Arturo Sandoval Biography

Fast Facts

• Honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama in 2013
• Recipient of the Hall of Fame honor at the Nosotros Golden Eagle Awards in 2000
• Began studying at the Cuban National School of Arts in 1964
• Quote: "That has always been my priority; try to be as good as I can today, this 24 hours․ What happened yesterday is history and what is going to happen tomorrow is in the hands of God․"
• Quote: "Freedom is the most important word in the entire dictionary․ You know about it when you lose it and then you have a completely different idea and perspective on the whole thing․"
• Established the band Irakere with Chucho Valdes and Paquito D'Rivera, a group that would become extremely popular in their native Cuba and later the United States
• Met his idol Billy Gillespie in 1977 when the musician came to tour Cuba
• After leaving Irakere in 1981, he continued to tour the world on his own, recording many singles for artists such as Johnny Mathis, Frank Sinatra and dozens more
• Became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1999
• Drafted into the Cuban military in 1971