Rudy Pérez - The Latin Hit Maker: My Journey from Cuban Refugee to World-Renowned Record Producer and Songwriter

I met Rudy after hearing accolades from friends suggesting I meet and work with him. We became fast friends and started working together, I as the artist and Rudy as producer. I was astonished to hear the great records he had produced on tons of other artists, but I would soon realize he was also writing these songs and then more on top of it all. I heard a new song hed made a demo of, and I wondered who the singer was. Rudy humbly told me it was him. My jaw dropped at his incredible voice.

So to be concise, Rudy Prez is not only one of the greatest music producers on earth but also a brilliant composer, arranger, musician, andto my pleasant surpriseone of the greatest voices Ive ever heard. Im humbled and grateful to work with him and to know him as my dear friend.

MICHAEL BOLTON

Rudy Prez is, without any doubt, one of the best Latin musicians I have ever met in my life. A great singer, an amazing composer, a very talented producer, and a great human being.

JULIO IGLESIAS

Rudy came to this country to live the American dream, which he has been able to do because of his extreme talent and knowledge of music. I am so blessed to be able to record his songs and most importantly to be able to call him a friend and a brother.

JOS FELICIANO

Rudy is a true quadruple threat: songwriter, arranger, keyboardist, and lyricist. Mucho excellence in all categories.

BURT BACHARACH, LEGENDARY COMPOSER AND SONGWRITER

Rudy Prez is a musical genius and visionary who cofounded the groundbreaking Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame with me, proving once again that he is not only an incorrigible and unrepentant dreamer but a down-to-earth doer. Rudy is also the most loyal, generous, and caring friend one could ever have. Very few people have accomplished as much and helped as many as Rudy Prez. I am also proud that he is from the same hometown in Cuba where my mother was bornPinar Del Ro.

DESMOND CHILD

I understand why my dear friend and original producer Isaac Hayes nicknamed me blessed. I also know at the time he was referring to my God-given talent, my voice, but little did he know that some fifty years later, my blessings would come when I met Rudy Prez, who I am proud and honored to call my friend, actually my best friend.

Rudy is a musical genius in so many ways: his writing, his producing, his voice, and also his God-given gifts and talent.

At eighty-three years old, I never could have imagined Id be in the studio working with the likes of a Rudy Prez, but I am. Hes my Cuban brother, my mentor, and my creative inspiration.

I waited all these years to make the gospel album I promised my mother I would make, and now here I am, back home in Miami, and Rudy, with his sense of the Lord, his understanding of heart and soul, is making my moms dream come true and my promise to her fulfilled.

Rudy, Betsy, Jenny, Chris, Mike, Corey, and Adam, my wife Joyce and I love all of you to bits and pieces.

SAM MOORE

To have a friend, to know a producer, a composer, and a musician enriches my spirit and allows me to learn without miedo of my role model. These are cosas del amor, to feel breathless by his musas, and even though yo no te dije adis, there will be a lot more music for the world to continue enjoying the lasting creativity of Rudy Prez.

Thanks for allowing me to enjoy a part of your artistic talent and creations.

ANA GABRIEL

Rudy is the American dream. As a son of Cuban immigrants like me, he started with very little but had loving parents, worked really hard, and found his passion in music to become one of the greatest music producers of all time.

EDDY CUE, SVP OF INTERNET SERVICES, APPLE INC.

ZONDERVAN

The Latin Hit Maker

Copyright 2019 by Rudy Prez

Requests for information should be addressed to:

Zondervan, 3900 Sparks Dr. SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546

ISBN 978-0-310-35170-2 (hardcover)

ISBN 978-0-310-35629-5 (audio)

ISBN 978-0-310-35317-1 (ebook)

Epub Edition June 2019 9780310353171

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Scripture quotations marked AMP are from the Amplified Bible. Copyright 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987, 2015 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org).

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Published in association with the literary agency of WTA Services, LLC, Franklin, TN.

Cover design: Micah Kandros

Cover photo: Ignacio Casaretto, http://www.1on1visual.com/ignaciocasaretto/

Interior design: Denise Froehlich

Printed in the United States of America

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Dedicated, in loving memory, to my mom

and dad, Elsa and Rudy Prez Sr.

Contents

M ay 14, 1958, was a great day to be born into a very close-knit family living in Pinar del Ro, Cuba. I came into the world literally surrounded by two loving, hardworking parents, a sister, grandparents, uncles, aunts, and countless cousins. We all lived within walking distance of one another, so our large extended family was always together.

An old African proverb states, It takes a village to raise a child. Well, my family was the village that raised me. When I was growing up, all the elder Prezes were my Google, as I constantly searched their hearts and minds to get answers to my many questions about life. We had no screens in front of us, only deep, personal connections rooted in love, trust, and faith. Face time actually meant a face-to-face conversation.

Pre-Castro Cuba would be unrecognizable to anyone who has only known the island nation over the past six decades. Casinos, racetracks, and nightclubs had garnered the capital of La Habanaor Havana, as it is pronounced in Englishthe nickname the Las Vegas of the Caribbean or the Latin Las Vegas. Iconic American entertainers such as Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, and Eartha Kitt performed there constantly, making the popular songs of the day an important aspect of the culture. Because of this influence, music from the United States was an ever-present source of entertainment in our home.

Major U.S. corporations thrived in Cuba in industries like sugar, mining, cattle, utilities, and oil, creating both imports and exports. Although he was a corrupt dictator, his pro-American political standing created a strong alliance between the two nations, particularly in commerce. Business was booming and the people were thriving. My home country was a real player on the worlds stage. Life was good.