Kentucky governor Ernie Fletcher
recently paid tribute to Latin comedian and singer
Jade Esteban Estrada by commissioning
him the title of "Kentucky Colonel
,"the highest honor
awarded by the Commonwealth of Kentucky, which
acknowledges outstanding ambassadors of goodwill and
fellowship around the world.
The
San Antonio native began his
entertainment career as a scratch vocalist for the
Backstreet Boys and as choreographer to television
personality Charo. He has been seen on Comedy
Central's The Graham Norton Effect, In the
Life on PBS, and his Latin dance music can be
heard on the Golden Globe- and Emmy
award-winning police drama The Shield.
Out magazine calls him "the first gay
Latin star."
In September he debuted his solo
musical ICONS: The Lesbian and Gay History
of the World, Vol. 3, which won the award
for Best Solo Performance and Best Original Music at
the Columbus National Gay and Lesbian Theatre
Festival for his portrayal of Mary Cheney, the
out lesbian of U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney.
Estrada joins other honorary colonels
such as Winston Churchill, Ronald Reagan,
Bob Hope, Joan Crawford, Mae West, Johnny Depp,
Muhammad Ali, and Pope John Paul II.(The Advocate)