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).

Miami Sound Machine

Estefan's first major public performance was at a large Cuban wedding when Emilio asked her to join the band to sing on stage, after which she received a standing ovation.

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A few weeks later, she became the lead singer for the Miami Sound Machine, which performed and recorded in Spanish in the early years of its existence. The Miami Sound Machine soon gained a large fan base and released an LP in 1977 with a local company. It was the first all-Spanish album from CBS International.

Related Topics:
Spanish - 1977 - CBS

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With Estefan on vocals, The Miami Sound Machine had its first English-language hit with "Dr. Beat," which topped the dance charts across Europe, from the album Eyes of Innocence, in 1984. Primitive Love was released in 1986; "Conga," "Bad Boy," and "Words Get in the Way" were crossover hits. Her next album, 1988's Let It Loose went multi-platinum, with several million copies sold and the following hits: "Anything For You" (#1 Pop), "1,2,3" (#3 Pop), "Rhythm Is Gonna Get You" (#5 Pop) and "Can't Stay Away From You" (#6 Pop and #1 Adult/Contemporary).

Related Topics:
Europe - 1984 - 1986 - 1988

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In 1988, Estefan took top billing as the band's name changed to Gloria Estefan and The Miami Sound Machine. Beginning in 1989, Estefan recorded as a solo artist for the first time. That year, she released her best selling album to date, Cuts Both Ways (which refers to Estefan's desire to appeal to both English and Spanish-speaking fans) with hits like "Don't Wanna Lose You" (a USA #1 hit), "Oye Mi Canto", "Here We Are", "Cuts Both Ways" (#1 in Australia) and "Get On Your Feet". Cuts Both Ways sold more than ten million copies worldwide and reached number one in several countries.

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