Conga

The conga, also known as tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed drum from Cuba. Congas are staved like barrels and classified into three types: quinto (lead drum, highest), tres dos or tres golpes (middle), and tumba or salidor (lowest). Congas are traditionally used in Afro-Cuban genres such as conga and rumba, although they are now very common in some other forms of Latin music, including descarga, Afro-Cuban jazz, salsa, songo, merengue and Latin rock.

Characteristics

Most modern congas have a staved wooden or fiberglass shell, and a screw-tensioned drumhead. They are usually played in sets of two to four with the fingers and palms of the hand. Typical congas stand approximately 75 centimetres (30 in) from the bottom of the shell to the head. The drums may be played while seated. Alternatively, the drums may be mounted on a rack or stand to permit the player to play while standing. While they originated in Cuba, their incorporation into the popular and folk music of other countries has resulted in diversification of terminology for the instruments and the players. In Cuba, congas are called tumbadoras.

Gloria Estefan

Gloria María Milagrosa Fajardo García de Estefan (born September 1, 1957), known professionally as Gloria Estefan, is a Cuban-born American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. She started off her career as the leading vocalist in the group called "Miami Latin Boys" which was eventually known as Miami Sound Machine. Her breakthrough success with Conga in 1985 made her known worldwide. It won the grand prix in the 15th annual Tokyo Music Festival in Japan. This is also her signature song. In the summer of 1988 she and the band got their first number-one hit for the song "Anything For You". She has a Contralto vocal range.

In March 1990, she had a severe accident in her tour bus. She made her comeback in March 1991 with a new world tour and album called Into The Light. Estefan became a worldwide inspiration after that. Her 1993 Spanish-language album Mi Tierra won the first of her three Grammy Awards for Best Tropical Latin Album. It was the first number-one album on the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart, established when it was released. It was also the first Diamond album in Spain. Many of her songs like "Rhythm Is Gonna Get You", "1-2-3", "Get On Your Feet", "Here We Are", "Coming Out of the Dark", "Bad Boy", "Oye!", "Party Time" and a remake of Vicki Sue Robinson's "Turn the Beat Around" became international hits, with chart-topping scores. Estefan has sold an estimated 75 million records worldwide, including 31.5 million in the United States alone.

Miami Sound Machine

Miami Sound Machine was an American band of Latin-influenced music featuring the vocals of Cuban-born Gloria María Fajardo 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 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 dropped altogether, and Estefan continued as a solo artist. None of the original members of Miami Sound Machine currently perform with Estefan.

Background

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.