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 she showed talent for singing and a passion for music from a young age. Although her father wanted her to become a schoolteacher, her mother supported her in pursuing her dream of becoming a singer.
In its early days, he participated in various 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, from which his first recording with Obdulio Morales emerged.
In 1948, she joined as a singer the dance group Las Mulatas de Fuego, founded by Rodrigo Rodney. With them, she began to achieve success and build a career outside the Island, traveling through Mexico, Venezuela, and in 1949, she traveled to Capernaum (Israel).
In 1950, the singer of La sonora Matancera, Mirta Silva, returned to her homeland, Puerto Rico, and Celia passed the selection tests to replace her. She was part of this group for 15 years and toured throughout Latin America. Some well-known songs from this period 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, thus beginning her solo career. Her representative would be her husband, trumpeter Pedro Knight, whom she had married in 1962.
Throughout his extensive and prolific recording 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 led by Johnny Pacheco, and the one in 1982 at Madison Square Garden where he was honored for his successful music career. He also participated in the 1999 concert Pavarotti and Friends that took place in Modena.
In 1990, he gave a concert in Guantánamo. From there, he took a bit of soil that he requested be placed in his coffin when he died.
His concert in Santa Cruz de Tenerife in 1987, which was attended by 250,000 people, is recognized by the Guinness Book of 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 for Best Tropical Latin Performance 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 was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame; in 1995, she received one on the Walk of Fame in Caracas (Venezuela); in 1997, San Francisco declared October 25th as Celia Cruz Day; and in 2004, a year after her passing, she was honored with the Premio Lo Nuestro for her last musical work. She was also 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 film: Salsa (1975, documentary), Los reyes del mambo (1992), Cuando salí de 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 in various forms including series, documentaries, and biographies. In 2003, a music school was established in the Bronx, named 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.
