Every Friday, we hope to showcase any great world musician who is creating an impact outside his or her region of the world with his or her music.

Gloria Estefan (born September 1, 1957) is a Cuban-born American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known as the "Queen Of Latin Pop",she is in the top 100 best selling music artists with over 100 million albums sold worldwide, 31.5 million of those in the United States alone. She has won three Grammy Awards, and 4 Latin Grammys, and is the most successful crossover performer in Latin music to date. Gloria Estefan graduated from college in 1979 with a B.A. in psychology, with a minor in French, from the University of Miami.(wikipedia)

Why Latin America today?  Well, beyond the fact that Gloria Estefan's music has been blaring through my subconscious through out this week, but, also because May 5th is Cinco de Mayo in the United States - so why not feature a Latin American musician that has created an impact and is known all over the world - including Africa? 

I love Gloria Estefan.  I grew up on her sounds.  Her music has a nostalgic effect reminding me of times of innocence, passion and the belief in possibilities.  Ms. Estefan, has never forgotten where she comes from and as such, she often releases a Spanish and English version of her CDs'.  She rocks. 

Another admirable fact about Ms. Estefan is that she is not solely found in the world of music.  She is also an author and an actress.

Take a listen to music from Gloria Estefan...

Have a margarita on me  ;-)

conga -

Rhythm is gonna get you.

Get on your feet

Happy cinco de Mayo. Cinco de Mayo occurs on May 5th and is observed in the United States as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride.

P.