As a child, Gloria Estefan liked to write poetry, and though she took classical guitar lessons, she found them tedious. She had no inkling that she would someday become a popular music star, but music played a very important role for her as a teenager.
After her father’s return from Vietnam, he was diagnosed as having multiple sclerosis, possibly as a result of having been exposed to the herbicide Agent Orange while serving in the Army. Estefan’s mother, who had been a teacher in Cuba, worked to support the family during the day and attended school at night. Young Gloria was left to take care of her father and younger sister. She had little social life, and because she felt the weight of such responsibilities she turned to music as a release.
“When my father was ill, music was my escape,” Estefan told Washington Post reporter Richard Harrington. “I would lock myself up in my room for hours and just sing. I wouldn’t cry—I refused to cry. … Music was the only way I had to just let go, so I sang for fun and for emotional catharsis.”
Bio:
The Cuban American singer/songwriter & actress has been a top 100 best selling music artists with over 90 million albums sold worldwide, 26.5 million of those in the United States alone. She has won seven Grammy Awards, she is the most successful crossover performer in Latin music to date.
Born September 1, 1957 in Havana, Cuba, from Jose and Gloria Fajardo. Her maternal grandfather, Leonardo Garcia, emigrated to Cuba from Pola de Siero, Asturias, Spain, where he married Gloria’s maternal grandmother, originally from Logroño, Spain.
Gloria became romantically involved with the Miami Sound Machine’s band leader, Emilio Estefan, in 1976. She and Emilio married on September 2, 1978. They have a son, Nayib (born September 2, 1980) and a daughter, Emily Marie (born December 5, 1994). The family lives in the exclusive Star Island section of Miami Beach, Florida.
Interesting Facts To Know About Gloria Estefan
- Shortly after Gloria’s family moved to the United States, Gloria’s father joined the U.S. military and fought in the Vietnam War and moved to Houston, Texas, also having participated in the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion.
- She graduated from the University of Miami in 1979 with a degree in Psychology and a minor in French.
- Gloria worked as an English/ Spanish/French translator at Miami airport because of her language abilities.
- Because of her language abilities, was once approached by the CIA as a possible employee.
- In March 1990, she had a severe accident in her tour bus. She made her comeback in March 1991 with a new world tour and album called Into The Light. Estefan became a worldwide inspiration after that.
- Her 1993 Spanish-language album Mi Tierra won the first of her three Grammy Awards for Best Tropical Latin Album. It was the first number-one album on the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart, established when it was released. It was also the first Diamond album in Spain.at.
- Estefan also received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and Las Vegas Walk of Fame.
- Received The Ellis Island Congressional Medal of Honor, which is the highest award that can be given to a naturalized U.S.
- In addition to her work as a musical performer, Gloria Estefan has written multiple books. She written two children’s books, “The Magically Mysterious Adventures of Noelle the Bulldog,” and “Noelle’s Treasure Tale: A New Magically Mysterious Adventure,” along with co-authoring a cookbook with her husband Emilio Estefan titled “Estefan Kitchen.” The latter titled features approximately 60 traditional Cuban recipes.
- In June 2009, Estefan and her husband became the first Hispanics to buy a minor ownership stake in an NFL team, the Miami Dolphins.
- She has sold over 100 million albums worldwide and 31.5 million in US alone.
- Gloria’s favorite quote is “you can put things off until tomorrow, but tomorrow may never come.
- Gloria has a son and daughter, Nayib, and Emily.
- Gloria has release 15 albums so far.
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