Miami Sound Machine
| Miami Sound Machine | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Miami, Florida, United States |
| Genres | Latin |
| Years active | 1975–1976 as Miami Latin Boys 1977–1989, 2002 as Miami Sound Machine |
| Labels | Audiofon, RCA Victor label, MSM (Miami Sound Machine) Records, Discos CBS International |
| Past members |
Gloria Estefan Emilio Estefan Jr. Enrique Garcia Juan Avila Wesley B. Wright Gustavo Lezcano Luis Perez Victor Lopez Betty Cortes Roger Fisher Lorena Pinot Sohanny Gross Carla Ramirez Ryan Fogarty |
Miami Sound Machine is an American band of Latin-influenced music featuring the vocals of Cuban-born Gloria García (later Gloria Estefan). The band was established in 1975 originally as Miami Latin Boys by Emilio Estefan Jr. and became very successful after joining with Gloria García (Estefan) in 1977.
The band had a number of albums and a string of hit singles until 1989. The band's 1985 album Primitive Love credited the band whereas their follow-up album Let It Loose in 1987 adopted the name Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine. The latter was also repackaged as Anything For You with new cover art in the international release in Europe, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, starting in October 1988 through early 1989. In 1989, the group's name was no longer included on CD or album products, and Estefan continued as a solo artist. The Miami Sound Machine continues to perform with Estefan on all her tours and live performances, and appeared on most of Estefan's recordings throughout her career.
In 1975, Emilio Estefan Jr. formed a group they named the Miami Latin Boys. In 1977, for a public performance at a Cuban wedding at Hotel Dupont, vocalists Gloria María Fajardo García and her cousin Merci Navarro joined in. The two singers impressed the band so much that they were invited to join the band permanently with the band's name changing to Miami Sound Machine.
Starting in 1977, Miami Sound Machine began recording and releasing various albums and 45s on the Audiofon Records label in Miami, Florida. The group's primary lineup now consisted of six Cuban-born Americans: Emilio Estefan, Jr. (percussion and accordion); Gloria Estefan (formerly Fajardo-Garcia, lead vocals and hand percussion); Gloria's cousin, Merci Murciano (formerly Navarro, lead vocals), Merci's husband, Raul Murciano (keyboards); Enrique "Kiki" Garcia (drums); and Juan Marcos Avila (bass). The first album, released in 1977, was called Live Again/Renacer and was released with two different covers. The group had several more releases on the Audiofon label, the RCA Victor label, and subsequently Miami Sound Machine's own label MSM Records. In 1979, they added American guitarist and native Miamian, Wesley B. Wright, and Cuban-born Fernando Garcia on trumpet (no relationship to "Kiki" Garcia). At the end of 1979, the band was signed to Discos CBS International and released several albums, 45s, and 12"s beginning with the 1980 self-titled album Miami Sound Machine. The combination of traditional Latin rhythms and American R&B grooves (along with the songwriting talents of Gloria Estefan, "Kiki" Garcia, and Wesley B. Wright) would produce a ground-breaking, Latin crossover powerhouse that would set the musical standard for the next two decades to come, and open the door for future crossover artists in both America, and the rest of the world.
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