Celia Cruz

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. Biographers note that from a young age, she displayed a talent for singing and a passion for music. 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 La Corte Suprema del Arte, a contest hosted by the CMQ station aimed at discovering new vocal talents, and Radio Cadena Suaritos, from which his first recording alongside Obdulio Morales emerged.

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 a career outside the Island, touring Mexico, Venezuela, and in 1949, she traveled to Capernaum (Israel).

In 1950, the singer Mirta Silva from La Sonora Matancera returned to her homeland, Puerto Rico, and Celia successfully auditioned to replace her. She spent 15 years with this group, touring throughout Latin America. From this period, she is known for songs such as 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 death in 2003 due to a brain tumor.

In 1966, Tito Puentes, with whom she had recorded several albums, invited her to join his orchestra, marking the beginning of her solo career. Her husband, the trumpeter Pedro Knight, whom she married in 1962, would become her representative.

Throughout his extensive and prolific recording career, he worked for various record labels: Tico Records, Masucci Vaya Records (which marked a musical shift towards 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 event at Madison Square Garden, where he was honored for his successful music career. He also took part in the Pavarotti and Friends concert in 1999, held in Modena.

In 1990, he gave a concert in Guantánamo. He took a bit of dirt from there, which he requested 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. Overall, she won five: in 1989, she received the award for Best Tropical Latin Performance for the album "Ritmo En El Corazón" alongside Ray Barreto; in 2000, she won Best Salsa Album for "Celia Cruz and Friends"; in 2001, she earned the award for Best Traditional Tropical Album for "Siempre Viviré"; in 2002, she won both Best Salsa Album and Best Tropical Song for "La Negra tiene su tumbao"; and posthumously in 2004, she was awarded 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 awarded one on the Walk of Fame in Caracas, Venezuela; in 1997, San Francisco declared October 25 as Celia Cruz Day; and in 2004, a year after her passing, she received the Premio Lo Nuestro for her final album. She was awarded honorary doctorates on three occasions from three universities in the United States: Yale University, Florida International University, and Miami University.

He also ventured into cinema: Salsa (1975, documentary), The Kings of Mambo (1992), When I Left Cuba (1995), and in television: Valentina (1993, telenovela), El alma no tiene color (1997, remake of the 1948 Mexican film Angelitos negros).

Some of her albums: 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), 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 was opened in the Bronx, named the Celia Cruz Bronx High School of Music.

Throughout his long 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, and El General, among others.