Amor

Background:

Grammy Award winning singer and songwriter Jon Secada first gained attention as a backup singer for Gloria Estefan & The Miami Sound Machine before launching a successful career as a solo performer in 1992. He co-wrote six songs on Gloria's multi-platinum 1991 album “Into the Light” and was launched to stardom with his debut album “Jon Secada” (1992), which was a hit worldwide. The Spanish version of the album earned a Grammy Award. He picked up his second Grammy Award for “Amor” (1995), his second Spanish album. Since his self-titled debut record in 1992, Secada has enjoyed sales of over 20 million albums worldwide. He has further built a reputation as an accomplished songwriter by working for such icons as Jennifer Lopez, Ricky Martin, Enrique Iglesias and Mandy Moore. Secada has also acted in a few theatrical productions, including the hit musical “Grease” in 1995 and “Cabaret” in 2003, both of which were on Broadway.

As for his personal life, Secada is a supporter of the Republican Party and was named by President George W. Bush to serve on the President's Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans. He has actively supported causes related to children, such as education, AIDS research, and child abuse. Led by his dedication to education and helping others, he created the Jon Secada Music Scholarship at his alma mater, the University of Miami. Secada helps raise funds in Washington, D.C. for the group Keeping Music in Schools and is an advocate for the Pediatric AIDS Unit at Miami's Jackson Memorial Hospital, the Lifebeat Concert to benefit AIDS, Amigos Together for Kids, the Boys and Girls Club, the Make-A-Wish Foundation and other charitable organizations. He is also known for his active involvement in hurricane relief efforts. He created the song “The Last Goodbye” as a tribute to the families of the victims of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and all proceeds from the song and its Spanish versions were given to the victims' families. Secada is currently married to Maritere Vilar and has two kids with her. He was previously married to Jo Pat Cafro from 1988 to 1993.

Honor Student

Childhood and Family:

Juan Francisco Secada, who would later be popular as Jon Scada, was born on October 4, 1961, in Havana, Cuba. His family immigrated to the United States when he was nine and they settled in Miami, where his parents, José and Victoria, ran a coffee shop. He graduated from South Florida's Hialeah High School in 1979 and then attended the University of Miami, from which he received a B.A. in music and a M.A. in jazz vocal performance. Due to his academic achievement, Jon was inducted into the esteemed Iron Arrow Honor Society, the University's highest honor.

Jon, who legally changed his first name from Juan to Jon in 1990, married Jo Pat Cafro on June 26, 1988, but they parted ways on August 18, 1993. He married Maritere Vilar on February 22, 1997. They have a daughter and a son together.

Just Another Day

Career:

Jon Secada discovered he had a knack for music when he was a teenager in Miami. His musical inspirations included Elton John, Barry Manilow, Billy Joel, Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder and while attending college, Secada emerged as an accomplished jazz musician and mastered the academic side of music. He graduated with honors from the University of Miami. At the same time, he began developing his talent for songwriting.

Secada's musical career began when he was hired by Gloria Estefan to sing backup for her band Gloria Estefan & The Miami Sound Machine. Meeting in the late 1980s, Secada was soon considered a worthy addition to the group and he helped write some of Gloria's songs, most notably the No. 1 hit “Coming Out of The Dark” from her multi-platinum 1991 album “Into the Light.” He also supported her on the “Coming Out of the Dark” tour. While on tour, Secada was given the chance of to perform solo and this was a huge boost to his career.

Secada signed to SBK Records and released his self-titled debut album in 1992. The album “Jon Secada” sold more than six million copies worldwide and was certified triple platinum in the U.S., where it peaked at No. 15 on the Billboard 200 album chart. It spawned a gold single with the song “Just Another Day,” which rose to No. 5 on the U.S. Hot 100 and No. 2 on the U.S. Adult charts. The album also released the three top 30 singles with “I'm Free,” “Do You Believe in Us” and “Angel.” Subsequently, Secada doubled his popularity in the Latin community by launching “Otro Día Más Sin Verte,” a Spanish version of “Jon Secada.” The album became Billboard's No. 1 Latin album in 1992 and won the singer his first Grammy in the category of Best Latin Pop Album.

In 1994, Secada released his sophomore effort, “Heart Soul and Voice,” which featured members of The Miami Sound Machine and guests Betty Wright (background vocals) and Arturo Sandoval (trumpet). The album sold over one million pieces. The song “ If You Go” went to No. 10 on the U.S. Hot 100 and No. 2 on the U.S. Adult charts, while “Mental Picture,” a Top Ten hit, was picked up for the soundtrack of the movie “The Specialist” (1994), starring Sylvester Stallone and Sharon Stone. “Amor,” Secada's second Spanish album, was launched the following year and he won his next Grammy for Best Latin Pop Performance for his work on the album. Still in 1995, Secada, who had stage exposure in college, landed the starring role of Danny Zuko on the hit Broadway musical “Grease.”

Secada returned to recording after two years and released “Secada” (1997). Unlike its predecessors, the album was a commercial flop and spun off a minor hit with the song “Too Late Too Soon” (# 41). He left EMI and found a new home with Sony Music's Epic Records. It was with Epic that Secada worked with such successful artists as Jennifer Lopez, Ricky Martin and Mandy Moore, among others. He co-wrote the song “Bella,” the Spanish version of “She's All I Ever Had” for Ricky Martin's multi-platinum self-titled album (1999) and co-wrote and co-produced the song “Baila” for Jennifer Lopez, which was included in her 1999 multi-platinum album “On the 6.” With teen sensation Mandy Moore, he collaborated on two tracks, “One Sided Love” and “It Only Took a Minute” for her self-titled multi-platinum album.

Epic released Secada's next album, “Better Part of Me,” in July 2000. “Amanecer” followed in 2002. In between, he served as a backup vocalist for Enrique Iglesias' 2001 multi-platinum album “Escape” on the tracks “Don't Turn Off the Lights” and “Love 4 Fun.” In 2003, Secada appeared in Sam Mendes' version of “Cabaret” on Broadway. He went on to act in Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's theatrical hit “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.” In 2006, Secada launched a new album called “Same Dream,” which spawned the cart topping singles “Window To My Heart” and “Free,” and could be found as one of the four judges on the Latin American version of American Idol, “Latin American Idol” (2006). More recently, Secada worked on a duet with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Lilian Garcia and co-wrote several songs for her 2007 album.

Awards:

• Grammy: Best Latin Pop Performance, “Amor,” 1995

• Grammy: Best Latin Pop Album, “Otro Día Más Sin Verte,” 1992