![]() She was one of the Fania All-Stars, drawn from the label’s artists, performing with them regularly, including during a 1976 Yankee Stadium concert in New York. In 1974, while signed with the leading salsa record label Fania, Cruz recorded the album Celia and Willie with trombonist Willie Colon. She performed with greats such as pianist Larry Harlow and headlined a concert at Carnegie Hall, where she returned in 1973 in a staging of Hommy-A Latin Opera, the Spanish-language adaptation of The Who’s famous rock opera Tommy. During the 1970s, a new generation of Latin Americans became fans of salsa music, and Cruz’s fame spread along with her achievements. She also sported outlandish custom-made costumes featuring sequins and feathers and notoriously high-heeled shoes. Along with a strong husky voice that meshed with a driving salsa rhythm section, she danced flamboyantly, told entertaining stories, and engaged audiences with tireless passion. Her association with Puente would result in eight albums for the Tico Records label, including 1966’s Cuba Y Puerto Rico Son, and additional recordings for Vaya Records.Ĭruz also developed a musical and stage persona during this period that would endear her to legions of fans for whom she would become “La Reina de la Salsa” (“queen of salsa”). As a vocalist for Puente’s band, Cruz became identified with the emerging salsa genre, mixing elements of Caribbean and African styles in a highly danceable mélange. In 1966, she joined forces with Tito Puente, a Puerto Rican percussionist and bandleader who had achieved an international following. La Reina de la SalsaĬruz” initial fan base in the United States was confined to the Cuban exile communities, including those in Florida and New Jersey, where she and Knight settled. Castro made good on his word, refusing to grant Cruz permission to attend her mother’s funeral in Cuba in 1962. Knight would also become Cruz’ manager and music director when she subsequently developed a solo career. During this period, Cruz became romantically involved with the band’s lead trumpet player, Pedro Knight, whom she married in 1962. Castro was so incensed by Cruz’ betrayal that he vowed never to allow the singer back into Cuba. Upon Fidel Castro’s rise to power in 1960, they defected en masse to the United States where Cruz would become a naturalized citizen. With the coming of the Cuban revolution in 1959 and a decline in Havana’s cultural scene, the band began spending more time outside the country. Their tours, as well as Cruz’ fame, extended to much of Latin America, and included radio, television, and film appearances. Cruz and the band, which became known as Café Con Leche (“coffee with milk”), performed together for 15 years, during which time she developed her trademark call-out “Azucar!” (“sugar!”), based on the punch line to a favorite story of hers. Despite the initial public resistance to the change, she and the band persisted, playing a mix of guaracha, cha-cha, and bolero musical styles, and Cruz quickly won over audiences throughout Cuba. Her professional breakthrough came in 1950, when the lead singer of a well-known Cuban band, Sonora Matancera, resigned and Cruz was asked to step in. When one of her teachers told her that an entertainer could earn more than a teacher’s monthly salary in just one day, however, she made a commitment to music. ![]() In deference to her father’s wishes, Cruz enrolled in the Normal School in Havana for teacher training. ![]() She and a cousin showed enough early talent that her mother took them to sing in local cabarets, where she won small prizes in various competitions. Havana’s cultural ferment provided Cruz with exposure to many singers and even the music of the African-Santeria religious tradition. ![]() As the second oldest child in an extended family that included as many as 14 children, she often helped her mother, Catalina, with household tasks while her father Simon was off working on railroad trains. Café con LecheĬruz was born Ursula Hilaria Celia de la Caridad Cruz Alfonso in the Santos Suarez district of Havana, Cuba, probably in 1924 or 1925. ![]() 1925?-2003 Celia Cruz rose from her musical career in Latin America to become the leading female Afro-Cuban and Salsa vocalist in the United States, becoming a symbol of the spirit of the Cuban expatriate community. ![]()
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