It's no secret that Barack Obama is a fan of good ol' fashion R&B (as evidenced by video of him performing Al Green's "Let's Stay Together"), but the White House will be celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month on Monday when it hosts "Musica Latina: In Performance At The White House" on Monday. The event is meant to showcase "the influence and cultural contributions of Hispanic communities and their music" said the White House in a statement.
The guest list serves as a who's who of Latin-American music. The stars, and their cultural backgrounds:
-Gloria Estefan (Cuban)
-Prince Royce (Dominican)
-Ricky Martin (Puerto Rican)
-Natalie Cole (African-American, but an excellent enough vocalist to justify inclusion)
-Arturo Sandoval (Cuban)
-Alejandro Sanz (Spanish)
-Lila Down (Mexican)
-Raul Malo (Cuban)
-Romeo Santos (Puerto Rican and Dominican)
-Marco Antonio Solis (Mexican)
The event will be streamed live via whitehouse.gov/live at 7 p.m. on Monday. If you aren't going to be around, it will be rebroadcast, but you'll have to wait. The performances will air on PBS on October 8.
Michelle Obama will also host 130 middle and high-school students for an educational workshop celebrating Latin music, titled "Celebrando el Ritmo Latino: The History of Latin Music."
Hispanic Heritage Month doesn't follow the traditional Latin calendar, beginning every year on September 15 and continuing until October 15. September 15 marks the independence days of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. Mexico celebrates its independence on September 16 and Chile on September 18.
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