Formed in 1975 by keyboardist Emile Estefan, Jr. as the Miami Latin Boys, Miami Sound Machine rose to prominence as one of the era's leading Latin crossover ensembles during the 1980s. The group encountered vocalists Gloria Fajado and her cousin Merci Navarro Murciano while playing at a wedding shortly after its launch. Their performances left such an impression that the musicians offered permanent membership, and acceptance of the invitation led directly to the name change to Miami Sound Machine.
Four albums recorded entirely in Spanish for CBS Discos preceded the breakthrough English-language project Eyes of Innocence, issued in 1984 and spotlighting the dance hit single "Dr. Beat." The follow-up, 1986's Primitive Love, contained "Conga!," which became the first single to register simultaneously on Billboard's pop, Latin, soul, and dance charts. That same year "Bad Boy" and "Words Get in the Way" also entered the pop Top Ten with "Conga!," while the 1987-88 singles "1-2-3," "Rhythm Is Gonna Get You," "Anything for You," and "Can't Stay Away From You" climbed near the summit, all carrying prominent billing for emerging lead vocalist Gloria Estefan.
Commercial success reached its zenith when a semi-truck collided with the rear of the group's stopped tour bus on March 20, 1990. The impact fractured Estefan's back so severely that surgery required 400 stitches and the placement of two titanium rods alongside her spine. The accident redirected Estefan and Miami Sound Machine toward traditional Latin repertoire. After a year-long pause, the ensemble resumed touring and released the comeback album Mi Tierra, whose original songs drew on Cuban styles of the '30s, '40s, and '50s and earned a Grammy as best tropical Latin album of 1993. Its follow-up, the Grammy-winning Abriendo Puertas, arrived two years later.
Personnel changes marked the group's history: Murciano exited in 1982, while original guitarist Wesley B. Wright and bassist Juan Marcos Avila departed three years afterward. Estefan Jr. withdrew from performing to concentrate on management, production, and songwriting duties.
