BORN: September 1, 1957, Havana, Cuba
Gloria Estefan's early years were not easy. Her
father Jose was among the Cuban exiles who participated in the
1961 Bay of Pigs invasion, the unsuccessful attempt to oust Castro
from power. Jose spent a year and a half in a Cuban prison, and
during this time Gloria and her mother lived in a Cuban ghetto
near the Orange Bowl in Miami. Misfortune continued to follow
her dad. He was badly poisoned by the defoliant, Agent Orange
while serving in Vietnam. When her mother went out to make a living,
Gloria had to act as nurse and tend to her invalid father. Her
one source of comfort was the guitar she had been given when she
was 12. She would sing to herself the Top 40 tunes of the day,
alone in her room for hours on end.
In 1975, at the urging of her mother, Gloria sang some songs at
a wedding which was being entertained by a local party band, The
Miami Latin Boys. The band leader, Emilio Estefan, was so impressed
by her smooth alto voice that he hounded her to join his band.
She reluctantly agreed, but only to sing on weekends. No longer
all boys, the band was rechristened The
Miami Sound Machine.
That was the start of MSM's rise to fame. By 1983, the group was
well known throughout Central and South America and had produced
four albums for a major label, CBS Discos. Then in 1984, Emilio
convinced record executives at Epic to release an English only
album (Eyes of Innocence) to the US and European markets. The
first single, Dr. Beat, became a huge hit on the dance charts.
The crossover worked! The next album (Primitive Love) solidified
their success. From this album came the single "Conga!" which
carried with it a unique distinction. It is the only song in history
to appear on Billboard's Pop, Latin, Soul and Dance charts all
at the same time.
Tours, awards, fame, fortune and good luck followed in a steady
stream. That is until the morning of March 20, 1990. As Gloria
slept in her tour bus which had stopped along a Pennsylvania Interstate
highway, a speeding semi-truck smashed into it from behind. She
knew immediately that her back was broken. A delicate surgery
was performed that required two 8-inch titanium rods to be placed
on either side of her spine. The operation was a success. She
needed 400 stiches to close the 14-inch incision. But within one
year of the accident she was performing on stage again. During
that time of excruciating pain, Gloria received thousands of letters,
telegrams and floral arrangements from well wishers. In 1992 she
was able to return the favor by organizing a benefit concert (Hurricane
Relief) which raised three million dollars for the victims of
Hurricane Andrew.
More recently in September 1995 the Estefans suffered a traumatic
incident when a jetskier collided with their boat and sadly died
as a result of the injuries sustained. |
The Music Room
