Eddie Benitez
Encyclopedia
Eddie Benitez is a guitarist
. Born in Puerto Rico
, his family moved to Europe soon after his birth for his father's work. He was raised in Italy and Spain, and while in Spain his father Francisco arranged private lessons for Benitez from classical guitar
virtuoso, Andres Segovia
. The family returned to the U.S. when Benitez was 9 and settled in Brooklyn, New York. Benitez began formed his first band at 12 and began competing and winning local battles of the bands in Brooklyn. It was at one such battle of the bands where he was discovered by Alex Masucci of Fania Records
. Soon after the teenage guitarist was signed to Fania.
in front of 20,000 fans soon after joining the label in 1976. His performance with his band Nebula and the Fania All Stars marked the beginning of his early rise to fame as a guitarist. His first release was Nightlife, which he followed six months later with Essence of Life. He later performed with such stars as Tito Puente
and Mongo Santamaría
. His music began with Latin jazz
as part of the Fania family, later was in the smooth jazz
genre, and has expanded to world music
. He was the first Latin artist to perform at the legendary New York City punk club
CBGB
in 1976].
Benitez's performing career came to a sudden halt at the age of 23 when he was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma
. This changed his life forever; he survived the cancer
and took time off to reflect on life and spirituality. Throughout his life Benitez has claimed to have had many spiritual visions, including those that occurred while overcoming a heart attack and an unexplained three-day coma.
He returned to performing with a private concert in Phoenix
, Arizona
in 2003 and it was there that reports that some in attendance saw mysterious beings, some would claim they were angels, on the stage with Benitez when he performed. That event gave rise to the title of Benitez's book and his tour.
One of Benitez's claimed paranormal events was documented and recreated for the Discovery Channel
series A Haunting
– "Casa de los Muertos", which also featured his music, past and present. "Casa de los Muertos" appeared in Season IV of A Haunting and continues to air worldwide.
Visions of Angels," Benitez's latest CD, was released September 1, 2009 on NuGroove Records.
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
. Born in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
, his family moved to Europe soon after his birth for his father's work. He was raised in Italy and Spain, and while in Spain his father Francisco arranged private lessons for Benitez from classical guitar
Classical guitar
The classical guitar is a 6-stringed plucked string instrument from the family of instruments called chordophones...
virtuoso, Andres Segovia
Andrés Segovia
Andrés Torres Segovia, 1st Marquis of Salobreña , known as Andrés Segovia, was a virtuoso Spanish classical guitarist from Linares, Jaén, Andalucia, Spain...
. The family returned to the U.S. when Benitez was 9 and settled in Brooklyn, New York. Benitez began formed his first band at 12 and began competing and winning local battles of the bands in Brooklyn. It was at one such battle of the bands where he was discovered by Alex Masucci of Fania Records
Fania Records
Fania Records was a New York based record label founded by Dominican-born composer and bandleader Johnny Pacheco and Italian-American lawyer Jerry Masucci in 1964. The label took its name from an old Cuban song by the singer Reinaldo Bolaño. Fania is known for its promotion of what has become...
. Soon after the teenage guitarist was signed to Fania.
Career
Benitez played his first concert at New York's Madison Square GardenMadison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
in front of 20,000 fans soon after joining the label in 1976. His performance with his band Nebula and the Fania All Stars marked the beginning of his early rise to fame as a guitarist. His first release was Nightlife, which he followed six months later with Essence of Life. He later performed with such stars as Tito Puente
Tito Puente
Tito Puente, , born Ernesto Antonio Puente, was a Latin jazz and Salsa musician. The son of native Puerto Ricans Ernest and Ercilia Puente, of Spanish Harlem in New York City, Puente is often credited as "El Rey de los Timbales" and "The King of Latin Music"...
and Mongo Santamaría
Mongo Santamaría
Ramón "Mongo" Santamaría Rodríguez was an Afro-Cuban Latin jazz percussionist. He is most famous for being the composer of the jazz standard "Afro Blue," recorded by John Coltrane among others. In 1950 he moved to New York where he played with Perez Prado, Tito Puente, Cal Tjader, Fania All...
. His music began with Latin jazz
Latin jazz
Latin jazz is the general term given to jazz with Latin American rhythms.The three main categories of Latin Jazz are Brazilian, Cuban and Puerto Rican:# Brazilian Latin Jazz includes bossa nova...
as part of the Fania family, later was in the smooth jazz
Smooth jazz
Smooth jazz is a genre of music that grew out of jazz fusion and is influenced by R&B, funk, rock, and pop music styles ....
genre, and has expanded to world music
World music
World music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...
. He was the first Latin artist to perform at the legendary New York City punk club
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
CBGB
CBGB
CBGB was a music club at 315 Bowery at Bleecker Street in the borough of Manhattan in New York City.Founded by Hilly Kristal in 1973, it was originally intended to feature its namesake musical styles, but became a forum for American punk and New Wave bands like Ramones, Misfits, Television, the...
in 1976].
Benitez's performing career came to a sudden halt at the age of 23 when he was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma
Hodgkin's lymphoma
Hodgkin's lymphoma, previously known as Hodgkin's disease, is a type of lymphoma, which is a cancer originating from white blood cells called lymphocytes...
. This changed his life forever; he survived the cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
and took time off to reflect on life and spirituality. Throughout his life Benitez has claimed to have had many spiritual visions, including those that occurred while overcoming a heart attack and an unexplained three-day coma.
He returned to performing with a private concert in Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
in 2003 and it was there that reports that some in attendance saw mysterious beings, some would claim they were angels, on the stage with Benitez when he performed. That event gave rise to the title of Benitez's book and his tour.
One of Benitez's claimed paranormal events was documented and recreated for the Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
series A Haunting
A Haunting
A Haunting is an American paranormal docudrama anthology television series that originally aired from October 28, 2005 to November 9, 2007 on the Discovery Channel. The program features narrations, interviews, and dramatic re-enactments based on various accounts of paranormal experiences at...
– "Casa de los Muertos", which also featured his music, past and present. "Casa de los Muertos" appeared in Season IV of A Haunting and continues to air worldwide.
New music
Lovers Never Say Goodbye was released March 10, 2008. Lovers was self-published.Visions of Angels," Benitez's latest CD, was released September 1, 2009 on NuGroove Records.
External links
- http://eddiebenitezmusic.com
- http://www.musicofpuertorico.com/en/eddie_benitez.html