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Gloria Estefan (born Gloria María Milagrosa Fajardo García on September 1, 1957 in Havana, Cuba) is a five-time Grammy Award-winning Cuban American singer and songwriter. Estefan began her career as lead vocalist for the Hispanic dance music band, Miami Sound Machine, in 1975. They crossed over to mainstream popular success with English-speaking audiences with the international hit singles, “Dr. Beat” (1984) and “Conga” (1986).
Early lifeFleeing CubaCuban-born, Gloria's family moved to Miami, Florida when she was 16 months old, following the Cuban Revolution in 1959. Gloria’s father José Fajardo, who in the 1950s was a personal bodyguard to then Cuban president Fulgencio Batista's wife, was captured in the ill-fated Bay of Pigs invasion that attempted to overthrow the new communist government established by Fidel Castro. Gloria’s father was held as a prisoner until an exchange was arranged by President John F. Kennedy ParentsGloria’s father, a proud anti-communist, served for multiple tours as an officer in the United States Army in Vietnam, where he was thought to have been exposed to Agent Orange, a defoliant used extensively during the Vietnam war to clear combat areas. He subsequently contracted multiple sclerosis, and was nursed by a young Estefan for many years. He died in 1980. Gloria’s mother, Gloria García Pérez de Fajardo, now living in Miami, ran a school in Cuba in the 1950s for kindergarten students. University of Miami
Gloria graduated from the University of Miami in 1978 with a degree in communications and psychology (with a minor in French). Since graduating, she has been a prominent advocate for the university and a member of its Board of Trustees. She has appeared in national television advertisements for the university and is one of several highly prominent University of Miami alumni. Miami Sound MachineEstefan’s first public musical performance was at a large Cuban wedding when her future husband, Emilio Estefan, Jr., asked her to join Miami Sound Machine in singing. Her appearance was well-received and, a few weeks later, she became the lead singer for Miami Sound Machine, which performed and recorded in Spanish in the early years of its existence. The Miami Sound Machine soon gained a large fan base and released an LP in 1977. It was the first all-Spanish album from CBS International. With Estefan on vocals, The Miami Sound Machine had its first English-language hit with “Dr. Beat,” which topped the dance charts across Europe and went Top 10 in the UK and Australia, from the album Eyes of Innocence, in 1984. Primitive Love was released in 1986; The single “Conga” broke MSM into the American pop market. “Bad Boy”, and “Words Get in the Way” became follow up hits in the US and around the world; “Words Get In The Way” reached #1 in the US Adult Contemporary chart, establishing that the group could do pop ballads equally as well as dance tunes. The song “Hot Summer Nights” was also released that year and was part of the blockbuster movie Top Gun. Estefan’s next album, 1988’s Let It Loose, went multi-platinum, with six million copies sold alone in the US and featured the following hits: “Anything For You” (#1 Pop), “1,2,3” (#3 Pop), “Betcha Say That” (#36 Pop), “Rhythm Is Gonna Get You” (#5 Pop), and “Can’t Stay Away From You” (#6 Pop). “Can’t Stay Away From You,” “Anything For You” and “1-2-3” were all #1 Adult Contemporary hits as well. In 1988, Estefan took top billing as the band’s name changed to Gloria Estefan and The Miami Sound Machine. Beginning in 1989, the group's name was dropped altogether and Estefan was credited as a solo artist, though the ever-changing line-up of Miami Sound Machine continues as her backing band to this day. In 1989, after the worldwide chart success of single “Anything For You”, their Let It Loose album was repackaged as Anything For You. It became the band's first UK #1 album, selling over a million copies. It was the biggest selling album of the year in Holland, staying at #1 for 22 weeks. The album also took top honors in Australia and Canada launching Estefan to superstar status. Image:GloriaEstefanGrammyAwards.jpg Gloria Estefan in 1990 In 1989, she released her best-selling album to date, Cuts Both Ways, the title of which refers to Estefan's desire to appeal to both English and Spanish-speaking fans. Hits included “Don't Wanna Lose You” (a USA #1 hit), “Oye mi Canto (Hear my Voice)”, “Here We Are”, “Cuts Both Ways” (#1 on the US AC chart), and “Get on Your Feet”. Cuts Both Ways sold over 10 million copies and went platinum within its first month of release in the US. The success followed in the UK, where it debuted at #1, with Gloria being the first act in 10 years to have two # 1 albums on the UK charts in one calendar year. Cuts Both Ways then shot to # 1 in Australia, Holland, Belgium, Japan and more, selling over ten million copies worldwide. Marriage and childrenGloria became romantically involved with the Miami Sound Machine's band leader, Emilio Estefan, in 1976. She and Emilio married on September 1, 1978. They have a son, Nayib (born September 2, 1980) and a daughter, Emily Marie (born December 5, 1994). Tour bus crash in PennsylvaniaWhile touring in support of Cuts Both Ways on March 20, 1990, near Scranton, Pennsylvania, Estefan was critically injured, suffering a fractured spine when a tractor trailer crashed into her tour bus. She was flown by helicopter to New York City, where surgeons at the Hospital for Special Surgery permanently implanted two titanium rods to stabilize her spinal column. Her grueling rehabilitation required almost a year of intensive physical therapy but she sustained a fairly complete recovery. This would lead to her comeback tour in ten months. ComebackEstefan returned to the charts with a concept album, Into the Light in 1991. “Coming Out of the Dark” was performed publicly for the first time on the American Music Awards in January 1991, and reached #1 in the US as a single a few months later. The Into the Light World Tour covered 100 cities in nine countries and was seen by more than 10 million people worldwide. She followed up Into the Light with her first greatest-hits album in 1992, which included the minor US hit ballads “Always Tomorrow” and “I See Your Smile” and the international hit dance track “Go Away”. Also in 1992, Estefan helped contribute to the mainstream success of fellow Cuban-American singer-songwriter Jon Secada, including singing backup on his breakthrough hit, “Just Another Day”. Estefan spent much of the latter half of the year in Miami, helping with relief from the devastation of Hurricane Andrew. 1993’s [Mi Tierra] saw Estefan return to her Cuban roots with a Spanish-language album, for which she won a Grammy Award for Best Tropical Latin Album. Mi Tierra was a successful album worldwide, with over eight million copies sold. In Spain, Mi Tierra became the country’s best selling international album ever. Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, a cover album of some of Estefan’s favorite 1960s and 1970s songs (including the title song, the Classics IV’s “Traces,” and Blood, Sweat & Tears' “You've Made Me So Very Happy,” among others), was released in 1994. “Turn the Beat Around”, the first single and a remake of Vicki Sue Robinson’s 1976 disco classic, became another international hit, certified gold in the US and also featured in the Sharon Stone movie The Specialist. “Everlasting Love” (the 1967 Robert Knight and 1974 Carl Carlton classic) was a successful club and pop hit, and a third single, a remake of Carole King’s signature song “It's Too Late,” did well on Adult Contemporary radio. 1995’s Spanish-language album Abriendo Puertas earned Estefan her second Grammy Award for Best Tropical Latin Album. It spun off two #1 Dance hits, “Abriendo Puertas” and “Tres Deseos,” and two #1 Latin singles, “Abriendo Puertas” and “Mas Allá”. The Miami Herald called Abriendo Puertas “a danceable pan-Latin American fusion, brilliantly built on improbable instrumental combinations and layers of styles and rhythms”. Anti-communismEstefan is a ardent opponent of communism, who has spoken often of her desire for a free and democratic Cuba. In 1995, she sang the Billboard Latin #1 song “Mas Allá” for Pope John Paul II as part of the celebration of his 50th anniversary in the priesthood. She was the first pop star invited to perform for the Pope. At their meeting, Estefan, an anti-communist, asked the Pope to pray for a free Cuba. She has been an active opponent of Fidel Castro’s government, and supported the unsuccessful effort to keep young Elián González in the United States. 1996 Summer OlympicsThe platinum album Destiny, released in 1996, featured “Reach,” the official theme of the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics. Estefan performed in the closing ceremony, in front of an audience of 2 billion people worldwide. Televised ceremonies included Estefan singing both "Reach" and "You'll Be Mine (Party Time)" from the Destiny album. Other notable performancesOn July 18, 1996, Estefan embarked on her Evolution World Tour (her first tour in five years), which covered the United States, Canada, Europe, Latin America, Australia, South Africa and Asia. Estefan appeared in a movie, Music of The Heart (1999) and duetted with *NSYNC on the Billboard #2 and Academy Award-nominated “Music Of My Heart”. She also released a Latin hit with the Brazilian group So Pra Contrariar called “Santo, Santo,” sang with Luciano Pavarotti in “Pavarotti and Friends for Guatemala and Kosovo,” released the benefit album “A Rosie Christmas,” and sang with Stevie Wonder at Super Bowl XXXIII in Miami. Estefan is the only artist to perform twice at the Super Bowl. Estefan also sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” before Game 3 of the 2003 World Series which was played in Miami between the Florida Marlins and New York Yankees and in Super Bowl XLI (2007), also played in Miami between the Indianapolis Colts and Chicago Bears. Alma Caribeña and Greatest Hits Volume IIEstefan's next album, 2000’s Alma Caribeña won the first Latin Grammy for Best Music Video for “No Me Dejes de Querer.” The album reached number one in Spain, the United States and several South American countries. It also won a Grammy Award for Best Tropical Album. That year, she also won the American Music Awards, Award of Merit. Greatest Hits Vol. II was released in 2001. It contained hits from 1993 to 2000, three new songs and a remix of her first hit “Conga,” now called “Y-Tu- Conga”. UnwrappedIn 2003, Estefan released Unwrapped, her first English-language CD in five years. To promote the CD, she toured Europe, Mexico, Puerto Rico and the United States. The CD’s first video, for the single “Hoy/Wrapped,” was shot in Machu Picchu, Peru. “Hoy” and the next single, “Tu Fotografía,” were #1 on Billboard’s Latin chart, and “I Wish You” reached the AC top 20. In April 2004, Estefan appeared on the Fox Broadcasting Company’s program, American Idol, but she declined an offer to be an official judge because, she said publicly, she does not like to “judge” others. On July 28, 2004, at the Trump Tower Building, in a press conference hosted by Donald Trump, Estefan announced that her then-upcoming tour would be her final one. The Live and Re-Wrapped Summer/Fall 2004 Tour, her first tour in eight years was produced by Clear Channel Entertainment. The tour featured Estefan’s greatest hits, along with new material from Unwrapped. It began in McAllen, Texas on July 30, 2004, and played in 28 cities. Gloria finished her final concert tour in her home town of Miami on the weekend of October 9 and 10, a finale in a sold-out American Airlines Arena that was delayed for two weeks by a hurricane. X-FactorIn December 2006, Estefan appeared as a special guest singer on the UK’s talent show The X Factor (TV series). EntrepreneurIn addition to her musical success, Estefan and her husband are entrepreneurs. Together, they own a number of business establishments: five Cuban-themed restaurants (Bongos Cuban Café) in Miami, Miami Beach, Disney World’s Pleasure Island in Orlando, Mexico City, and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. They also own two hotels: the Palm Court Resort Hotel in Vero Beach, which was destroyed by Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne in September, 2004 (Estefan’s management says it will be rebuilt and reopen as the Cabana Beach Resort in late 2007), and The Cardozo in Miami. A Biography Channel profile estimated the Estefans' current net worth at $200 million. AwardsIn addition to her five Grammys, Estefan has received a number of other awards. In May 1993, she received the Ellis Island Congressional Medal of Honor, which is the highest award that can be given to a naturalized U.S. citizen. She has won the Hispanic Heritage Award, an MTV Video Music Award, two cable television ACE Awards and the 1993 National Music Foundation’s Humanitarian of the Year award. The singer is the recipient of the American Music Award for Lifetime Achievement. She also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Her husband, Emilio, a world-renowned music impresario, received a star adjacent to his wife’s on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2005. Estefan holds an honorary doctoral degree in music from the University of Miami, awarded in 1993. In 2002, Barry University in Miami bestowed upon her an honorary law degree. She has scores of encomiums for her musical accomplishments, humanitarian and philanthropic work. In 2002, she received the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Medallion of Excellence for Community Service. The singer was Musicares Person of the Year in 1994. Gloria also founded the Gloria Estefan Foundation whose goal is to help those with spinal cord injuries. She has been honored twice by the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 1992, she served as a public member of the United States Delegation to the 47th General Assembly to the United Nations. Recent workMash-up hit with MyloIn late 2005, after being absent from the UK charts for five years, Estefan had her biggest hit single there when the popular club mash-up Dr. Pressure (combining Mylo’s Number 19 hit “Drop The Pressure” with the Miami Sound Machine’s “Dr. Beat”) reached #3 on the UK singles chart. In Australia the single peaked at #1 on the dance chart, providing Gloria with her first top 40 hit and commercial radio airplay since 1996. Dionne Warwick tributeAlong with dozens of other prominent singers in early 2006, Estefan performed in Los Angeles at a tribute to singer Dionne Warwick’s 45-year career. Estefan sang “Walk On By,” one of Warwick’s signature songs that helped launch Warwick’s career in the mid 1960s. Selena tribute concertOn April 7, 2005, Estefan participated in “Selena ¡VIVE!,” the tribute concert of Selena Quintanilla-Perez, the “Queen of Tejano” murdered on the brink of her English-language crossover in March of 1995. She performed “I Could Fall in Love”, one of Selena’s posthumously released crossover hits, adding to the sentiment of the evening. Selena’s potential in mainstream markets had been likened many times to Estefan’s success. UK Promo TourOn December 9, 2006, Estefan appeared on ITV’s The X Factor, and performed a medley of her greatest hits, accompanied by her band, The Miami Sound Machine. She also appeared on several radio shows and The New Paul O'Grady Show. This tour has been to help promote her greatest hits album in the run up to Christmas. New albumsEstefan'a new Spanish-language album, "90 Millas," featuring originial songs inspired by her native Cuba will be released in September of 2007, USA Today reported in March of 2007. She collaborates with other Latin music greats, such as Jose Feliciano, Carlos Santana, Arturo Sandoval, Andy Garcia and other prominent Cuban musicians. Her inclusion of Carlos Santana as one of the artists contributing to "90 Millas" stirred a controversy among a tiny minority of the Cuban exile community in the U.S., who alledged Mr. Santana was sympathetic to the Castro regime and Che Guevara. Emilio and Gloria issued a joint statement at the end of March, 2007, addressing the controversy. "For the past 32 years of our career our position against the Castro regime has been crystal clear . . . we have expressed our disagreement with the Cuban dictatorship and have spoken worldwide of the pain of the Cuban people. We have never nor would we ever collaborate with anyone who supports the Cuban dictatorship or Che Guevara. This should be apparently clear due to our trajectory," the statement said. In October 2006, Sony released a 2CD compilation “The Essential Gloria Estefan” featuring most of her biggest hits from 1984 to 2000. The album features an uptempo disc and a second disc of ballads. “Oye Mi Canto - Grandes Exitos” Gloria Estefan - The Spanish Greatest Hits will be released worldwide featuring 18 hits, most of which were Latin #1’s. Acting careerIn addition to her music career, Estefan has appeared in two movies, Music of the Heart (1999) and For Love or Country: The Arturo Sandoval Story (2000). She is slated to star as Connie Francis, a U.S. pop singer whose peak commercial success was in the late 1950s and early 1960s, in Who's Sorry Now?, based on Francis’ life. The "long-gestating biopic" will begin pre-production within a few months, according to a story published in March of 2007 in The [San Francisco] Bay Area Reporter. DiscographyFilmography
Videography
Books
Tours
ReferencesSee also
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