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).

Charity

In early 2005, Estefan participated in two charity concerts to aid the victims of the 2004 Asian tsunami. She sang "There's Always Tomorrow" on a live NBC broadcast, "Tsunami Aid: A Concert of Hope," with other superstar musical acts, that raised over $18 million dollars for the Red Cross International Response Fund. Estefan also raised $120,000 for tsunami relief efforts with her performance at a private benefit concert at financier Donald Trump's Mar-A-Largo resort in Palm Beach, Florida.

Related Topics:
Charity - 2004 Asian tsunami - Red Cross - Tsunami - Palm Beach, Florida

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The Gloria Estefan Foundation, funded in significant part by the royalties from three of her popular songs ("Always Tomorrow," "Coming Out of the Dark" and "Path of the Right Love") quietly disburses approximately a half million dollars to various charitable causes annually. Created in 1997, The Gloria Estefan Foundation's guiding principle is to help those who struggle outside the safeguards of society by promoting good health, education and cultural development. Her foundation supports charitable programs for disadvantaged children, to help empower young people through education and opportunity. Its mission includes funding financial scholarships annually for needy students, and assisting abused and neglected children. Estefan is a major supporter of the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, which is part of the University of Miami School of Medicine. The Miami Project is the world's premier research center dedicated to treating people with spinal cord injuries and finding a cure for paralysis. Billboard Magazine quoted a project spokeswoman as saying the following: "As capital campaign director, Gloria has been instrumental in helping raise more than forty million dollars . . . Without her, we would not be the largest, most comprehensive spinal-cord-injury research center in the world."

Related Topics:
Miami Project to Cure Paralysis - Spinal cord - Paralysis

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Estefan performed a medley of her hits culminating with "Reach" at the 2005 Capitol Fourth concert in Washington, D.C. The Washington Post reported: "Estefan drew the biggest reaction from the throngs, performing "Rhythm Is Gonna Get You" and fending off shrieks of 'I LOVE YOU, GLORIA' from die-hards on the Capitol steps." In addition, Gloria and Emilio received the National Artistic Achievement Award in "recognition of their dedication to the arts and their contribution to enriching the national legacy of the performing arts." The presenter, actor Jimmy Smits, noted they were both musical legends and said Gloria was "a role model to millions of women." An editorial in The Miami Herald saluted the Estefans "for enriching community with charitable efforts and promoting South Florida as a Hispanic entertainment mecca."

Related Topics:
Washington, D.C. - The Washington Post - Jimmy Smits - The Miami Herald

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In September, 2005, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina (with host The Recording Academy pledging $1 million to help victims who are music professionals), Estefan was honored during the Grammys on the Hill ceremony for her 30-year music career and work supporting artists' rights. She participated in "The Power of Music" on Capitol Hill, which culminated in a unique jam session with Congressman Connie Mack IV (R-FL) on apple shaker, and Congresswoman Mary Bono (R-CA) rattling lemon and pineapple shakers to accompany musician Dave Koz on saxophone, as Estefan played maracas in a rendition of her popular song, "Reach." As part of the relief effort, Estefan and husband Emilio visited three shelters in Louisiana and Mississippi. Estefan sang "Coming Out of the Dark," and, along with other prominent Hispanic entertainers, distributed a planeload of toys and supplies to shelter residents. One young evacuee said that he would never forget the visit. "Gloria brought a lot of smiles to those here today. What she did was a good thing!" In late September Estefan, along with singer Queen Latifa, headlined "Miami Rocks for Relief," which raised over one million dollars for victims. The concert climaxed with an Estefan/Latifa duet of "A Bridge Over Troubled Waters."

Related Topics:
September - 2005 - Hurricane Katrina - Connie Mack IV - Mary Bono - Maracas

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Estefan sang "I Could Fall in Love" (Selena's posthumous crossover hit) at a sold-out Selena Vive! (Selena Lives!) tribute concert honoring the late Latin superstar Selena Quintanilla. The Houston concert commemorated the tenth anniversary of Selena's murder in March of 1995. In pre-concert comments, Estefan, the legendary lead singer of the Miami Sound Machine, lamented the singer's death at age 23 when she was "poised to crossover sensation" appealing to mainstream English-speaking audiences — following by about a decade in Estefan's own musical footsteps. " was on the cusp of greatness," Estefan said. Noting that she no longer tours, the Houston Chronicle described Estefan's performance as "a rare treat."

Related Topics:
Selena Quintanilla - Houston Chronicle

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