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).

On tour with "Evolution"

On July 18, 1996, Estefan embarked on her "Evolution" world tour (her first tour in five years), which covered the United States, Canada, Europe, Latin America, Australia, South Africa and Asia.

Related Topics:
July 18 - 1996 - Canada - Europe - Latin America - Australia - South Africa - Asia

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Estefan appeared in a movie, Music of the Heart (1999) and dueted with *NSYNC on the Billboard #1 and Academy Award Nominated "Music Of My Heart." She also released a Latin hit with the Brazilian group So Pra Contrariar called "Santo, Santo," sang with Luciano Pavarotti in "Pavarotti and Friends for Guatemala and Kosovo," released the benefit album "A Rosie Christmas," and sang with Stevie Wonder at Super Bowl XXXIII in Miami. Estefan is the only artist to perform twice at the Super Bowl.

Related Topics:
Music of the Heart - *NSYNC - Brazil - Luciano Pavarotti - Guatemala - Kosovo - Stevie Wonder - Super Bowl XXXIII - Super Bowl

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In addition to her musical success, Estefan and her husband are entrepreneurs. Together, they own five business establishments in Florida: three Cuban-themed restaurants (Bongos) in Miami, Miami Beach and Orlando, and two hotels, the Palm Court Resort Hotel in Vero Beach, which was destroyed by hurricanes in the fall of 2004 (Estefan's management says it will be rebuilt and reopen as the Cabana Beach Resort in late 2007), and The Cardozo in Miami.

Related Topics:
Miami Beach - Orlando - Vero Beach - 2007

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In addition to her five Grammys, Estefan has received a number of other prestigious awards. In May, 1993, she received the Ellis Island Congressional Medal of Honor, which is the highest award that can be given to a citizen who was born outside the United States. She has won the Hispanic Heritage Award, an MTV Music Award, two cable television "ACE" awards and the 1993 National Music Foundation's Humanitarian of the Year award. The singer is the recipient of the American Music Award for Lifetime Achievement. She also has a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame. Her husband, Emilio, a world-renowned music impresario, received a star adjacent to his wife's on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2005.

Related Topics:
May - 1993 - Ellis Island - MTV - Hollywood's Walk of Fame

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In 2003, she was inducted into the Florida Women's Hall of Fame. The City of Hope, one of her favorite charities, in 2004 presented her with the Spirit of Life Award in recognition of her contributions to the Hispanic community and in support of its charitable endeavors. Her hometown of Miami honored her, in 2004, with the Mayor's Lifetime Achievement Award.

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Estefan holds an honorary Doctoral Degree in Music awarded by the University of Miami in 1993. In 2002, Barry University {Miami, Florida} bestowed upon her an honorary law degree.

Related Topics:
University of Miami - Barry University

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She has scores of encomiums for her musical accomplishments, humanitarian and philanthropic work. In 2002, she received the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Medallion of Excellence for Community Service. The singer was Musicares Person of the Year in 1994. The Alexis de Tocqueville Society awarded her the United Way Outstanding Philanthropy Award in 1993. She was inducted into the Movieland Star Hall of Fame in 1991.

Related Topics:
Philanthropic - Alexis de Tocqueville

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She has been honored twice by the Songwriters Hall of Fame: in 1996 she won the Hitmaker Award; she and her husband, Emilio, won the Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievement Award in 2001.

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In 1992, she served as a public member of the United States Delegation to the 47th General Assembly to the United Nations.

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Estefan was BMI's Songwriter of the Year in 1992. Bnai Brith honored her as Humanitarian of the Year in 1992. Also in 1992, she won the Premio Lo Nuestro Lifetime Achievement Award. Miami Sound Machine won the American Music Award for Best Pop Band in 1987.

Related Topics:
Bnai Brith - American Music Award

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In March of 1990, on the day before her back was broken in a bus accident, she was honored by President George H.W. Bush for her anti-drug efforts.

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At the 2005 Billboard Latin Music Awards, Estefan won the award for Tropical Airplay Track by a female artist for "Tu Fotografia."

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Estefan's next album, 2000's Alma Caribeña won the first Latin Grammy for Best Music Video for No Me Dejes de Querer. The album reached number one in Spain, the United States and several South American countries. That year, she also won the American Music Awards Award of Merit.

Related Topics:
2000 - Latin Grammy

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Greatest Hits Vol. II was released in 2001. It contained hits from 1993 to 2000, three new songs and a remix of her first hit "Conga", now called "Y - Tu - Conga". Greatest Hits Vol. II was a commercial disappointment, however, selling fewer than 200,000 copies, comparing unfavorably to 1992's original Greatest Hits CD, which sold 2.5 million copies.

Related Topics:
2001 - 1992

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