Gloria Estefan & The Miami Sound Machine  9/12/1988
Disneyworld, Florida, Seat: n.a.

Gloria (Maria Fajardo) Estefan was born in Havana, Cuba on September 1, 1957. Her family fled to Florida when Gloria was still a toddler (Gloria's father was part of the unsuccessful Bay of Pigs invasion of 1961 to over through Fidel Castro's control over the Cuban government) and lived in the Cuban ghetto of Miami. Gloria's dad was also an Olympic bronze medallist for wrestling. While growing up, Gloria used music to sooth herself from the family struggles of her dad's poor health from multiple sclerosis. She was also singing to comfort wives and mothers in her community whose male family members, like Gloria's father, where off in Vietnam. Gloria later reflected: "When I was a teenager, I was fat, I was shy, I wore glasses, I had a big eyebrow and hair all over my body... it was very depressing and scary, for me, music was the one bright spot in my life... I sang instead of crying." When Gloria was 18, she met Emilio Estefan at a wedding where he was performing with his band, the Miami Latin Boys. Gloria was offered a job to front the band after singing 2 songs with them at the wedding. Even though she had been planning to head to college and eventually hope to become a psychologist, Gloria decided to try pursuing her musical ambitions. By the end of the 70s, Gloria and Emilio wed (in 1978) and embarked into the music scene as the Miami Sound Machine (changing the name to reflect a more diverse sound). Gloria was on her way to becoming the first worldwide crossover Latin music star. The Miami Sound Machine's original lineup included Gloria, Emilio, Enrique Garcia, Juan Avilia, and Merci Murciano (Gloria's cousin), and helped launched backup singer, Jon Secada's solo career. The group released 4 Spanish LPs in the early 80s: Renacer, Otra Vez, Rio, and A Toda Máguina.