Life and Career
She was born Rita Marie Quintero on May 11, 1962 in Miami, Florida to Elena and Reinaldo Quintero.
She began playing the piano at the age of four, and shortly afterward began singing.
After graduating with honors from the University of Miami School of Music in 1985, she started working in the local club scene in Miami. Just a short time later she began working as a session singer for recording studios; she has sung backing vocals for artists such as Frank Sinatra, Imanol, José José, Jennifer Lopez, the Tommy Dorsey Band, Ricky Martin, Julio Iglesias, Shakira, Alejandro Sanz, Gloria Estefan, and Céline Dion. Her backing-vocal discography has reached 140 platinum and gold recordings. She has also sung advertising jingles for radio and television.
Quintero is well known in the industry as a vocal coach, teaching singing in English and Spanish. Some of her clients include Grace Jones, Shakira. Jennifer Lopez, Robin John Gibb, Chayanne, Samantha Gibb, Nicolle Chirino, and Manolo Tena.
After working for nearly ten years with the Estefans, her last performance with Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine was on tour with "Evolution". Quintero then went on the road with Shakira's Mongoose Tour. She visited and performed in over twenty Latin American and European countries, and was involved in filming for the Live & Off the Record DVD. Later that year, Quintero made a stage and video appearance with Gloria Estefan at the "Unwrapped" MGM Las Vegas show in October 2003.
Quintero co-produced the vocals as well as being director of the backing vocals on the English–Spanish Shakira double album Fijación Oral (Sony 2005).
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