  Gloria (Maria Fajardo) Estefan
was born in Havana, Cuba on September 1,
1957. Her family fled to Florida when Gloria
was still a toddler (Gloria's father was part
of the unsuccessful Bay of Pigs invasion of
1961 to over through Fidel Castro's control
over the Cuban government) and lived in the
Cuban ghetto of Miami. Gloria's dad was also
an Olympic bronze medallist for wrestling.
While growing up, Gloria used music to sooth
herself from the family struggles of her
dad's poor health from multiple sclerosis.
She was also singing to comfort wives and
mothers in her community whose male family
members, like Gloria's father, where off in
Vietnam. Gloria later reflected: "When I
was a teenager, I was fat, I was shy, I wore
glasses, I had a big eyebrow and hair all
over my body... it was very depressing and
scary, for me, music was the one bright spot
in my life... I sang instead of crying."
When Gloria was 18, she met Emilio Estefan at
a wedding where he was performing with his
band, the Miami Latin Boys. Gloria was
offered a job to front the band after singing
2 songs with them at the wedding. Even though
she had been planning to head to college and
eventually hope to become a psychologist,
Gloria decided to try pursuing her musical
ambitions. By the end of the 70s, Gloria and
Emilio wed (in 1978) and embarked into the
music scene as the Miami Sound Machine
(changing the name to reflect a more diverse
sound). Gloria was on her way to becoming the
first worldwide crossover Latin music star.
The Miami Sound Machine's original lineup
included Gloria, Emilio, Enrique Garcia, Juan
Avilia, and Merci Murciano (Gloria's cousin),
and helped launched backup singer, Jon
Secada's solo career. The group
released 4 Spanish LPs in the early 80s: Renacer,
Otra Vez, Rio, and A
Toda Máguina.
 After finding success with their
sound in Central and South America with CBS
International, the Miami Sound Machine was
able to reach a broader audience when Epic
Records released Eyes
Of Innocence. The track "Dr. Beat"
found success in dance clubs internationally.
 Miami
Sound Machine: # 124
Singles Artist of the Year
 Widespread success came for the
Miami Sound Machine released Primitive
Love and they hit the pop charts
with "Conga." The infectious
Latin-flavored dance grooves of
"Conga" propelled the group into an
international spotlight that would continue
hit after hit and quickly establish Gloria as
an international favorite.
 Miami
Sound Machine: # 4
Singles Artist of the Year
 "Conga" continued to
heat up the charts and hit the Top
10.
Primitive
Love was certified gold.
 Primitive
Love was certified platinum.
They also hit the Top 40 with
"Falling
In Love (Uh-Oh)."
 Gloria
Estefan & Miami Sound Machine: # 35
Singles Artist of the Year
 Miami Sound Machine changed
their name to Gloria Estefan & Miami
Sound Machine as Gloria's presence in the
band continually became the focal point of
their success. The group returned to the Top
10 with "Rhythm Is Gonna Get You."
 Let
It Loose was released.
Let
It Loose was certified gold.
 Gloria
Estefan & Miami Sound Machine: # 6
Singles Artist of the Year
Gloria was named Female Vocalist
of the Year by Performance magazine.
 Let
It Loose was certified platinum.
Gloria hit #1 for a week with
"Anything For You."
Let
It Loose was certified 2x platinum.
 # 23
Singles Artist of the Year
 Gloria & Miami Sound Machine
won an American Music
Award for Favorite Pop/Rock Band/Duo/Group.
Gloria & Miami Sound Machine
were nominated for a Grammy
Award for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a
Duo or Group with Vocal ("Anything For
You").
 Gloria went solo with the
release Cuts
Both Ways and returned to #1 with "Don't Wanna Lose You." Additional hits
included "Here We Are," "Get On Your Feet," and "Oye
Mi Canto."
Gloria hit the Top 40 with
"Don't Wanna Lose You."
Gloria hit the Top 10 with "Don't Wanna Lose You."
 The singles "Conga,"
"Bad Boy," "Don't Wanna Lose You," and
"Anything For You" were certified
gold.
Cuts
Both Ways was certified platinum.
Gloria hit the Top 40 with
"Get On Your Feet."
 # 51
Singles Artist of the Year
 Gloria hit the Top 40 with
"Here We Are."
Gloria was nominated for an American Music
Award for Favorite Pop/Rock Single ("Don't Wanna Lose You.").
Gloria was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal
Performance ("Don't Wanna Lose You").
Gloria hit the Top 10 with "Here We Are."
 Tragedy struck Gloria and her
family when her tour bus crashed while the
Estefans were sleeping on board. Gloria
suffered a broken back and had to begin a
painful process of recuperation after
surgery.
Primitive
Love was certified 2x platinum.
 Cuts
Both Ways was certified 2x platinum.
Gloria hit the Top 40 with
"Cuts
Both Ways."
 # 17
Singles Artist of the Year
 Gloria was back in the spotlight
with the release of Into
The Light and hit #1 with "Coming Out Of The Dark" and had hits
with "Live For Loving You," "Seal Our
Fate," and "Can't Forget You."
Gloria won a BMI Songwriter of
the Year Award.
Gloria hit the Top 40 with
"Coming Out Of The Dark."
Gloria returned to touring.
 Gloria hit the Top 10 and #1 for a week with "Coming Out Of The Dark."
Into
The Light was certified platinum.
Gloria hit the Top 40 with
"Can't Forget You."
 Gloria hit the Top 40 with
"Live For Loving You."
Let
It Loose was certified 3x platinum.
 # 134
Singles Artist of the Year
 Gloria helped organize a benefit
concert that raised over $4 million for the
victims of Hurricane Andrew that devastated
parts of Florida.
A hit compilation was also
released in November - Greatest
Hits.
Eyes
Of Innocence was certified gold.
 # 137
Singles Artist of the Year
 Greatest
Hits was certified platinum.
Gloria hit the Top 40 with
"I See Your Smile."
 Gloria released her first Latin
album, Mi
Tierra. The LP went platinum in the
U.S. and became the biggest-selling LP in
Spain's history. The LP topped the Billboard
Latin 50 chart.
Mi
Tierra was certified gold.
Gloria topped the Billboard Hot
Latin Tracks chart for 6 weeks with "Mi
Tierra."
 Gloria released a holiday LP - Christmas
Through Your Eyes.
Gloria topped the Billboard Hot
Latin Tracks chart for 4 weeks with "Con
Los Anos Que Me Quedan."
 Gloria topped the Billboard Hot
Dance Music Club Play chart for 2 weeks with
"Tradicion."
 # 55
Singles Artist of the Year
Christmas
Through Your Eyes was certified gold.
Gloria was nominated for an American Music
Award for Favorite Pop/Rock Female
Artist.
 Gloria won her first Grammy
Award for Best
Tropical Latin Album (Mi
Tierra).
Gloria topped the Billboard Hot
Latin Tracks chart for 2 weeks with "Mi
Buen Amor."
Gloria won a World Music Award
for Best-Selling Latin Performer.
Greatest
Hits was certified 2x platinum and Mi
Tierra was certified platinum.
 Gloria released a collection of
cover tunes with Hold
Me Thrill Me Kiss Me and 2 months later
gave birth to her second child, a daughter
(her son was born in 1980).
Gloria hit the Top 40 with
"Turn The Beat Around."
Gloria hit the Top 10 with "Turn The Beat Around."
Gloria topped the Billboard Hot
Dance Music Club Play chart for a week with
"Turn The Beat Around."
 Christmas
Through Your Eyes was certified
platinum, Hold
Me Thrill Me Kiss Me was certified
platinum, Cuts
Both Ways was certified 3x platinum, and Into
The Light was certified 2x
platinum.
Gloria topped the Billboard
Year-End Charts as the Top Latin 50
Album Artist, Top Latin 50 Album (Mi
Tierra), Top Tropical/Salsa Latin
Artist, and Top Tropical/Salsa Latin Album (Mi
Tierra).
 # 71
Singles Artist of the Year
The single "Turn The Beat Around" was certified
gold.
 Gloria hit the Top 40 with
"Everlasting Love."
Gloria topped the Billboard Hot
Dance Music Club Play chart for 2 weeks with
"Everlasting Love."
Hold
Me Thrill Me Kiss Me was certified 2x
platinum.
 Gloria released her second Latin
album, Abriendo
Puertas.
Tragedy stuck the Estefans once
again while they were vacationing when a
jetskier hit their boat and died from his
injuries.
Gloria topped the Billboard Hot
Latin Tracks chart for 2 weeks with
"Abriendo Puertas."
 Gloria topped the Billboard
Year-End Chart-Toppers as the Top
Tropical/Salsa Latin Album Artist and Top
Tropical/Salsa Latin Album (Mi
Tierra).
 # 67
Singles Artist of the Year
 Gloria topped the Billboard Hot
Latin Tracks chart for a week with "Mas
Alla."
Gloria won another Grammy
Award for Best Tropical Latin Album (Abriendo
Puertas).
Gloria topped the Billboard
Dance Club Play chart for a week with
"Tres Deseos (Three Wishes)."
 Gloria hit the Top 40 with
"Reach" which was used
as the official theme song for the 1996
Summer Olympics.
Abriendo
Puertas was certified gold, Greatest
Hits was certified 3x platinum, and Primitive
Love was certified 3x platinum.
 Gloria turned her attention to
beats and rhythm with the release of Destiny. She said of the LP:
"The goal of this album was to cut loose
and have fun. I was having a great time while
we were writing and recording, and I think it
shows."
Destiny was certified gold.
 Destiny was certified
platinum.
 # 127
Singles Artist of the Year
 Gloria started off the year with
an American Music
Award for Best Latin Female Artist.
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