Gloria Estefan

The Cuban-American singer and songwriter Gloria Estefan is the most successful Latin music artist in the United States; she has sold more than 100 million albums worldwide. Born in Cuba, she came to the United States at the age of one when her family fled the revolution that brought Fidel Castro to power. She began singing professionally at age 17, with the band Miami Sound Machine. Led by her husband, Emilio Estefan, the band experienced international success in the Spanish-speaking world long before their breakthrough English-language hit "Conga" in 1985. With Gloria as lead vocalist, the band enjoyed a string of top-ten hits, including the number one single, "Words Get in the Way." As Gloria's fame grew, her name replaced the band's on the album covers, although she continues to compose, record and perform with her husband and other members of the band. In 1989 she released her bestselling album to date, Cuts Both Ways. A few months later, she was severely injured in a tour bus accident. Her injuries required surgery and intensive physical therapy, but she was performing again in less than a year. She has continued to release hit albums and singles, at a steady pace, singing in both English and Spanish, crooning romantic ballads and belting out up-tempo dance numbers. For years, her concerts have drawn enormous crowds in Europe and Latin America as well as the United States, although in 2009 she suspended touring to spend more time with her husband and daughter. In 2011 she released a new album of exuberant dance tunes, Miss Little Havana. In this audio podcast, recorded at the Academy of Achievement's 1997 Summit in Baltimore, Maryland, Estefan reflects on her life and the American Dream. She speaks warmly of her family, the rewards of motherhood, and the collaboration she enjoys with her husband. She also recalls the role music played in her family life, and her pride in her ancestral culture.