Highlights
Gloria Estefan is an internationally known singer and one of the leading exponents of the Miami Sound - a fusion of Latin rhythms and international pop. Born Gloria Maria Fajardo on Sept. 1, 1957 in Havana, Cuba, she rose to fame as the lead singer for the Miami Sound Machine. She was 17 and just finished with a Catholic girls' school in 1975 when she sang her first ballad with a then-unknown band called the Miami Latin Boys. The group later became the Miami Sound Machine, with Estefan as its leader. In the late 1980s Billboard magazine named it one of the most successful pop bands in the country. Her father, Jose Fajardo, was a champion volleyball player in Cuba and a member of the motorc...
Gloria Estefan is an internationally known singer and one of the leading exponents of the Miami Sound - a fusion of Latin rhythms and international pop. Born Gloria Maria Fajardo on Sept. 1, 1957 in Havana, Cuba, she rose to fame as the lead singer for the Miami Sound Machine. She was 17 and just finished with a Catholic girls' school in 1975 when she sang her first ballad with a then-unknown band called the Miami Latin Boys. The group later became the Miami Sound Machine, with Estefan as its leader. In the late 1980s Billboard magazine named it one of the most successful pop bands in the country. Her father, Jose Fajardo, was a champion volleyball player in Cuba and a member of the motorcycle escort that guarded the wife of Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista. After Fidel Castro's revolution overthrew Batista's government in 1959, the Fajardos left for the United States. Gloria was 1 year old. Her father participated in the failed Bay of Pigs invasion that tried to reclaim Cuba from Castro in 1961, but was captured and held in a Cuban jail for more than a year. After Jose Fajardo was released he joined the U.S. Army and moved his family to Texas. He served in Vietnam and came back to Miami in 1968. He suffered from a variety of ailments, including multiple sclerosis that could have been caused by exposure to Agent Orange. Gloria's mother, also named Gloria, supported the family. Her daughter took refuge in music, singing for hours. After high school at Our Lady of Lourdes Academy in southwest Miami, she began college at the University of Miami. In 1975, after hearing Gloria at a church gathering, a Cuban emigre named Emilio Estefan Jr., invited her to sing with his band, the Miami Latin Boys. She agreed to learn the band's salsa tunes if she could also sing ballads. The Estefan's married after she graduated from college in 1979 with a psychology degree. Their son Nayib was born the next year. (A daughter, Emily, was born 13 years later.) The Miami Sound Machine recorded a few albums, mostly in Spanish, and toured Latin America before rising on the Billboard charts in 1985 with "Dr. Beat," the English-language version of a Spanish song. They followed it with "Conga," a Top Ten Hit that is still a popular number. Other hits included "Betcha Say That," "1-2-3 "and "Rhythm is Gonna Get You." As the band's lead singer, Gloria Estefan achieved national acclaim and became one of the biggest Cuban-American names in the country. She earned a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame. She suffered a setback in 1990, when she was involved in a bus accident on a snow-covered highway near the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. She shattered two vertebrae in her back, but she eventually recovered. Gloria Estefan is also known for her community service. After Hurricane Andrew devastated South Florida in 1992, she spearheaded a Hurricane Relief concert which raised $2 million for victims. The Estefan's also campaigned successfully for safer boating regulations after a tourist on a personal watercraft attempted to jump the wake of their boat, but instead flipped under the boat's propeller and was killed. The accident happened in 1995. Her recordings include two Grammy-winning Spanish albums, "Mi Tierra" and "Abriendo Puertas." She recently released "90 Millas," which updates classic Cuban songs from the genres of son and bolero. Gloria and her husband Emilio own the company Estefan Enterprises. They currently live in Miami on Star Island.
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Happy birthday! Aug. 29: Lily Tomlin, Gloria Estefan
Lily Tomlin, actress, 69 Barry Gibb, singer, 62 Dr. Phil, talk show host, 58 Gloria Estefan, singer, 51 Scott Speedman, actor, 33Tags: Phil McGraw, Lily Tomlin
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The Boss finishes up his world tour in Wisconsin
MILWAUKEE Bruce Springsteen ended his world tour over the weekend, toned down but revved up. Springsteen played more than 30 songs over 3 1/2 hours Saturday night on Milwaukee's lakefront for Harley-Davidson's 105th anniversary celebration. He made few...Tags: Bruce Springsteen, Music, Wisconsin, Phil McGraw, Lily Tomlin
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Trial nears end in songwriter Estefano shooting case
South Florida Sun-SentinelTrial is nearing an end in Miami in the case of a former handyman accused of attempting to kill famed Latin songwriter Estefano. Closing arguments are scheduled Wednesday in the trial of 31-year-old Francisco Oliveira Jr. Prosecutors say Oliveira shot...Tags: Ricky Martin, Trials, Shakira, Marc Anthony, Music Industry
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Agenda
RECOPILADO POR YVONNE H. VALDEZ Entradas a la venta en www.ticketmaster.com o 954-523-3309 en Broward, 561-966-3309 en Palm Beach y 305-358-5885 en Miami o según se especifique. MÚSICA Luz Marina — Hoy sábado 30 de agosto, 8p.m. Adrienne...Tags: Beach Vacations, All Stars, Dolphin Stadium, New York Mets, Broward Center for the Performing Arts
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Fla. prosecutor: Handyman tried to kill songwriter
The Associated PressLatin songwriter Estefano was shot twice and nearly killed at his waterfront mansion last year by a trusted former handyman who carefully plotted his death but miraculously failed, prosecutors said in closing arguments Wednesday at the handyman's trial....Tags: Injuries, Prosecution, Ricky Martin, Trials, Shakira
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Gloria es la 'Persona del año' de los Grammy Latinos
Hace ocho años en el Staples Center de Los Ángeles, Emilio Estefan fue reconocido como la Persona del año por la Academia Latina De La Grabación y ayer esta misma organización eligió a su esposa Gloria Estefan como la sucesora del galardón que le fue...Tags: National or Ethnic Minorities, Minority Groups, Emilio Estefan
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A cantar por una buena causa
EL SENTINELLa cantante cubana Gloria Estefan vuelve en concierto al sur de la Florida y esta vez por una buena causa. La diva del pop latino ofrecerá en octubre un recital a beneficio de las escuelas públicas de los condados de Broward, Palm Beach, Miami-Dade e...Tags: Florida, Palm Beach (Palm Beach, Florida), Emilio Estefan, Los Angeles, Beach Vacations
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Arte a la carta
El SentinelPOR MARIA TRAVIERSO Premian trayectoria de Gloria Estefan Elegida por su labor filantrópica, profesional y cultural, Gloria Estefan será distinguida como Persona del Año por la Academia Latina de la Grabación. El reconocimiento será entregado...Tags: National or Ethnic Minorities, Ricky Martin, Dance, Gianni Versace, Minority Groups
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Gloria Estefan tickets go on sale today at noon
South Florida Sun-SentinelGloria Estefan, one of South Florida's biggest musical stars, will perform a charity concert at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on Oct. 24. The money raised will benefit the education foundations of the school systems in Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach...Tags: Palm Beach (Palm Beach, Florida), Music, Charity, Teaching and Learning, Miami (Miami-Dade, Florida)
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'So You Think You Can Dance': lots of props, plenty of awesome dancing
Reality CheckJohn-John Williams IV is in Chicago at a hotel that does not have Fox (to our disbelief). So I'm filling in and recapping a well-danced So You Think You Can Dance. There's new partnering tonight (again). Each pair will dance......Tags: Popular Music, Brian Setzer, Georgia Brown, So You Think You Can Dance, Nigel Lythgoe
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Miami is the hot spot for celebs, clubs and shopping
Los Angeles TimesFifteen minutes behind Paris Hilton. An hour behind Michael Caine. A day behind Queen Latifah. Everywhere I went in Miami I just missed a celebrity. Such is life in Miami, where star sightings are as common as Hummer stretch limos in Los Angeles....Tags: Jennifer Lopez, Celebrity, Ricky Martin, Beach Vacations, Miami (Miami-Dade, Florida)
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Latin singer Secada embraces challenges
McClatchy/Chicago Tribune newspapersBy Preston Jones Most pop stars—well, the few that don't enjoy sustained, mega-successful careers—don't flame out; they simply fade away, slipping slowly from the spotlight. Cuban-born Jon Secada, a smooth vocalist who cut his teeth with...Tags: Paula Abdul, Popular Music, National or Ethnic Minorities, New York, Television Industry
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