Eddie Benitez

Eddie Benitez
From CBGBs to the Madison Square Garden
The most sensual guitarist of our time,” and passion is the source of that musical fire. Latin guitar legend Eddie Benitez has it, seems to have been born with it, and it has only grown stronger over the years. To describe Eddie Benitez’s music demands the use of words like passion, sensuality, spirituality and mystique. The spirituality of his music is inseparable from the sensuality of his sound. His music finds inspiration in his life-long ability to commune with angelic beings. When Eddie brought his legendary guitar playing to a private show in Phoenix in 2003, many people in attendance claimed to see angels on stage while he performed. Eddie has been asked to do a reality show for A&E to recreate the event.
Lover’s Never Say Good-bye, the new CD from legendary jazz guitarist Eddie Benitez, featuring the hit, “They Cry.” This CD is for those who loved and lost, and those who found that ultimate love that we all desire and dream about. Eddie's close friends like the members of Earth Wind and Fire, Howard Hewitt, Mel Carter and many more have praised his new Music as a sound that takes Nu Jazz to a new level. Angels on My Stage Tour—Eddie Benitez concerts are also legendary. Fans experience something rare—the richly sensuous playing of Eddie Benitez, whose guitar and rhythms seem to transcend earth-bound notions of concert performance. Eddie has a global audience and has toured the world 10 times. He has performed for Arab Sheiks, Sultans and Prime Ministers with his spell-binding concerts. Now the Angels on My Stage Tour is taking his concerts to a new level with a dramatic presentation of the music from his new CD, Lovers Never Say Goodbye.
A Legend is Born—Eddie was born in Puerto Rico in 1962, and spent his early years in Europe. Europe provided Eddie with a remarkable teacher when his father arranged for private lessons from the renowned classical guitarist Andres Segovia.
Eddie’s family returned to America in 1968 and settled in Brooklyn, New York., setting the stage for the start of Eddie’s extraordinary musical career. On August 6, 1976, Eddie Benitez debuted with his first concert at Madison Square Garden in front of 20,000 fans. He was just 14 years old. That same year he signed with Fania/CBS records and released his first album Nightlife, which went gold. Eddie Performed and was part of the Legendary FANIA ALLSTARS, Six months later he had another gold record with Essence of Life. 15 years old with two gold records—an astonishing young talent had been launched onto the Latin jazz scene. In 1983, Eddie signed with the innovative label, Island Records, which produced another hit, Spirtis. He has performed with legendary stars such Barry White, Celia Cruz, Tito Puente, Mongo Santamaria and many others, throughout his career.
Brilliance, Illness & Miracles—Though Eddie’s star rose early and quickly, in 1985, the unthinkable happened—his performing career was forced to a sudden halt when at the age of 23 he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The diagnosis was grim when Eddie experienced a miraculous and complete healing from the cancer. This experience transformed Eddie’s life, and afterwards he took time off to reflect on life and spirituality. He returned to the music world and wrote music over the years for many dance acts in the mid-80s through the early 90s. Ultimately he returned to writing and performing his own music and is now enjoying the acclaim of a whole new generation of fans in addition to his long-time, loyal audience around the globe. Today Eddie’s music is a blend of Nu-Jazz, New Age and Latin written from his heart and filled with love, passion, and devotion. Throughout his life, Eddie has had many spiritual visions and has been an instrument of miraculous healing for others. These stories will be recounted in Eddie’s upcoming autobiography.
A Haunting—One of Eddie's spiritual experiences was a haunting that was documented and recreated for the Discovery Channel series A Haunting — “Casa de los Muertos.” The episode also features Eddie’s music, including “They Cry” and “A Haunting”—written especially for the episode—from his new CD. The episode’s popularity has resulted in on-going re-airings in the U.S. The show is also now airing multiple times in Asia and Canada with a schedule for Europe coming up. “Casa de los Muertos” was rated as the No. 1 episode for this hit series by the Nielsen Ratings. Media & Organizations—Eddie is currently appearing as a featured guest on radio shows across the country. He has also been invited by numerous organizations to give talks on music and spirituality. Current projects for 2008 Angels on My Stage Tour—Worldwide tour in 2008/2009, with current negotiations for a featured “Concert at the Pyramid,” Giza, Egypt. Anticipated sell-out concerts due to the rare public appearance of Eddie Benitez in various countries.
Book—The Story of Eddie Benitez! Eddie is collaborating with writer and veteran radio personality MaryEllen O’Brien on his new book, Angels on my Stage: The Passion, Spirituality and Musical Story of Legendary Jazz Guitarist Eddie Benitez.