Edge", "Song For America", "Bottom Cycle Blues" and "¿Really Love?". A video was produced for "Dancing Off The Edge" by NadWorks, featuring fans from all over the world dancing to the piece. Raul also contributed to the NPR Tiny Desk Home Edition with a virtual performance recorded in his home studio. In 2021, Raul's album The Mirror was nominated for a

Libera Award The Libera Awards are an annual awards ceremony organized by the American Association of Independent Music (A2IM). First hosted in 2012, the awards celebrate the independent music community. The capstone of A2IM's Indie Week, an annual music busi ...

/A2IM for best jazz album. He was featured guest on the Grammy winning album "Mendó" by Alex Cuba in the song Camino Y Vez. During the pandemic Raul recorded his first instrumental album, ''Eclectic Adventurist'', which features guitar duets with Mike Stern, Alex Cuba, Lionel Loueke, Lindsey Blair, Julia Bailen, Dean Parks, Stephane Wrembel, Romero Lubambo and Marvin Sewell. It was released 11/2022 on his own label ReKondite ReKords. In 2022 Raul appeared at the Kennedy Center with the NSO, conducted by Vince Mendoza with Lalah Hathaway, Jimmie Herrod, Renee Fleming etc. The show was taped for PBS and later aired on the show Next At The Kennedy Center Season One, Episode 2. In 2023 Raul recorded his 13th solo studio album, ''Lost & Found''. The first single "Keep On Keeping On" was released on December 22, 2023.

Discography

As leader

* ''Gracias a La Vida'' (RCA, 1999) * ''Blind to Reality'' (self-released, 2001) * ''Live Limited Edition'' (self-released, 2004) * '' State of Mind'' (

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

, 2005) * ''A World Within a World'' (Manhattan, 2007) * ''Synthesis'' (Decca, 2009) * ''Invisible Chains Live from NYC'' (self-released, 2012) * ''Don't Hesitate'' (

Artistry Music Artistry Music (formerly 'ARTizen Music Group') is a record label founded by Brian Bromberg, Lucille Hunt, Rahsaan Patterson, and Denny Stilwell that specializes in smooth jazz. In 2008, Mack Avenue Records bought the label. In July 2006 Artist ...

, 2014) * ''Bad Ass and Blind'' (Artistry Music, 2017) * '' If You Really Want'' (Artistry Music, 2018) * ''The Mirror'' (

, 2020) * ''Eclectic Adventurist'' (ReKondite Rekords 2022) * ''Lost & Found'' (ReKondite ReKords 2024)

As sideman

Queen Latifah Dana Elaine Owens (born March 18, 1970), known professionally by her stage name Queen Latifah, is an American rapper, singer, and actress. She has received various accolades, including a Grammy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe ...

, ''

The Dana Owens Album ''The Dana Owens Album'' is the fifth studio album by American hip hop artist Queen Latifah. The album was released on September 28, 2004, through A&M Records. The album marks a departure from her previous hip-hop releases, and is composed of ja ...

'' ( A&M, 2004) *

, '' Herbie Hancock: Possibilities'' (

Hear Music Hear Music was a record label that was founded in 2007 in a partnership between Concord Music Group and Starbucks. Hear Music began as a catalog company in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1990 before being purchased by Starbucks in 1999. Concep ...

, 2005) *

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. ( ; born October 20, 1971), better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg), is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Rooted in West Coast hip-hop, he is widely regarded as one of t ...

, ''

Tha Blue Carpet Treatment ''Tha Blue Carpet Treatment'' is the eighth studio album by West Coast hip hop recording artist Snoop Dogg. It was released on November 21, 2006, by Doggystyle Records and Geffen Records. Recording sessions took place from November 2005 to Septem ...

'' ( Geffen, 2006) *

, ''A Night In Monte-Carlo'' (Dreyfus Jazz, 2010)

Soundtracks

Terence Blanchard Terence Oliver Blanchard (born March 13, 1962) is an American jazz trumpeter and composer. He has also written two operas and more than 80 film and television scores. Blanchard has been nominated for two Academy Awards for Original Score for ''B ...

, ''

: Music From The Motion Picture'' (Milan, 2004) * ''Peaceful Warrior'' (Lakeshore Records, 2006)

Documentaries

* '' Herbie Hancock: Possibilities'' (DVD) (2006) * '' Bill Withers Still Bill'' (2011) * '' The Greatest Ears in Town: The Arif Mardin Story'' (2013) * ''An Evening With Eric Holder'' (2017)

References

External links

Raul Midón Interview
at

NAMM Oral History Program The NAMM Oral History Program is an oral history project and archive of recordings of interviews with people from all aspects of the music products industry, including Music store, music instrument retailers, musical instrument and product creato ...

TED Talks: Raul Midon plays "All the Answers" and "Tembererana"
at TED in 2007
TED Talks: Raul Midon plays "Everybody" and "Peace on Earth"
at TED in 2007
''The Guardian'': "When you witness someone who is really good, like singer-songwriter Raul Midon, it's a profoundly moving experience."

''Billboard'': "Raul Midón Embraces Jazz on 'Badass and Blind' Album"

NBC News: "'Bad Ass and Blind': Meet Singer-Songwriter Raul Midón" May 13, 2017

YouTube: Raul Midon "Pedal to the Metal" from "Bad Ass and Blind"

iSPYSOUL: "Raul Midon shows us how to 'Fly Like An Eagle'" March 3, 2017
{{DEFAULTSORT:Midon, Raul 1966 births Living people People from Rio Arriba County, New Mexico American people of Argentine descent American jazz guitarists American rhythm and blues singer-songwriters American soul guitarists Blind musicians 20th-century American guitarists American twins African-American Catholics American blind people American musicians with disabilities