- Celia Cruz
Infobox musical artist
Name = Celia Cruz
Img_capt =Backlit photo which stands in Celia Cruz Plaza
inUnion City, New Jersey .
Img_size =
Landscape = yes
Background =
Birth_name = Úrsula Hilaria Celia Caridad Cruz Alfonso
Alias = solo singer
Born =October 21 1925 Havana ,Cuba
Died = Death date and age|2003|7|16|1925|10|21 Fort Lee,New Jersey , USA
Origin =
Instrument =
Genre = Salsa
Occupation =Singer
Years_active = 1948 – 2003
Label =
Associated_acts =Sonora Matancera ,Fania All-Stars
URL = [http://www.celiacruzonline.com/ CeliaCruzOnline.com]Celia Cruz (
October 21 1925 –July 16 2003 ) was aCuban salsa singer, and was one of the most successful Cuban performers of the 20th century, with twenty-three gold albums to her name. She was renowned internationally as the "Queen of Salsa," as well as "La guarachera de Cuba".cite web|url=http://historywired.si.edu/object.cfm?ID=90|title=Celia Cruz's Shoes|publisher=National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution|accessdate=2008-06-09] She spent most of her career living inNew Jersey , and working in theUnited States and severalLatin American countries.Celia Cobo of "
Billboard Magazine " once said "Cruz is indisputably the best known and most influential female figure in the history ofCuban music ." Cruz once said in an interview "If I had a chance I wouldn't have been singing and dancing, I would be a teacher just like my dad wanted me to be"."Early life
Celia Cruz was born in Havana, Cuba. Úrsula Hilaria Celia de la Caridad Cruz Alfonso in the diverse Santos Suárez neighborhood of
Havana ,Cuba , onOctober 21 ,1925 , the second child of Catalina Alfonso and Simón Cruz.cite web |url=http://americanhistory.si.edu/celiacruz/main.asp?lang=fZc5353163882aLnQ |title=¡Azúcar! The Life and Music of Celia Cruz |publisher=Smithsonian Institution |accessdate=2007-11-04] Simón worked in the railroads as a stoker, and Catalina took care of the extended family. While growing up in Cuba's diverse 1930s musical climate, Cruz listened to many musicians that later influenced her adult career, such asPaulina Alvarez ,Fernando Collazo ,Abelardo Barroso ,Pablo Quevedo ,Arsenio Rodriguez , andArcaño y sus Maravillas . When she was a teenager, her aunt took her and her cousin tocabaret s to sing, but her father encouraged her to keep attending school, in hopes that she would become aSpanish language teacher. However, one of her teachers told her that as an entertainer she could earn in one day what most Cuban teachers earned in a month. Cruz began singing in Havana's radio station Radio Garcia-Serra's popular "Hora del Té" daily broadcast, she sang the tango "Nostalgias", (and won a cake as first place) often winning cakes and also opportunities to participate in more contests. Her first recordings were made in 1948 in Venezuela. Before that, Cruz had recorded for radio stations. She thanked her young nephew Cesar for all the hard work he put into it also. "He was an amazing little boy he was like my own son, rest in peace Cesar".Cruz had been seen with Cesar saying his favorite saying Cluff.Career
In 1950, she made her first major breakthrough, after the lead singer of the
Sonora Matancera , a renowned Cuban orchestra, left the group and Cruz was called to fill in. Hired permanently by the orchestra, she wasn't well accepted by the public at first. However, the orchestra stood by their decision, and soon Cruz became famous throughout Cuba. During the 15 years she was a member, the band traveled all over Latin America, becoming known as "Café Con Leche" (coffee with milk). Cruz became known for her trademark shout "¡Azúcar!", ("Sugar!" in Spanish). Thecatch phrase started as thepunch line for a joke Cruz used to tell frequently at her concerts. Once, she ordered cafe cubano (Cuban coffee) in a restaurant in Miami. The waiter asked her if she'd like sugar, and she replied that, since he was Cuban, he should know that you can't drink Cuban coffee without it! After having told the joke so many times, Cruz eventually dropped the joke and greeted her audience at the start of her appearances with the punch line alone. In her later years, she would use the punch line a few times, to later say: "No les digo más 'Azúcar', pa' que no les dé diabetes!" which means "I won't say 'Sugar' anymore so that you won't getdiabetes " Fact|date=August 2008.With Fidel Castro's assuming control of Cuba in 1960, Cruz and Knight refused to return to their homeland and became citizens of the United States.
In 1966, Cruz and
Tito Puente began an association that would lead to eight albums for Tico Records. The albums were not as successful as expected, however, and Cruz later joined the Vaya Records label. There, she joined accomplished pianistLarry Harlow and was soon headlining a concert atNew York 'sCarnegie Hall .Her 1974 album, with
Johnny Pacheco , "Celia y Johnny", was very successful, and Cruz soon found herself in a group named theFania All Stars , which was an ensemble of salsa musicians from every orchestra signed by the Fania label (owner of Vaya Records). With the Fania All Stars, Cruz had the opportunity of visitingEngland ,France ,Zaire , and to return to tour Latin America. In the late 1970s, she participated in anEastern Air Lines commercial in Puerto Rico, singing the catchy phrase "¡Esto sí es volar!" ("This really is flying!!!").Celia Cruz used to sing the identifying spot for WQBA radio station in Miami, formerly known as "La Cubanísima" : "I am the voice of Cuba, from this land, far away,..., I am liberty, I am WQBA, the most Cuban! (You soy de Cuba, la voz, desde esta tierra lejana, ..., soy libertad, soy WQBA, Cubanísima!)
During the 1980s, Cruz made many tours in Latin America and Europe, doing multiple concerts and
television shows wherever she went, and singing both with younger stars and stars of her own era. She began a crossover of sorts, when she participated in the 1988Hollywood production of "Salsa", alongside Draco Cornelio Rosa.In 1990, Cruz won a
Grammy Award for Best Tropical Latin Performance -Ray Barretto & Celia Cruz - "Ritmo en el Corazon". She later recorded an anniversary album with laSonora Matancera . In 1992, she starred withArmand Assante andAntonio Banderas in the film "The Mambo Kings ". In 1994, PresidentBill Clinton awarded Cruz theNational Medal of Arts . In 2001, she recorded a new album, on which Johnny Pacheco was one of the producers.In early 2003, she had surgery to correct knee problems that she had for a few years, and she intended to continue working indefinitely.Death
In July 16, 2003, she died of a
cancer ousbrain tumor at her home inFort Lee, New Jersey . She was survived by her husband and dear friend Pedro Knight. After her death in New Jersey, her body was taken to Miami to lie in state indowntown Miami 's Freedom Tower, where more than 200,000 of her South Florida fans paid their final respects. Her body was returned toNew York City where tens of thousands of fans paid tribute to her at the Funeral Home. A service was held for her in St. Patrick's Cathedral on Fifth Avenue. She was buried at the Woodlawn Cemetery in theBronx ; an epilogue in her autobiography notes that, in accordance with her wishes, Cubansoil that she had saved from a visit toGuantánamo Bay was used in her burial.Discography
* 2003
Homenaje a Beny More
* 2003Celia & Johnny
* 2002Regalo Del Alma
* 2003Dios Disfrute a la Reina
* 2003Son Boleros, Boleros Son
* 2003Reina de la Musica Cubana
* 2003Regalo del Alma
* 2003Mas Grande Historia Jamas Cantada
* 2003Estrellas de la Sonora Matancera
* 2003
* 2003Carnaval de la Vida
* 2003Candela Pura
* 2002 Unrepeatable
* 2002Hits Mix
* 2001Negra Tiene Tumba'o
* 2000Siempre Vivire
* 2000 Salsa
* 2000 Habanera
* 2000
* 1999En Vivo Radio Progreso, Vol. 3
* 1999En Vivo Radio Progreso, Vol. 2
* 1999En Vivo Radio Progreso, Vol. 1
* 1999En Vivo C.M.Q., Vol. 5
* 1999En Vivo C.M.Q., Vol. 4
* 1998Mi Vida Es Cantar
* 1998Afro-Cubana
* 1997Tambien Boleros
* 1997 Duets
* 1997Cambiando Ritmos
* 1996Celia Cruz Delta
* 1995 Irresistible
* 1995Festejando Navidad
* 1995 Double Dynamite
* 1995Cuba's Queen of Rhythm
* 1994Merengue Saludos Amigos
* 1994Mambo del Amor
* 1994Irrepetible
* 1994Homenaje a Los Santos
* 1994Guaracheras de La Guaracha
* 1993 Introducing
* 1993Homenaje a Beny More, Vol. 3
* 1993Boleros Polydor
* 1993Azucar Negra
* 1992Verdadera Historia
* 1992Tributo a Ismael Rivera
* 1991Reina del Ritmo Cubano
* 1991Canta Celia Cruz
* 1990Guarachera del Mundo
* 1988Ritmo en el Corazon
* 1987 Winners
* 1986De Nuevo
* 1986 Candela
* 1983Tremendo Trío
* 1982Feliz Encuentro
* 1981Celia & Willie
* 1980Celia/Johnny/Pete
* 1979 Ceiba
* 1978Eternos
* 1978 Brillante
* 1978A Todo Mis Amigos
* 1977Only They Could Have Made This Album
* 1976Recordando El Ayer
* 1975Tremendo Cache
* 1974Celia & Johnny
* 1970Etc. Etc. Etc.
* 1969Quimbo Quimbumbia
* 1968Serenata Guajira
* 1968Excitante
* 1967Ti Mexico
* 1967Bravo Celia Cruz
* 1966Son con Guaguanco
* 1966Cuba Y Puerto Rico Son
* 1965Sabor y Ritmo de Pueblos
* 1965Canciones Premiadas
* 1959Mi Diario Musical
* 1958Incomparable Celia Grammy and Latin Grammy Wins
ee also
*
Cuban American s
* Afro-LatinosReferences
External links
*imdb name|id=0190272|name=Celia Cruz
* [http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=7691977 Celia Cruz] atFindagrave.com
* [http://americanhistory.si.edu/celiacruz/ ¡Azúcar! The Life and Music of Celia Cruz] at theNational Museum of American History
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