Gloria Estefan

Gloria Estefan (birth name Gloria María Milagrosa Fajardo, born September 1, 1957 in Havana, Cuba), is a five-time Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter, who began her career as lead vocalist for the then exclusively Spanish-language band, Miami Sound Machine, in 1975, and crossed over to mainstream popular success with English-speaking audiences with the international hit singles, Dr. Beat (1984) and Conga (1986).

1990 tour bus crash in Pennsylvania

While touring in support of Cuts Both Ways, on March 20, 1990, near Scranton, Pennsylvania, a tractor trailer crashed into Estefan's tour bus, critically injuring her and breaking her back. Estefan was flown by helicopter to New York City, where surgeons permanently implanted two titanium rods to stabilize her spinal column. The grueling recovery took almost a year.

Related Topics:
March 20 - 1990 - Scranton - Pennsylvania - New York City - Surgeon - Implant - Titanium - Spinal column

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After extensive physical therapy, Estefan returned to the charts with a concept album, Into the Light, in 1991. The lead single "Coming Out Of The Dark," whose title was based on a phrase her husband, Emilio, hastily jotted on a piece of paper as a helicopter transported her for delicate surgery to repair her broken back, was a hit worldwide. "Coming Out of the Dark" was performed publicly for the first time on the "American Music Awards" in January 1991, for which Gloria received a rousing standing ovation.

Related Topics:
Physical therapy - Concept album - 1991 - American Music Awards - January

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The "Into the Light World Tour" displayed the relentless energy, personal warmth, and crack musicianship that Estefan had developed through her old band, the Miami Sound Machine, and through her solo career. This tour covered 100 cities in nine countries and was seen by more than 10 million people worldwide.

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