CBSPICS@
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TONIGHT CBS WILL AIR THE
KENNEDY CENTER AWARDS ONE OF
THE HONOREES IS A VERY FAMILIAR
FACE IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
GLORIA ESTEFAN IS THE FIRST
CUBAN AMERICAN HONOREE, SAT
DOWN WITH "CBS THIS MORNING"
AND NORAH O'DONNELL TO LOOK AT
HER LIFE AND CAREER.
GOOD MORNING!
VERY GOOD.
BEFORE THE ARENAS, AWARDS,
ADORATION OF FANS AROUND THE
WORLD, GLORIA ESTEFAN WAS BORN
INTO THE UNCERTAINTY OF THE
LATE 1950'S AND RISE OF THE
CUBAN REVOLUTION.
WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER ABOUT
CUBA?
NOT MUCH, I DO REMEMBER,
THOUGH, WHEN MY FATHER RIGHT
AFTER THE RESOLUTION THAT HE
WAS JAILED I REMEMBER GOING TO
THE JAIL WITH MY MOM AND
GRANDMOTHER TO VISIT HIM.
A POLICE OFFICER UNDER THE
DICTATOR JAILED AFTER FIDEL
CASTRO CAME TO POWER.
THEY LET THEM GO.
AFTER MOVING HIS FAMILY TO
THE UNITED STATES, ESTEFAN'S
FATHER WENT TO WORK WITH THE
MILITARY.
YOUR FATHER WENT TO WORK
WITH THE CIA.
I FOUND OUT THIS LAST YEAR
HE WAS IN THE BLACK OPS THAT'S
WHY HE NEVER TALKED ABOUT
ANYTHING, HE HAD A MYSTERIOUS
BRIEFCASE HE TOOK TO VIETNAM HE
CAME BACK AND NOT WELL.
HE WAS NOT WELL A LOT OF THE
MEN ON HIS BASE CAME OUT OF
VIETNAM IN THE SAME CONDITION
HE WAS ON THE LIST.
HOW DID HIS ILLNESS SHAPE
YOUR CHILDHOOD?
IT WAS THE CENTER OF OUR
LIVES MY MOM HAD TO WORK SHE
REALIZED MY DAD WAS ONLY GOING
TO GET MORE ILL, I CARED FOR MY
DAD AND YOUNGER SISTER LIKE
FROM THE AGE OF 12, 18, 19 IT
WAS HIM.
YOU SAID MUSIC WAS YOUR
ESCAPE, BEFORE LONG MUSIC WOULD
CHANGE HER LIFE TALK ABOUT THE
DAY YOU MET AMELIA?
I'LL NEVER FORGET THAT DAY
ONE OF THE GUYS WANTED TO PUT A
BAND TOGETHER IN COMES THIS MAN
CARRYING AN ACCORDION WEARING
SHORT SHORTS HE LOOKED NAKED
DRUG ME TO THE WEDDING AND SAW
HIM PLAYING DO THE HUSTLE ON
THEACCORDION WE JUMPED TO EACH
OTHER ON THE DOORWAY JOINED HIM
ON THAT STAGE AT THE WEDDING
AND MARRIED AMILE YO IN 1978 I
LOVED IT.
THEN YOU CHANGED THE NAME TO
MIAMI SOUND MACHINE SUCCESS
COMES PRETTY FAST, DEPENDS ON
WHAT YOU CALL FAST.
SUCCESS CAME QUICKLY IN THE
LATIN WORLD BUT NOT AT HOME.
ALL OF A SUDDEN YOU ARE GOING
TO SOUTH AMERICA AND DOING A
STADIUM, 50,000 PEOPLE WE COME
HOME AND DO A WEDDING OF 200 IN
MIAMI WHEN WE DON'T HAVE THE
SAME WE HAVE THERE YET.
CBS RECORDS WANTED A SPANISH
LANGUAGE HITS TO KEEP COMING
WHILE THE BAND WAS LOOKING TO
BROADEN ITS APPEAL.
WE KEPT THE CONTRACTUAL
RIGHT TO RECORD IN ENGLISH
WHEREVER WE WANTED ALL THOUGH
WE NEVER THOUGHT WE'D DO IT, WE
SNUCK AN ENGLISH TRACK ON THE B
SIDE OF A SINGLE.
THE HITS WRITTEN AND
PERFORMS IN THE SECOND LANGUAGE
KEPT COMING WHETHER DANCE
NUMBERS OR HEART-FELT BALLOTS
AS THEY STEPPED INTO POPULAR
MUSIC OF THE 1980.
I THINK SO MUCH OF YOUR
MUSIC WAS SAYING EVERY WORD TO,
DANCED EVERY BEAT TO THEN
1990,A BUS CRASH.
AHEAD AT 6:00, GLORIA OPENS
UP ABOUT THE TERRIFYING MOMENTS