Gloria Estefan: Rhythm is Gonna Get You

Real talk. There's nothing more iconic than Gloria and Emilio Estefan.

But I will say that we have come up with a list of a few other names that come really close, but they're always at the very top of that list.

I mean, come on, who hasn't heard come on, shake your body, baby, do that? Gon got No, you can control yourself any longa you'd have to be allervin under a rock, seriously gone to the most boring New Year's party or consignelas ever.

Because if you're not familiar with their work, you've at least heard.

The names Gloria and Emilio.

I mean, you feel the weight that they hold when it comes to.

Pop culture music, Latin me that all of it.

Oh, yes you do, honey, Yes you do. I wasn't even born in nineteen eighty seven.

And lies so many lies.

Let have me finished. I wasn't even born in nineteen eighty seven, and my body just can't sit still whenever I hear rhythm is gonna get you.

Get tonight, dun.

I loved that it was gonna getcha.

It's so good.

And by the way, I didn't know you were such a versatile Latino jukebox.

I mean it's Gloria say, make.

Such a good song.

And nowadays they're both given credit for paving the way and setting the stage for Latin music and for.

The next generation of Latino iPhones.

Gloria Stephan, the queen of Latin pop, took up space when it was rarely given to Latina's.

Emilio Stefan helped bring other artists up with them, stepping up as producer. Talk about a powerful duo long before there was any Queen Bee jay Z. You know what I mean.

I know without them there might never have been a Ricky Martin, a Jennifer Lopez, or even a Shakira.

What a sad, sad world that would have been. So us Still, their journey wasn't easy. While there was love in their lives, they also came across a lot of loss and grief.

We'll be focusing the story around Gloria's specific rise to the top, but their careers are perfectly linked. It really is a love story at heart. It's beautiful and honestly, these days, it's starting to feel a little far fetched to believe that some people are actually meant to be together for life.

Yet they are living proof of it every day, even I have to say it. Born on opposite sides of the same island.

Gloria and Emilio Stefan found their way to each other despite the odds, their love and determination to follow a dream would change everything. With a revival for the critically acclaimed jukebox musical On Your Feet.

Two Super Bowl Have Time shows.

Two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Two Presidential Medals of Freedom.

A recipient of the Gershwin Prize from the Library of Congress.

Twenty six Grammy Awards and counting.

And numerous acting gigs, including the most recent and equally critically acclaimed twenty twenty two remake of Father of the Bride.

Who exactly is Gloria Stefan?

How did the step Funds find their way to each other in order to rise to the top together and what makes them iconic?

I'm your host Lilianavosquez.

And I'm Joseph Carrio and this is Becoming an Icon.

A weekly podcast where we give you the rundown on how today's most famous LATINV stars have shaped pop culture.

And given the world some extra level.

Sit back and get comfortable.

Because we are going in the only way we know how with Buenas v us, I'm buenasriesas some and a lot of opinions.

As we relive their greatest achievements on our journey to find out what makes them so iconic.

The Estefans are Miami royalty.

According to the Washington Post, their estimated wealth is a staggering five hundred to seven hundred million dollars.

Uh huh.

They own restaurants, hotels, are Recording Studio, a publishing company, tons of real estate, and, like fellow icon Mark Anthony, a minority partnership in the Miami Dolphins.

I mean, that is one of the real I means I've ever said. They are royalty, like American royalty, whatever.

Latin royalty. They're kuban Als, remember.

I mean, but here they are here like the dolphins. Come on, No, but before, how did you ever hear about Gloria Stefan like you for real from the beginning?

Well, my mom, I mean, I think most of my introduction to kind of some of our older icons obviously came through my parents. My dad not such a fan, but my mom was always a really big fan of Gloria, and my grandmother was too to be honest. You know, she's old school, and I think her music has evolved a lot. But you know, I'm a child of the eighties, so you can't talk eighties and not talk about Miami Sound Machine. Like I remember dancing to that being like

It was written in the stars.

She was going to be this successful, she was going to be this talented. She had it from a very young age.

It's funny that you say that, you know, we grew up with this. I will say I know all of her music, but I didn't know it was her, you know what I mean until I saw the movie The Birdcage and one of the actors he's like his name is Sparta guess, so he's like a drag queen, but he's not. He always had this little radio playing Gloria Stefan and he would call his speaker because Gloria was always playing. He would say, come on Gloria and they

I think you're hitting on something that feels really familiar, probably for a lot of our listeners. And that's why this podcast exists, because you might know the music, but you don't really know the icon.

So let's get into it.

In the fifties, the tides were changing in Kuba.

Before the revolution, it was a hub for culture.

Recognizable figures would visit all the time, and I'm talking names like Ava Gardner, Frank Sinatra, Ernest Hemingway, Majure. But Cuba is much more than a tourist destination for Hemingway fans looking for La Floridita.

Home to a pop culture icon.

Born in Havana, Gloria Stefon found herself under a Caribbean son soaking in the rays and her full name BTW Gloria Maria Milagarossa Fajarlo Garcia go girl.

Wow deserves more specifically, she was born on September one, nineteen fifty seven. Okay, I'm channeling my innerwild dad. So she's a Virgo son, a Sagittarius Moon, and a Sagittarius rising. Okay, that means she's super methodical and a quick thinker, but she can often get stressed easily. She's very much a happy, go lucky kind of person too, and I love her for that.

I'm sure her parents love that about her as well.

Glodia's family had actually traveled from Spain to Cuba.

And while is Stephan's maternal side participated in the islands politics at the time, her great grandfather served as the head chef for two of Cuba's presidents. Her paternal so well, that's where the music comes from. Her family tree included a famous flutist and a classical pianist. Her maternal grandparents,

Hummm. Gloria's mother, Gloria Facardo, was said to have a killer voice.

It's all in the genes here and reflecting back on her mother, Gloria has said this, She's sang beautifully. She was gorgeous. She looked like Liz Taylor. No matter what she was doing. She was dressed and made up to the nuns. During the Stephan's childhood, her mother had even received an offer to dub Shirley Temple's films in Spanish.

Shut up mmmm, But she was never allowed.

Okay. Her father aka Glodia's grandfather, mister Garcia, told Mama Gloria, no sepwade honey. So she did the next badest thing she could think of. Went on to pursue a PhD in education in Cuba.

Her father, on the other hand, worked as a farmer in Cuba as well. Or that's what Glodia's mother had told her the Jews. In reality, Glodia's father, Jose participated in the nineteen sixty one A Bay of Pigs invasion. He was captured by his cousin. Okay, his cousin cousin, a member of the Gastro's troops and would spend the next two years incarcerated in Cuba.

Okay, Gloria wasn't on the island long enough to see this happen.

In nineteen fifty nine, Gloria was only two years old when her family fled like many other Cubans during the Cuban Revolution.

Like many Cubans, Gloria and her family thought their time in Miami would only be temporary.

In an interview with The Washington Post in twenty seventeen, she shared this, I still have my Cuban baby pass, support my round trip PanAm ticket in the Hey, who knew what was going to happen to us? There were so many possibilities, so many things that could unfold.

Soon enough, they'd be calling Miami home. As they settled in Miami, they opened what came to be known as one of the first Cuban restaurants in the city.

But the family struggled financially on top of discrimination. Glodia recalls establishments that would have signs that read no children, no pets, no Cubans. While they were going through all of this, Glordia's dad was involved in the Bay of Pigs invasion which left Glodia's mom to take care of her daughters on her own.

Wait, no children, no pets, no Cubans, what the fuck?

It's important that we share that because I don't know that people realized the discrimination that Cubans faced when they first.

Came to Miami.

I mean, you go to Miami now and it's like, oh, it's little Havana, right. Things were not like that in the sick even in the seventies.

Okay, hold on, So I know that you did your homework and I did not because I'm not a good I'm not good at this. So what is the Bay of Pigs invasion? Or do you know that from history? Like? Should we know of this?

Yes, I mean you probably learned it at some point in high school history. You probably don't remember it, but it.

Was pretty messed up.

So the Bay of Pigs invasion was an invasion of Cuba in nineteen sixty one by fifteen hundred Cuban exiles that were opposed to Fidel Castro.

And guess who financed it and directed it?

Stop who we did? Okay of course? Yeah?

The US government.

So the reason it's called Bay of Pigs is it because the location of the invasion was the baia the cocinos.

Joseph translate for us, what is that?

I know? Ay? Okay, okay, but for real, Colaccino is a big exactly Wait, who was president? This is some Nixon shit, isn't it?

It was actually John F. Kennedy.

And the whole thing was so messy they failed to raise the ransom amount demanded by Fidel Gastro's reparations, so the prisoners, including Gloria's dad, were ultimately released.

When her dad was finally released from Cuban custody, he traveled to the US, but the reunion was cut short. He enlisted and was shipped off to Nan in nineteen sixty six.

Due to exposure to agent orange during his time stationed in Vietnam, Josef Fajardo fell ill with multiple sclerosis. Gloria, now eleven, and her sister, Rebecca, now four, took care of their father once he came back, while their mother worked to provide for them as a public school teacher.

Young Gloria grew up as the mother figure at home whenever their mom was away, you know, kind of like the eldest child thing.

Oh don't I know that? Life? For real?

Though many said she was a quiet, reserved and serious kid, but it was all probably because she had to grow up so fast. When she wasn't taking care of her dad, she was studying at a Catholic school in Miami, and it was there where she learned to play the guitar, kickstarting her journey onto the music scene.

But at this point music was just a hobby.

Education was the most important thing in the Fajardo Garcia household, and Gloria had her priority straight. By nineteen seventy four, she became a US citizen, and by.

Nineteen seventy five she was attending the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida.

It was also during this time that she met Emilio Stephan. Emilio Stephan was a keyboardist for a band called the Miami Latin Boys.

I think I know them, you know the whole band. I bet all them boys.

He's been musically inclined since he was a little kid. It was during his formative years that he'd played the accordion to earn enough tips to support his family.

Growing up, he'd go to school and work for the Baccarty's in Miami. He started in the mail room, and in return, they helped him with his education.

As he got older, he'd work at Baccarti until four pm. He'd changed in his car, go to school at night, then change again and play the accordion at restaurants. Bitch the accordion, Yes, Joseph, it's an important instrument.

It is, it is.

And when the Bookardi family became aware, they actually asked him to perform at a family function. So he gathered up a few players and they performed as a band all night. From that moment on, he was invited to perform at many private parties.

And with that money honey, he was able to help his family travel from Cuba to Miami.

By nineteen seventy five, Emilia's crew had become the Miami Latin Boys and they were in demand.

The guy with the accordion was in high demand.

What do you personally have against accordions? Like they feel attacked by you.

I just listen. My grandpa played it. I love it very much, but I just can't see it it being cool like he was playing it in Ranchov. You know, I just can't.

Again, nothing wrong with accordions, and don't be a hater against Ranchov okay, I love my Ranchos. The Miami Boys were so hot in the market and created so much buzz that they were invited to give pointers to a local church ensemble. The thing about this particular church is that Gloria was a member. When asked about Glodia singing at the time, he said, she sounded really good.

Okay, what in the espiritu santu? Just really good? Not talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing shows something spectacular, never the same, totally you, Nique, completely not ever been done before.

No, she does recall something different about the encounter, though. Emilio had brought his trusty accordion and we he was wearing your favorite short shorts, the Daisy Dupe in her words, not mine. They were quote very short, little brown shorts that your mother made you.

Because those looked like homemade.

Shorts, for sure, and I know later on that she actually made you those shorts short shorts.

Let me throw it back to the olden times, young Amelio sounded like a little rascal.

Or a hooligan, as our former icon Bruno Marsh would say.

But funnily enough, nothing even happened that day.

I mean, hello, they were in church okay, so Daisy Dukes. They were in church and Daisy Duke's nothing happened. They met, he gave them pointers, then he left despite being impressed by Glodia singing. It wasn't until they met again at a Cuban wedding at the DuPont Plaza Hotel. The Miami Latin Boys were performing at a wedding and who was a guest at this wedding Gloria. Emelia ran into her and immediately recognized her.

She remembered him too.

And funny thing is that they're talking. And meanwhile Glodia's mom be like, was that the home dude with the Daisy Dukes talking to my daughter?

But listen still, it was all very, very polite.

Then he had an idea.

The band at the time didn't have a lead singer, and because of this, all of the guys just took turns singing at different events.

Emiliel remembered how good of a singer Gloria was, and he was like, hey, why don't you perform with us tonight.

Gloria was hesitant, she had been petrified the previous time he'd seen her sing.

Well for some reason, she said, yes, it means you'll.

Call that night a big success.

It seemed as though the Miami Latin Boys had finally found their lead singer.

Okay, honey, let's not get carried away here. While Gloria considered it, Mama said no.

Gloria got the opportunity to be the lead singer for the Miami Latin Boys, but her mom was like, uh no, no, no, Senorita, school comes first.

Hey, these Latin mommies be cramped. I mean our Soio.

Lah, I feel you on it, but I hate to admit it. Most of the time they're onto something.

Okay, not all of the time, but like find most.

But Glordia was smart. She was not going to let this opportunity pass her by, and she was quick on her feet. When Emilio had seen her perform with the church ensemble, her cousin Mercedis Mehrstinavado had been there too.

So Gladia suggested they both join the band. Look two for one special Heney.

Who doesn't love that?

It was that that seemed to do the trick, because Gloria was allowed to join the Miami Latin Boys realized they needed a name change.

With Gloria and her cousin joining the band.

By nineteen seventy seven, the Miami Sound Machine was born.

On the next Becoming an Icon.

Get on your feet, get up, and may get it happened the rise of the Miami Sound.

Machine, the wedding that officially gave us Gloria Stefan, and.

The chart topping hit that gave them global starting.

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