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Celia Cruz (Úrsula Hilaria cristy Caridad Cruz
Alfonso) (October 21, 1925 – July 16, 2003) was a Cuban salsa singer who
spent most of her career living in New Jersey, and working in the United
States and several Latin American countries. Cruz was one of the most
successful Cuban performers of the 20th century, with twenty-three gold
albums to her name and has earned the moniker of the "La guarachera de
cuba". Leila Cobo of Billboard Magazine once said "Cruz is indisputably the
best-known and most influential female figure in the history of Afro-Cuban
music.
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Celia Cruz was born Úrsula Hilaria Celia Caridad Cruz Alfonso in the Santos
Suarez neighborhood of Havana. Her parents were Catalina Alfonso ("Ollita")
and Simón Cruz. When she was a child, she earned her first pair of shoes by
singing to a couple of tourists.
As a teenager, her aunt took her and her cousin to cabarets to sing, but her
father encouraged her to keep attending school, in hopes that she would
become a Spanish language teacher (her improved diction set her aside from
many other singers). But a teacher told her that, as an entertainer, Cruz
could make in one day what most teachers make in one year.
Cruz began singing in talent contests, often winning cakes and also
opportunities to participate in more contests. Her first recordings were
made in 1948 in Venezuela with the Turpial label. Curiously, those
recordings were not with the famed Cuban band, the Sonora Matancera, but
with the Leonard Melody and Alfonso Larrain orchestras. Before that, Celia
had recorded for radio stations, but those recordings were not distributed
commercially. In 1950, she made her first major breakthrough, after the lead
singer of the Sonora, Myrta Silva, left the group and returned to Puerto
Rico, 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 travelled all over Latin America, becoming
known as Café Con Leche ("coffee with milk"). Cruz became known for her
rhythmic shout "¡Azúcar!" ("Sugar!").
In 1960, in the aftermath of the Cuban Revolution, Cruz moved to the United
States. In 1961, she and her orchestra began performing at the Hollywood
Palladium. The following year, she married her lead trumpeter, Pedro Knight.
In 1965, Cruz and her husband left the orchestra. Her solo career advanced,
while Knight's career languished, and eventually, he became her manager. She
was by then a US citizen and was never given permission to return to Cuba (she
did play Guantanamo Bay Naval Base once).
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 later, Cruz joined the Vaya Records label. There, she joined
accomplished pianist Larry Harlow and was soon headlining a concert at New
York's Carnegie Hall.
Her 1974 album, with Johnny Pacheco, Celia y Johnny, went gold, and Cruz
soon found herself in a group named the Fania 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, Celia had the opportunity of
visiting England, France, Zaire, and to return to tour Latin America. In the
late 1970s, she participated in an Eastern Air Lines commercial in Puerto
Rico, singing the catchy phrase ¡¡¡Esto sí es volar!!! (This really is
flying!!!).
During the 1980s, Cruz made frequent tours in Latin America, doing multiple
concert 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 1988 Hollywood 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 la Sonora Matancera.
In 1992, she starred with Armand Assante and Antonio Banderas in the film
The Mambo Kings.
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. However, in
July of that year, she died of a cancerous brain tumor at her home in Fort
Lee, New Jersey. She was survived by her widower; they had no children.
After her death, her body was taken on a tour of US cities with large Cuban
populations so that her many fans could pay their final respects. She was
buried at the Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx.
In February 2004, her latest album Regalo del Alma, released after her death,
won a posthumous award at the Premios Lo Nuestro as best Salsa release of
the year. It was announced in December 2005 that a musical called "Assuca"
would open in Tenerife before touring the world. The name comes from Cruz's
well-known catchphrase of "¡Azúcar!", meaning sugar.
On June 4, 2003, Union City, New Jersey, which lies not far from Cruz's Fort
Lee home (and which boasts the second-highest Cuban population after Miami),
heralded its annual Cuban Day Parade by dedicating its new Celia Cruz Park
at 31st Street and Bergenline Avenue, with Cruz's widower, Pedro Knight,
present. The park boasts a sidewalk star in Cruz's honor, and an 8' x 10'
mural by Union City's Edgardo Davila, a collage of Cruz's career throughout
the decades. There are four other similar dedications to Cruz around the
world.
On May 22, 2005, Washington, DC, The Smithsonian National Museum of American
History, Behring Center launch to the public the exhibition Azúcar!
celebrating the Life and Music of Celia Cruz highlights important moments in
Cruz’ life and career through photographs, personal documents, costumes,
videos, and music. |
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