Star-Studded Concert And Tribute Dinner To Be Held During Latin GRAMMY(R) Week On Nov. 12 In Houston MIAMI, Aug. 19
MIAMI, Aug. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- GRAMMY(R)- and Latin GRAMMY(R)-winning
international superstar Gloria Estefan will be honored as the 2008 Latin
Recording Academy Person of the Year, it was announced today by The Latin
Recording Academy(R). Estefan was chosen for her philanthropic, professional
and cultural accomplishments and will receive the honor at a star-studded
concert and tribute dinner on Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2008, at the George R. Brown
Convention Center in Houston. A portion of the proceeds from the evening's
tribute dinner will benefit the Gloria Estefan Foundation as well as
St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital. The prestigious event will be
produced by 13-time GRAMMY winner Phil Ramone and will precede the 9th Annual
Latin GRAMMY Awards, which will be held at the Toyota Center in Houston on
Thursday, Nov. 13, and will be broadcast live on the Univision Television
Network at 8 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Central.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080819/LATU001LOGO)
"The Latin Recording Academy and its Board of Trustees are elated to
recognize Gloria Estefan as an extraordinary Latina woman, humanitarian and
talented musician who has made a global impact on music and culture," said
Latin Recording Academy President Gabriel Abaroa. "She is one of Latin music's
most enduring icons, and we are privileged to be honoring such a dedicated,
generous, and gifted lady."
Estefan has been a force within the music industry for three decades with
22 albums and more than 90 million records sold. She began her career
collaborating with the Miami Latin Boys band. Estefan became an integral part
of the band and was essential in creating the group's new sound and by 1980,
she and the group became known as Miami Sound Machine and were signed to a
record label. They went on to release albums such as Primitive Love, which
sold more than 3 million units in the United States alone and produced the hit
singles "Bad Boy," "Words Get In The Way" and "Conga." The next two albums,
Let It Loose (1987) and Cuts Both Ways (1989), were both worldwide
chart-topping sensations, and produced such hits as "Can't Stay Away From
You," "Rhythm Is Gonna Get You," "Anything For You," "1-2-3," "Don't Wanna
Lose You," and "Get On Your Feet."
After a bus accident that left her partially paralyzed in March 1990,
Estefan, against all odds, triumphantly returned to the stage with a
17-country tour and her chart-topping album, Into The Night. In 1993 she
returned to her Latin music roots and released Mi Tierra, which garnered
Estefan her first GRAMMY Award. She performed the official theme song,
"Reach," at the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, which became the first
single from a new English-language album Destiny. Released in 2001, Alma
Caribena earned Estefan a GRAMMY Award for Best Traditional Tropical Latin
Album and a Latin GRAMMY for Best Short Form Music Video. Her most recent
album, 90 Millas, pays tribute to the roots of Cuban music and gave Estefan
the opportunity to work with fellow legendary artists such as Sheila E., Andy
Garcia, Israel "Cachao" Lopez, Johnny Pacheco, Carlos Santana, and many
others.
Not only is Estefan an award-winning singer/songwriter and musician, she
is also a compassionate philanthropist who established the Gloria Estefan
Foundation, which aims to promote good health, education and cultural
development. One of the main benefactors of the Gloria Estefan Foundation is
the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis -- the leading research center for spinal
cord injuries. Estefan served as chairwoman for a capital campaign that raised
more than 40 million dollars to build the Lois Pope Life Center neurological
research facility. The foundation also raises funds for other organizations
and has donated millions of dollars to a number of charities including the
American Red Cross, UNICEF and the Miami Children's Hospital Brain Institute.
Estefan is the ninth Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year honoree
and is the first woman to receive the honor. She joins a prestigious list of
previous honorees, which includes Julio Iglesias, Ricky Martin, and Carlos
Santana.
For information on purchasing tickets or tables to The Latin Recording
Academy Person of the Year tribute to Gloria Estefan, please contact The Latin
Recording Academy ticketing office at 305.576.0036 or e-mail Laras@grammy.com.
The Latin Recording Academy is an international, membership-based
organization comprised of Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking recording artists,
musicians, songwriters, producers and other creative and technical recording
professionals. The organization is dedicated to improving the quality of life
and cultural condition for Latin music and its makers. In addition to
producing the Latin GRAMMY Awards to honor excellence in the recorded arts and
sciences, The Latin Recording Academy provides educational and outreach
programs for the Latin music community. For more information about The Latin
Recording Academy, please visit http://www.grammy.com.
Photo available upon request.
SOURCE Latin Recording Academy
