The third of seven children, Hanlon began playing the piano at six and at 15, was already playing professional gigs in Detroit with ensembles which included the Flip Jackson Band. He studied at piano at
Michigan State University in
East Lansing and eventually received a master's degree in piano performance from
Manhattan School of Music in
Manhattan, New York. While in
New York City, he encountered Latin music and regularly played Latin club gigs while at the same time studying the music of classical composers. Hanlon's first album was an independent recording of purely original material, appropriately titled
Encuentros. Licensed by Max Music and distributed by
Universal,
Encuentros brought Hanlon to the attention of
Fonovisa Records, the leading indie Latin label in the country at the time, with whom he signed in 2000. Hanlon's first release with Fonovisa Records was
El Piano Amarillo (The Yellow Piano) an eclectic mix of Latin, dance and pop fare produced by Colombian producers
Estéfano and Julio Reyes (of
Marc Anthony and
Jennifer Lopez fame).
11 Números Uno came out next, a more classically-tinged album of covers of Latin standards plus one of his original compositions. He established himself as an instrumentalist with 2005's
La Gorda Linda, an album of mostly original material which featured jazz trumpeter
Arturo Sandoval, salsa star
Tito Nieves, and Mexican singer
Ana Bárbara as guest stars. The album was produced by
Grammy winners
Sergio George and
Kike Santander and was a multiple finalist for the 2006 Billboard Latin Music Awards, in which Hanlon performed. In 2006, Hanlon was signed by EMI, and released
Mecanomanía, an album of covers of Spanish pop trio
Mecano, set to chill-out arrangements. The video for the album's first single, "
Hijo de la Luna," was shot at the
Baldwin piano factory, marking the first time in the company's nearly 100-year history that a music video was shot in its installations. In 2009, Hanlon signed to
Universal Latin. His first album under the label was "Piano Sin Fronteras" which Hanlon wrote or co-wrote in its entirety and features collaborations with some of the top names in Latin music, including Colombian rock star
Juanes,
Italian diva
Laura Pausini,
Sergio Vallín—guitarist for rock group
Maná,
Brazilian superstar
Alexandre Pires, Venezuelan icon
Ricardo Montaner, pop star
Luis Fonsi and Chilean singer
Myriam Hernandez. Hanlon has also recorded several Christmas singles that have been used for different campaigns. "Esta Navidad," which Hanlon wrote in 2008 and which features Puerto Rican singer Janina on vocals, was used by Univision for their Christmas on-air campaign in several markets including
Miami, New York, and
Chicago. The song was also released as a single to radio. In 2010, Hanlon wrote and recorded a second Christmas single, "Navidad, Navidad," which he recorded with
Venezuelan duo
Chino y Nacho and Mexican singer
Dulce Maria on vocals. The song is a
Spanish version adaptation of
Jingle Bells. It was also used by Univision for its Christmas campaign on several major Latin markets. He also participated in the 2019 remake of the hit "Un Ano Mas," redone with
Carlos Rivera and Natalia Jimenez, among others. In 2011, Hanlon traveled to San Juan, Puerto Rico to film "Encanto del Caribe" at Castillo San Cristóbal. The show was being filmed as a special for public television. Hanlon's guests included
Marc Anthony,
Laura Pausini, Natalia Jimenez,
Bernie Williams,
Cheo Feliciano, and
Ana Isabelle. Hanlon performed on his blue grand piano accompanied by a 40-piece orchestra conducted by Puerto Rican arranger and conductor Cucco Pena. The special was produced by SBS Entertainment, a U.S.-based Latin media company and funded by the Puerto Rican government. The CD/DVD "Encanto del Caribe" was released in August, 2012 by Universal Music Latino. In 2016, Hanlon signed with Sony Music Latin and embarked on an ambitious video/audio project where he filmed and recorded iconic Latin songs from seven countries: Spain, Portugal, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and the U.S. ==Musical highlights==