Úrsula Hilaria Celia de la Caridad de la Santísima Trinidad Cruz Alfonso, the full name of Celia Cruz, was a famous and renowned Cuban singer born in Santo Suárez on October 21, 1925. According to biographers, she showed exceptional talent for singing and a passion for music from a young age. Her father wanted her to become a schoolteacher, but her mother supported her in pursuing her dream of becoming a singer.
In its early days, he participated in several radio programs such as: The Supreme Court of Art, a contest by the CMQ station aimed at discovering new vocal talents, and Radio Cadena Suaritos, where he made his first recording alongside Obdulio Morales.
In 1948, she joined the dance group Las Mulatas de Fuego as a singer, which was founded by Rodrigo Rodney. With them, she began to achieve success and build her career outside the Island, touring Mexico and Venezuela, and in 1949, she traveled to Capernaum (Israel).
In 1950, the singer from La Sonora Matancera, Mirta Silva, returned to her homeland, Puerto Rico, and Celia was selected to replace her. She spent 15 years with this group, touring throughout Latin America. From this period, well-known songs include: "El yerbero moderno," "Burundanga," "Ritmo tambó y flores," "Caramelos," "La sopa en botella," "Tu voz," "Pa' la paloma," "Vallán vallende," among many others.
In 1960, she traveled to Mexico with La Sonora to fulfill the commitments of a contract and did not return to the Island. In 1961, Celia moved to the United States, where she lived until her passing in 2003 due to a brain tumor.
In 1966, Tito Puentes, with whom she recorded several albums, invited her to join his orchestra, marking the beginning of her career as a solo artist. Her husband, trumpet player Pedro Knight, whom she married in 1962, would be her representative.
Throughout his extensive and prolific music career, he worked for several record labels: Tico Records, Masucci Vaya Records (which marked a musical shift in favor of salsa), FANIA, Barbara Records, Sony Music Entertainment, RMM Records, among others.
Among his most memorable performances are the concert in 1975 at Yankee Stadium, recorded live with The Fania All-Stars and directed by Johnny Pacheco, and the 1982 concert at Madison Square Garden, where he was honored for his successful music career. He also participated in the 1999 concert "Pavarotti and Friends" held in Modena.
In 1990, he gave a concert in Guantánamo. He took a bit of soil from there, which he requested to be placed in his coffin when he died.
His concert in Santa Cruz de Tenerife in 1987, attended by 250,000 people, is recognized by the Guinness World Records as the largest outdoor concert.
She was nominated thirteen times for the Grammy Awards and six times for the Latin Grammys. In total, she won five: in 1989 in the Best Tropical Latin Performance category for the album Ritmo En El Corazón alongside Ray Barreto, in 2000 for Best Salsa Album for Celia Cruz and Friends, in 2001 for Best Traditional Tropical Album for Siempre Viviré, in 2002 for Best Salsa Album and Best Tropical Song for La Negra tiene su tumbao, and posthumously in 2004 for Best Salsa Album for Regalo del alma (an album she never got to see) and Best Tropical Song for Ríe y llora.
She was recognized and honored multiple times: in 1987, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame; in 1995, she was honored with a star on the Caracas Walk of Fame in Venezuela; in 1997, San Francisco declared October 25 as Celia Cruz Day; and in 2004, a year after her passing, she was awarded the Premio Lo Nuestro for her final album. She also received honorary Doctorates from three universities in the United States: Yale University, Florida International University, and Miami University.
He also ventured into film: Salsa (1975, documentary), The Kings of Mambo (1992), When I Left Cuba (1995), and in television: Valentina (1993, telenovela), The Soul Has No Color (1997, a remake of the 1948 Mexican film Angelitos negros).
Some of her albums include: Canta Celia Cruz (1956), Cuba's Queen of Rhythm (1958), La Incomparable Celia (1958), Cuba's Foremost Rhythm Singer (1958), Su Favorita (1959), La Dinámica (1960), Reflexiones de Celia Cruz (1960), Canciones Premiadas (1961), La Tierna, Conmovedora, Bamboleadora (1962), Mi Diario Musical (1963), Canciones que Yo quería haber Grabado Primero (1964), Con Amor (1964), Homenaje a los Santos (1964), Canciones Inolvidables "La Guagua" (1964), Homenaje a los Santos Vol.2 (1965), El Nuevo Estilo de la Guarachera (1965), Son Con Guaguancó (1966), Cuba y Puerto Rico Son... (1966), Sabor y Ritmo de los Pueblos (1964), Bravo (1967), Celia Cruz 67' (1967), A Ti, México! (1968), Algo Especial Para Recordar (1972), Only They Could Have Made This Album (1977), Eternos (1978), Ritmo en el Corazón (1988), Tributo a Ismael Rivera (1992), Azúcar Negra (1993), Irrepetible (1994), Azucar! (1997), Mi Vida Es Cantar (1998), Siempre Viviré (2000), La Negra tiene Tumbao (2001), Carnaval de Éxitos (2001), Hits Mix (2002), Regalo del Alma (2003), Feliz Navidad (2003), and Celia Cruz In The House (The Ultimate Classic Hits Remix Collection) (2003)
Celia Cruz is regarded as one of the most influential and important artists of her generation and a musical icon of Latin music. Her legacy has been honored with numerous tributes in the form of series, documentaries, and biographies. In 2003, a music school named the Celia Cruz Bronx High School of Music was established in the Bronx.
Throughout his extensive musical career, he shared the stage with numerous personalities such as Tito Puente, Héctor Lavoe, Marc Anthony, Gloria Estefan, La India, Willie Colón, Patti LaBelle, Ricky Martin, Lola Flores, Jarabe de Palo, Raphael, Vicente Fernández, Juan Gabriel, Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, Ángela Carrasco, Olga Guillot, Yuri, Willy Chirino, Óscar D'León, Olga Tañón, Toña la Negra, Dionne Warwick, Martha Jean Claude, Luciano Pavarotti, Aída Cuevas, Rubén Blades, La Sonora Santanera, Johnny Pacheco, Albita Rodríguez, Wyclef Jean, Lauryn Hill, Paulina Rubio, El General, among others.
