Earth, Wind, & Fire, the #66 Artist of the Rock Era, Part One

"The Greatest Sound of their time .....Earth ,Wind and Fire set the Standard of what R and B was about and still is .......Love.....Peace .....Harmony !!!!"

"Earth, Wind & Fire is a unique and unforgettable group."

"Great music is timeless."

"if we had more of theses fellas I don't think people would overlook EMPATHY for the other person."

"I love this group--such great talent."

"One of the greatest groups ever."

"The most beautiful music in the world."

"What a band. They're incredible!"

"I knew my time on this earth had not been wasted when my sons agreed with me that EW&F were the most talented band ever!"

"I love the sheer soulful joy, the musicality and the vision of EWF's
songs."

"Earth, Wind & Fire brought so much happiness to millions."

"How the world needs Earth, Wind & Fire."

This incredible mass appeal group started in 1971 in Chicago, Illinois.  Their origins go back to 1969, when Maurice White, a former session drummer with Chess Records and a former member of the Ramsey Lewis Trio ("The 'In Crowd'"), formed the Salty Peppers with friends Wade Flemons and Don Whitehead.  But after two singles flopped, White moved from Chicago to Los Angeles.  

White added vocalist Sherry Scott and Yackov Ben Israel and then asked his younger brother Verdine if he would play bass for the group.  The band recorded demo tapes with singer Donny Hathaway and were signed with Warner Brothers Records.  

White changed the group's name to Earth, Wind & Fire, taken from his astrological sign, Sagittarius, which has a primary elemental qualify of fire.  In the northern hemisphere, Sagittarius occurs in the fall, whose primary element is earth, and in the southern hemisphere, is in the spring, whose element is air.  

Guitarist Michael Beale was added to the group, as was Leslie Drayton on trumpet, trombonist Alex Thomas and Chester Washington on reeds.  In 1971, Earth, Wind & Fire released their self-titled album.  

The group followed that up with the album The Need of Love later in the year.

Although their first two albums received positive reviews and they were attracting good crowds of young people at their shows, the band broke up.  Maurice and Verdine vowed to fight on and recruit new members.

Vocalist Jessica Cleaves, formerly with the Friends of Distinction ("Grazing In The Grass" and "Love Or Let Me Be Lonely") came on board, and the Whites also added another singer, Phillip Bailey and rhythm guitarist Roland Bautista, Larry Dunn on keyboards, percussionist Ralph Johnson and Ronnie Laws on the flute and saxophone.  

But Warner Brothers was unsure how to promote the group with the unique sound, so Earth, Wind & Fire signed on with managers Bob Cavallo and Joe Ruffalo.  This led to the band opening for John Sebastian, another client of Cavallo.  Clive Davis, then president of Columbia Records, saw their show at the Rockefeller Center in New York City and bought their contract from Warner Brothers.  The group released their first album for Columbia, Last Days and Time.

Earth, Wind & Fire began to find their groove with their 1973 album Head to the Sky.  Bautista and Laws left just prior to recording, replaced by saxophonist Andrew Woolfolk and guitarists Johnny Graham and Al McKay.  After the band became superstars, the album went Platinum.

Cleaves left after Head to the Sky.  In 1974, Earth, Wind & Fire recorded the album Open Our Eyes, which has also now sold over one million copies.

Another White brother, Fred, joined the group on drums, after playing with Hathaway and Little Feat.  In the spring, the group received great exposure at California Jam, a major Rock festival on the West Coast that attracted an estimated 200,000.  

In 1975, Sig Shore, who had produced the movie Super Fly, recruited Earth, Wind & Fire to record the soundtrack for a new movie he was making about the shady side of the recording industry.  Members of the band also starred in the film That's The Way of the World, but as they worked through it, they were less and less impressed with the movie.

 

Earth, Wind & Fire decided to release the soundtrack prior to the premiere of the movie as they didn't want to be associated with what they were sure was going to be a bad movie.  It was, but the music was outstanding, going to #1 on the Album chart.  "Shining Star" rose to #1 on both the Popular and R&B charts.

"Shining Star" earned the band a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.

 

The gorgeous title song peaked at #12, and is the creme de la creme of The Top Unknown/Underrated Songs of the Rock Era*.

 

"Reasons" is another song in that club, with the incredible Phillip Bailey's vocal masterpiece.

Another solid track on the album is "Happy Feeling".

 

"All About Love" features Maurice at his best.

That's the Way of the World has now sold over three million copies, and that success gave Earth, Wind & Fire spending money, which they used to hire their own horn section.  That section, called the Phenix Horns, were the finishing touch to the group that gave them their trademark sound.  The Horns consisted of Rahmlee Davis and Michael Harris on trumpet, Don Myrick on saxophone and trombonist Louis Satterfield.  Myrick and Satterfield had previously known Maurice while the three were at Chess.

 

As Columbia requested new material from the band prior to striking out on the road to open for Santana, Earth, Wind & Fire recorded two singles, "Sing A Song" and "Can't Hide Love".  The former landed at #5 and was a 1 R&B hit.

 

"Can't Hide Love" earned a Grammy nomination for Best Arrangement For Voices.

The two singles were combined with live recordings from their 1974 and 1975 tours for the double album Gratitude, which has now sold over three million copies.  The title song led to a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.

Meanwhile, Maurice started his own production company which he called Kalimba Productions.  He signed former bandleader Ramsey Lewis as well as the Emotions and singer Deniece Williams.  Those acts opened on tour for Earth, Wind & Fire.

 

White began producing the group starting with the 1976 album Spirit, which rose to #2 on the Album chart and generated sales of over two million copies.  "Getaway", another #1 R&B hit that peaked at #12 overall, helped propel those sales.

 

The title song features another of Bailey's finest performances.

Catch Part Two below!

The Doors, The #67 Artist of the Rock Era, Part Two

 (Continued from Part One...)

The Doors released the album Waiting for the Sun later in the year, a #1 album in the United States and France and #3 in Canada.  It too has gone over one million in sales.

 "Hello, I Love You" became one of the group's biggest career hits--#1 for two weeks in the U.S. and Canada and #10 in Switzerland.  It has also sold over one million singles. 

 

"Not To Touch The Earth" is a prime cut.

  Morrison's uncompromising lyrics knew no bounds.  When he broached a subject, he pulled no punches and held nothing back, evidenced by this anti-war song:  "Unknown Soldier".

The group continued to make headlines for the wrong reasons, as fans rioted at the Singer Bowl in New York City.  While performing in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Morrison collapsed after a drug binge before the concert.

The Doors played nine more shows in the United States before starting work on their fourth album.  

In 1969, the Doors performed before a sold-out crowd at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, New York.  On March 1, the group had a date at the Dinner Key Auditorium in Miami, Florida.  What happened on that night severely damaged the Doors' reputation.  Morrison, who had been drinking all day, would abruptly quit singing during his vocal parts and start taunting the crowd.  When the Doors began their second selection, "Touch Me", Morrison began shouting in protest, forcing the rest of the band to quit playing.

On March 5, the Dade County Sheriff's office issued a warrant for the arrest of Morrison, who exposed himself on stage in a desperate plea for attention, shouted obscenities at the crowd and committed other lewd acts.  Morrison was convicted and sentenced to six months in jail with hard labor.

Morrison was free on bail, but would die before a final decision was reached.  

 

The Doors released the album The Soft Parade in July, another million-seller.  "Touch Me" climbed to #1 in Canada, #3 in the U.S., 6 in New Zealand and #10 in Switzerland and has sold over one million copies.  

The Soft Parade became the band's fourth consecutive Top 10 album in the U.S. and also hit #4 in Canada and the Netherlands and #8 in France.

 

The title song represented some of the group's best experimental work on a piece that encompasses several movements and musical styles rolled into one Top Track*.

 

We also want to feature another blues number from the group--"Shaman's Blues".

While the group was recording their next album, Morrison and a friend boarded a flight to Phoenix, Arizona to see a concert by the Rolling Stones.  Morrison and his friend Tom Baker were charged with "interfering with the flight of an intercontinental aircraft and public drunkenness", and faced a ten-year federal prison sentence if convicted.  The charges against Morrison were dropped four months later when an airline stewardess said that she had mistaken Morrison as Baker.

 

The Doors completed their album and released it in 1970 as Morrison Hotel, which rose to #3 in Canada, #4 in the United States and Australia and #6 in Italy.  It also reached Platinum status.   "Peace Frog" is regarded as one of the group's best songs.

 

The Topanga Canyon nightclub known as Topanga Corral is thought to be the inspiration for "Roadhouse Blues".  To navigate the many twists and turns to the club, one really did have to "keep their eyes on the road and their hand upon the wheel".  Among the guest musicians featured are John Sebastian of Lovin' Spoonful on harmonica and Lonnie Mack on bass.

In 1970, the Doors released the album Absolutely Live, which was certified Gold.  Their compilation album 13 went Platinum.  As Morrison was set to face trial in Miami in August, the Doors performed throughout the summer, including at the Isle of Wight Festival. 

 

The group released the album L.A. Woman, with the "Love Her Madly" smash jumping to #3 in Canada, #6 in Australia, #9 in the Netherlands and #10 in France.  But, with a peak of #11 in the U.S., it is another of The Top Underrated Songs*.  "L.A. Woman" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

 

You can add "Riders On The Storm" to that category with a peak of #14 in the United States, although it did achieve #1 in France, #7 in Canada and the Netherlands and #10 in Australia.

And the title song has become a classic.

 Morrison's other-worldly lyrics and vocal interpretations of his poetry were certainly the foundation for much of the Doors' music.  What made them legends is the uncanny ability of the other immensely talented members to mesh with a strange dude like Morrison.  Manzarek's great keyboard work is once again featured on "The Changeling".

The Doors began a tour to promote it the album.  They performed in Dallas, Texas on December 11 before going to New Orleans, Louisiana the next night.  During the latter show, Morrison slammed his microphone several times onto the stage floor until the platform was destroyed.  He then sat down and refused to perform for the rest of the show.  

After the show, Densmore, Manzarek and Krieger met and decided to end live shows, agreeing that Morrison should retire from performing.

The album went to #1 in the Netherlands, #4 in Canada and #9 in the U.S. and Australia.  It has gone over two million in sales.

During the recording of L.A. Woman, Rothchild quit as producer of the group, leaving those duties to Brute Botnick and the Doors.  The group was able to finish the album and released it early in the year.

On March 13, Morrison took a leave of absence from the group and moved to Paris, France.  Morrison died on July 3 at the age of 27 after being found in an apartment bathtub by his girlfriend Pamela Courson.  He was buried at the Pere Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, where his grave has been vandalized numerous times as shown above.

The three surviving members continued as a trio until breaking up in 1973.  Krieger and Manzarek took over lead vocals for live performances.  They released the album Other Voices in 1971 and Full Circle in 1972.  The Doors brought in bassist Jack Conrad and Bobby Ray Henson on rhythm guitar for a European tour, but the Doors officially broke up in 1973.

There have been several reunions of the group, the first in 1978 when they recorded the album An American Prayer, putting music to spoken word recordings of Morrison reciting his poetry.  The album sold over one million copies.

In 1980, the group released The Doors Greatest Hits, a three-million seller.  In 1983, the surviving members released another live album, Alive She Cried, which was certified Gold.  Their live 1991 album In Concert sold over one million copies.

In 1985, the band released the compilation The Very Best of the Doors, which has now sold over 10 million copies in the U.S.

In 1993, the Doors were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and reunited for the ceremony.  The compilation The Doors Greatest Hits, released in 1996, has sold over two million units, while the group's box set (the one to buy) has sold over one million.  The surviving members once again got together in 1997 to finish another Morrison composition, "Orange County Suite" for the Doors' box set.  They also reunited in 2000 for a performance on VH1's Storytellers.

In 2002, Manzarek and Krieger joined together on tour and billed themselves as the Doors of the 21st Century, with Ian Astbury performing as lead singer.  After Densmore won a lawsuit, the pair performed as Riders On the Storm and Manzarek-Krieger until Manzarek's death in 2013.

On February 12, 2016, on what would have been Ray's 76th birthday, Densmore and Krieger reunited for the first time in 15 years to perform a tribute to Manzarek and benefit Stand Up to Cancer at the Fonda Theatre in Hollywood.

In 1991, director Oliver Stone completed the movie The Doors.  In 2007, the Doors received a Grammy Award for lifetime achievement and also received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.  The documentary When You're Strange, which tells the story of the group through archived footage, was released in 2009.  The Doors earned the Grammy for Best Long Form Music Video for that film.


In 2009, "Riders On The Storm" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

In 2015, the United States Library of Congress included the Doors' debut album in the National Recording Registry for its "cultural, artistic or historical significance."

The Doors scored 15 career hits with three Top 10's, although as pointed out above, several were underrated because of methodology flaws in the charts that organizations published.  The group managed to get to #1 twice.

The Doors have sold over 33 million albums in the U.S. and over 100 million worldwide.  

We Hear You!

We had several people say that they're getting behind on listening to the great music. So from here on out, when an artist has more than one part to their story, and they all do from this point forward, we are presenting one part per day. 

One methodology note: To this point, the "error rate", meaning the possibility of an artist being ranked too high or too low, has been plus or minus five. An artist ranked at #95 could be as low as #100 or as high as #90. We are now in the range of the special where the error rate is at plus or minus four.

The Doors, the #67 Artist of the Rock Era, Part One

"All of the Doors songs are great."

"Legends never die."

"Combine one of the greatest poets ever with great musicianship and you have a tremendous product."

"The Doors are timelessly incredible!"

"One of the greatest groups ever."

"Pure talent."

The Doors were ahead of their time.  They made music that was great and would last forever."

"This is great music that never dies."

"The Doors were awesome!"

"The Doors were one of America's greatest, most influential Rock groups."

"Absolutely one of the best bands ever."

Lead singer Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek guitarist Robby Krieger and drummer John Densmore formed the Doors in 1965 in Los Angeles.  Morrison and Manzrek were students at UCLA and shared an interest in forming a band.  

Manzarek was already in a group called Rick & the Ravens with his brothers Rick and Jim, while Densmore, an acquaintance of Ray's from a meditation class, played with the Psychedelic Rangers.  Along with Morrison and bassist Patty Sullivan, those six started out as the Doors.  Sullivan and Manzarek's two brothers soon left the group and Krieger joined them to complete the lineup.  The remaining quartet recorded a six-song demo later in the year.  

Morrison went to record labels in the area to try to secure a deal.  He thought he had a deal with Columbia Records but it fizzled.  Meanwhile, the group played at the London Fog, a club in Los Angeles.  

Soon, the Doors became the house band at the famous Whisky a Go Go.  On August 10, 1966, Elektra Records president Jac Holzman came to the Whisky at the request of Arthur Lee of the group Love, who was under contract with Elektra.  Holzman and producer Paul Rothchild saw the Doors perform two sets that night and signed the group to a recording contract on August 18.  

It was a good thing, for three days later, the Doors were fired from the Whisky after Morrison included an explicit version of the Greek myth of Oedipus laced with profanity during a performance of "The End".

Six days after signing their contract, the Doors recorded their debut album over an eight-day period at Sunset Sound Studios.  Session bass guitar wizard Larry Knechtel, who would soon co-found the group Bread, played on the album.  The Doors released the album in January of 1967.  They released "Break On Through (To The Other Side)" as the lead single.  But when it proved unsuccessful, they pushed the seven-minute song "Light My Fire".  

 

But in those days, radio didn't want to play songs longer than three minutes, and Rothchild was forced to cut the classic song by eliminating the legendary keyboard and guitar solos in the middle.  Several stations nevertheless played the full version and the song went to #1 for three weeks in one of the most competitive times in music history.

The huge success of one of the all-time classics quickly catapulted the Doors into the limelight.  The album rose to #2 in the United States, #3 in France and #4 in Norway and sales have now topped four million.

"Light My Fire" sold over one million copies and in 1998 was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998, and the Doors' incredible debut album was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2002.  The Doors, kicked out of the Whisky, performed at the Matrix Club in San Francisco.  The group also made several appearances on television, including a performance on September 17 The Ed Sullivan Show and toured extensively.

 

Even though the first choice for a single was at first ignored, it has continued to receive massive airplay and is one of the highlights of the album.  Morrison use some of his lyrics from the book City of Night by John Rechy, in which Rechy wrote about Hollywood being "the other side".  As the group did not have a bassist, Manzarek created the lower notes on keyboard.

 

This special fairly ranks every artist based on their entire catalog, regardless of how many hits they had.  And this album, one of the best debuts in history, is loaded with great tracks which piled up points for the group.  In fact, without these album tracks, they would not have made it on the list.  "Crystal Ship" resulted from poetry Morrison had written after breaking up with his girlfriend in 1965.  The title was taken from The Book of the Dun Cow, which includes stories written by hundreds of Irish monks around the ninth century.

 

"Back Door Man" is a song originally done by Willie Dixon.  The Doors, whose roots run deep in blues, both in their early days playing in clubs and on their albums, made it their own.

 

That a new artist could accumulate 11 tracks reaching deep into the intellectual library and evoking emotive and primal listening experiences is unprecedented in our history.  Morrison wrote "Take It As It Comes" after attending a lecture by the Maharishi.

"Twentieth Century Fox" is a play on the movie studio of the same name, which also spawned the TV network Fox, infamous for spewing 24 hours of lies.  Morrison weaves the studio into the song by revealing that the subject is beautiful but artificial.

 

The group got the idea for this song from an album of German songs that Manzarek owned.  The song was originally written by Kurt Weill and Bertold Brecht and used in the 1930 German operetta The Rise And Fall Of The City Of Mahogany and renamed "Alabama Song (Whisky Bar)".

 

"Soul Kitchen" is a tribute to the Venice Beach, California restaurant Olivia's, which Morrison dined at and often was told to leave so they could close; hence the reference "Let me stay all night in your soul kitchen."

 

The Doors released the album Strange Days in 1968, with Douglass Lubahn playing bass on most of the tracks, as he would do on the next two Doors albums.  Many other bassists would fill this role in the future, including Lonnie Mack, Kerry Magness, Ray Neopolitan, Jerry Scheff and others.  The single "People Are Strange" reached #6 in Canada, #9 in New Zealand and #12 in the United States.

 

The album reached #3 and has sold over two million copies in the U.S. alone.  "Love Me Two Times" hit #7 in Canada but stalled at #25 in the United States, making it one of The Top Unknown/Underrated Songs of the Rock Era*.  U.S. charts have never factored in album sales, a fatal flaw in their methodology.

 

The group honed most of these songs in their early club days, and although their best material was featured on their debut, there are still plenty of good tunes left for their second album.  Legend goes that the lyrics played a key role in the formation of the Doors.  Morrison and Manzarek had gone to UCLA film school together and later Morrison saw Manzarek on a California beach and recited the lyrics of his poetry for the song.  Manzarek loved it and suggested that they form a group.  Featuring an incredible guitar solo from Krieger, this is "Moonlight Drive".

 

The Doors were fortunate to have one of the Rock Era's great keyboardists in Manzarek and his intro and riffs are highlighted on the epic "When The Music's Over".  

Morrison's onstage performances began to detract from the group, beginning on December 9 when the Doors played a concert in New Haven, Connecticut.  The concert was cut short when Morrison became the first Rock artist to be arrested onstage.  The group's lead singer was whisked to the police station, photographed and charged with inciting a riot, indecency and public obscenity.

Morrison increasingly became dependent on alcohol and drugs.  Future Doors shows often were marred by clashes between fans and the police, coming to a head at the Chicago Coliseum on May 10, 1968.

But they weren't done.  Hear the rest of the group's story in Part Two!

Gloria Estefan, the #68 Artist of the Rock Era, Part One

"Her rhythm has had me for nearly 40 years."

"Her sound is timeless."

"I love her!  All her music is fantastic."

"She has the voice of an angel."

"Classy, beautiful and talented--what's there not to love?"

"Her music is timeless and her ballads about adult emotions still touch me in more ways than any other."

"Beautiful music, beautiful voice, beautiful person."

"Gloria is amazing."

"She is one of the best vocalists for our time."

"Gloria is one of the greatest singers forever."

"Thank you for songs that touch my heart."

"What an amazing voice! I have a lot of respect for her."

"One of the top female vocalists for all-time."



What we have here is a tremendous husband and wife team; one who wrote the music, arranged the parts, and assembled the musicians and the other whose amazing voice carried out the plan.  We very nearly lost her, and it is her great success after that tragedy that allows her to reach #70 for all-time.

Gloria Fajardo Garcia was born September 1, 1957 in Havana, Cuba.  When the Cuban Revolution took place, the family fled to Miami, Florida.  Gloria went to Our Lady of Lourdes Academy in Miami and graduated from the University of Miami in 1979 with a bachelor of arts degree in psychology.

Gloria became a citizen of the United States in 1974.  She soon began dating Emilio Estefan, band leader of the Miami Sound Machine.  The couple married on September 2, 1978.

The group, now featuring Gloria as lead singer, began recording in 1977 and within a year signed a recording contract with CBS International Records.  They released their first CBS album in 1978.  After several releases, the group released the album Eyes of Innocence on Epic Records in 1984.

The next year, the group released the album Primitive Love.  The single "Dr. Beat" was a pretty big hit in the U.K. and a few other European countries.

Primitive Love has sold over three million units.  "Conga" reached #1 in Canada, #3 in the Netherlands and #10 in the United States and sold over one million copies.

"Conga" won the top prize at the Tokyo Music Festival in 1985.  The album, which went to #1 in the U.K. and the Netherlands, has sold over four million copies.  "Bad Boy" was lined up next, and it raced to #2 in the Netherlands, #6 in West Germany, #8 in the U.S., #9 in Switzerland and #10 in Canada.  It also sold over one million singles.

Estefan and the group saved the best on the album for last, releasing the single "Words Get In The Way".  It was a monster Adult Contemporary #1 hit that also reached #5 overall in the United States and #8 in Canada.  The smash earned a Billboard Music Award for Top Adult Contemporary Single and helped win awards for Top New Pop Artist and Top Pop Singles Artist.

 

In 1987, the Miami Sound Machine released the album Let It Loose.  By this time, records were promoted as Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine and eventually simply as Gloria Estefan.  The single "Rhythm Is Gonna' Get You" led off the parade by reaching #5.

 

Ever a mid-charter, Estefan and the group released another great song, "Can't Stay Away From You", a #1 AC Smash that peaked at #6 on the Popular chart in the U.S., #1 in the Netherlands and #7 in the United Kingdom.

 

The single "1-2-3" gave Estefan three consecutive #1's on the Adult Contemporary chart and also landed at #3 overall in the U.S., #9 in the U.K. and #10 in Canada.

Estefan's "Anything For You" also topped the AC and Popular charts and hit #2 in the Netherlands and #10 in the U.K. and sold over one million copies.

 

In 1989, Estefan released the album Cuts Both Ways.  The single "Don't Wanna' Lose You" rocketed to #1 in the United States, #3 in Canada, #5 in Ireland and #6 in the U.K.

 

Gloria earned a nomination at the Grammy Awards for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.  "Get On Your Feet" reached #5 on the AC chart and an underrated #11 overall in the U.S. and #6 in the Netherlands.

 

The single "Here We Are" also hit #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart and peaked at #6 overall and reached #7 in Canada and Ireland.

 

The title song was another #1 AC smash.

The album topped charts in the U.K., Australia, Ireland and the Netherlands and has now sold over three million copies.

But tragedy struck next.  And Gloria's recovery and tremendous comeback are next in Part Two!

Gloria Estefan, The #68 Artist of the Rock Era, Part Two

 (Continued from Part One above...)

 

She received a standing ovation when she performed "Coming Out Of The Dark" at the American Music Awards in January of 1991.  It was the first single from her album Into the Light, which landed at #1 on both the AC and Popular charts.  Into the Light has now sold over two million copies.

 

"Can't Forget You" gave Gloria a #2 AC hit.

 

"Live For Loving You" also peaked at #2 on the Adult chart and, with a peak of #20 overall, is one of The Top Unknown/Underrated Songs of the Rock Era*.

 

Gloria released her Greatest Hits package in 1992, which included three new songs.  "Always Tomorrow" jumped to #5 on the AC chart.

 

The compilation has now exceeded four million in sales in the U.S. alone.  "I See Your Smile" vaulted to #3 on the Adult Contemporary chart.

Estefan also sang backing vocals on "Just Another Day" to help launch the solo career of her former backup singer, Jon Secada.

 

In 1993, Gloria released the album Mi Tierra, her first Spanish-language album.  The album has now sold over eight million copies.  Estefan also released the album Christmas Through Your Eyes, which has sold over one million units, and sang "Come Rain Or Shine" with Frank Sinatra for his album Duets.

Gloria and Emilio received the Ellis Island Congressional Medal of Honor, the highest award that can be given to a naturalized U.S. citizen.  She also received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and an honorary doctoral degree in music from her alma mater, the University of Miami, in 1993.

 Estefan released Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, a cover album of songs from the 1960's and '70s that has sold over two million copies. Her remake of the Vicki Sue Robinson smash "Turn The Beat Around" went Gold and gave her a #4 Adult hit that also reached #8 in Australia.

 

"Turn The Beat Around" sold over one million singles, a feat  matched by Gloria's remake of "Everlasting Love".  The #1 Dance hit also landed in the Top Five on the AC chart and earned a Billboard Music Award for Video of the Year.

Estefan earned Musicares Person of the Year in 1994 and performed at halftime of Super Boxl XXIX.

 

In 1995, Gloria released the album Abriendo Puertas, which won a Grammy Award for Best Tropical Latin Album.  She followed that up with the Platinum album Destiny.  "Reach" was the official theme of the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, climbing to #5 on the Adult chart.

 "Reach" earned Estefan another Grammy nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.  Estefan's world tour took her to the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, Asia and Latin America.  The single "I'm Not Giving You Up" also reached the Top 10 on the AC chart.

In 1997, Estefan won the BMI Prestigious President's Award.  In 1998, Gloria released the album Gloria!, a #23 album that was Gold.  The single "Heaven's What I Feel" peaked at #10 on the Adult chart.  Estefan received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Dance Recording.

  

 

The next year, Estefan teamed with 'N Sync for the single "Music Of My Heart", the theme to the movie of the same name in which Gloria appeared.  It hit #2 in the U.S. and #7 in Canada.  Estefan scored another Grammy nomination for Best Pop Collaboration and a Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Song From A Movie.  She also appeared in the movie For Love or Country:  The Arturo Sandoval Story in 2000.

 

Gloria scored nominations for Best Dance Recording and Best Long Form Music Video at the Grammy Awards for "Don't Let This Moment End".  She joined Stevie Wonder for a performance at Super Bowl XXXIII in Miami and sang the U.S. national anthem at game three of the 2003 World Series.

 

In 2000, Gloria received the Harry Chapin Memorial Humanitarian Award and a Hall of Fame Award from the International Women's Forum.  She released the album lma Caribeña, which earned her another Grammy Award for Best Traditional Tropical Latin Album.  She released the compilation Greatest Hits Vol. II the next year.  "Out Of Nowhere", one of three new songs on the album, was nominated for a Grammy for Best Dance Recording.

Gloria received the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Medallion of Excellence for Community Service and an honorary law degree from Barry University in Miami in 2002 and the Estefans received honorary doctoral degrees in music from the Berklee Collge of Music in 2007.

Gloria released the album Unwrapped in 2003 and toured the United States, Europe, Mexico and Puerto Rico to promote it.

In 2006, Estefan released the double compilation album The Essential Gloria Estefan.  She appeared in the seventh season of American Idol and continued to perform throughout the world.

In 2009, Gloria performed at the United States White House and received the BMI Icon Award.  In 2011, Billboard ranked her as the #14 Adult Contemporary Artist of All-Time.   Estefan released the album Miss Little Havana.  Later in the year, she began hosting Gloria Estefan's Latin Beat, a seven-part series for BBC Radio 2 in the U.K.

Estefan recorded with Tony Bennett and Paul Anka for Duets albums and assisted Santana for his album Corazon.

The musical On Your Feet!, about the life of Gloria and her husband Emilio, opened on Broadway in 2015.

Gloria has written two children's books, The Magically Mysterious Adventures of Noelle the Bulldog in 2005 and Noelle's Treasure Tale, the latter reaching #3 on The New York Times list of bestsellers.  She also worked with her husband for the cookbook Estefan Kitchen in 2008.  The Estefans own several Cuban-themes restaurants and two hotels in Florida.

In 2009, the couple bought a minority interest in the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League.  In 2013, Estefan's album The Standards scored a Grammy nomination for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance.

She also captured the Lifetime Achievement at the American Music Awards in 2000.  

In 2015, Gloria and Emilio were awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by U.S. President Barack Obama for their contributions to American music.

Estefan has scored 30 career hits, with 10 reaching the Top 10 and two #1's.  She has excelled with adults, which of course make up the vast majority of the Rock audience.  Gloria has placed an astounding 21 of her 29 career AC hits into the Top 10 and has 10 #1 songs to her credit.

Gloria has sold over 31.5 million albums in the United States and over 100 million across the world.

She not only has immense chart success and huge album sales going for her, but she has been well rewarded by her peers.  She has won two American Music Awards from three nominations, three Grammy Awards out of eight nominations, one World Music Award from two nominations, one Billboard Music Award from four nominations, one Blockbuster Entertainment Award and one MTV Video Music Award.