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With humble beginnings
as a wedding band, the
Miami Sound Machine
had already been well
known in the Miami area
in the late 70’s and early
80’s. In 1977 with the
addition of a young vocal-
ist named Gloria Maria
Fajardo Garcia, later
known as Gloria Estefan,
they became a phenome-
non of the Latin music scene.
But it wasn’t until Discos CBS, a
subsidiary of CBS International, put
out the album
Primitive Love
on
Epic Records in 1985 that the band
crossed over into mainstream
mega-success. And Jim Hayes,
president of Discos CBS, was at the
helm.
“Gloria was in my office three or
four times a week,” he remembers
from his apartment at The Chelsea
at Warren assisted living residence
in Warren, NJ. “She didn’t think we
were spending enough money on
promoting the group, and she was
right.”
The rest is history, of course, and
Jim has the platinum album to
prove it.
“I really wanted that job,” he says,
recalling the six years he spent in
Miami. He had been a veteran of
the publishing industry, working for
several book companies, one of
which was acquired by CBS. He
was elevated along the way by his
friend and mentor, CBS President
John D. Backe, becoming Vice
President for Planning and
Communications for CBS Records
International in 1979.
“I developed this system
using Wang computers to
centralize all the artists’
contracts,” he recalls. “At
the time, the secretaries
couldn’t believe that
when they typed some-
thing in New York, it
would appear in Paris.”
He jumped at the chance
to become President and General
Manager of Discos CBS, wanting a
job with more excitement and a
change of scenery. That was in
1985, just as the Miami Sound
Machine emerged into the main
stream. Hayes was in the driver’s
seat.
“Gloria and my daughter Carrie
became friends,” he says. “Once at
a concert in Connecticut, Carrie
and some of her friends were hop-
ing to see Gloria back stage after
the show. Emilio (Estefan’s hus-
band) came out and said she had to
make a flight and didn’t have time.
When the concert was over, Emilio
came out again to where Carrie
was sitting and said, ‘Come with
me’. They followed him to a limo
where Gloria invited all the girls in
to sit with her. They talked and had
a great time.”
Today, Hayes, 83, is surrounded by
dozens of photo albums, photos of
his 6 children, 19 grandchildren
and 4 great grandchildren, and
technology that keeps him con-
nected via internet, phone and TV.
“This is my life,” he says.
CHELSEA RESIDENT HELPED
GLORIA ESTEFAN GO PLATINUM
Submitted by: The Chelsea, Senior Living
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PAGE 65
Spotlight on
“SeniorS”
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