More Info on Celia CruzSimilar Latin MusicSearch Artistopia
Biography
Page numbers needed|date=September 2010Spanish name|Cruz|AlfonsoInfobox musical artist | name = Celia Cruz| image = Celia_Cruz_1.jpg| caption = Celia Cruz in Paris, France, April 1980| image_size =| background = solo_singer| birth_name = Úrsula Hilaria Celia de la Caridad Cruz Alfonso| alias = La Reina de la Salsa, La Guarachera de Cuba| Born = Birth date|mf=yes|1925|10|21 Havana , Cuba | Died = Death date and age|mf=yes|2003|7|16|1924|10|21 Fort Lee, New Jersey , United States| origin =| instrument =| genre = Salsa music|Salsa , Bolero| occupation = Singer| years_active = 1948–2003| label = Fania Records , RMM Records & Video , Sony Discos | associated_acts = Sonora Matancera , Fania All-Stars | website = http://www.celiacruzonline.com/ CeliaCruzOnline.com Celia Cruz (born Úrsula Hilaria Celia de la Caridad Cruz Alfonso on October 21, 1925 – July 16, 2003) was a Cuban-American Salsa music|salsa singer, and was one of the most successful Salsa performers of the 20th century, having earned twenty-three gold albums. She was renowned internationally as the "Queen of Salsa" as well as "La Guarachera de Cuba."Cite web|url= http://historywired.si.edu/object.cfm? ID=90|title=Celia Cruz's Shoes|publisher=National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution|accessdate=2008-06-09
She spent most of her career living in New Jersey , and working in the United States and several Latin American countries.
Celia Cobo of Billboard Magazine once said "Cruz is indisputably the best known and most influential female figure in the history of Cuban music ." Cruz once said in an interview "If I had a chance I wouldn't have been singing and dancing, I would be a teacher just like my dad wanted me to be".Citation needed|date=March 2009
Early life
Cruz was born October 21, 1925 in the diverse, working-class neighborhood of Santos Suárez neighborhood in Havana, Cuba . http://americanhistory.si.edu/celiacruz/main.asp? lang=Rhz3954194636sMvu "Her Life". pp National Museum of American History. Accessed July 17, 2011. She is the second child of fourteen childrenCobo, Leila. http://www.allbusiness.com/retail-trade/miscellaneous-retail-retail-stores-not/4666370-1.html "Cuban Salsa Sensation Celia Cruz Dies At 77" All Business; July 26, 2003 born to Catalina Alfonso and Simón Cruz. Simón worked in the railroads as a stoker, and Catalina took care of the extended family.Citation needed|date=July 2011 While growing up in Cuba's diverse 1930s musical climate, Cruz listened to many musicians that later influenced her adult career, such as Paulina Alvarez , Fernando Collazo , Abelardo Barroso , Pablo Quevedo , Arsenio Rodríguez , and Arcaño y sus Maravillas . Celia Cruz also studied the words to Yoruba songs with colleague Mercedita Valdes (an Akpwon santeria singer) from Cuba and Celia made various recordings of this religious genre singing even back up for other female akpwons like Candita Batista.Cite web|url= http://americanhistory.si.edu/celiacruz/main.asp? lang=fZc5353163882aLnQ |title=¡Azúcar& #33; The Life and Music of Celia Cruz |publisher= Smithsonian Institution |accessdate=2007-11-04
When she was a teenager, her aunt took her and her cousin to cabaret s to sing, but her father encouraged her to keep attending school, in hopes that she would become a Spanish language teacher. However, one of her teachers told her that as an entertainer she could earn in one day what most Cuban teachers earned in a month. Cruz began singing in Havana's radio station Radio Garcia-Serra's popular "Hora del Té" daily broadcast, she sang the tango "Nostalgias", (and won a cake as first place) often winning cakes and also opportunities to participate in more contests. Her first recordings were made in 1948 in Venezuela. Before that, Cruz had recorded for radio stations.Citation needed|date=July 2011
Career
In 1950, Cruz made her first major breakthrough, after the lead singer of the Sonora Matancera , a renowned Cuban orchestra, left the group and Cruz was called to fill in. Cruz was hired permanently by the orchestra, but 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 traveled all over Latin America, becoming known as "Café Con Leche" (coffee with milk). Cruz became known for her trademark shout "¡Azúcar!" ("Sugar!" in Spanish). The catch phrase started as the punch line for a joke Cruz used to tell frequently at her concerts. Once, she ordered cafe cubano (Cuban coffee) in a restaurant in Miami. The waiter asked her if she'd like sugar, and she replied that, since he was Cuban, he should know that you can't drink Cuban coffee without it& #33; After having told the joke so many times, Cruz eventually dropped the joke and greeted her audience at the start of her appearances with the punch line alone. In her later years, she would use the punch line a few times, to later say: ''"No les digo más 'Azúcar', pa' que no les dé diabetes!"'' which means "I won't say 'Sugar' anymore so that you won't get diabetes ".Citation needed|date=August 2008 With Fidel Castro assuming control of Cuba in 1959, Cruz and her husband, Pedro Knight , refused to return to their homeland and became citizens of the United States.
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, Puente and Cruz later joined the Vaya Records label. There, she joined accomplished pianist Larry Harlow (salsa)|Larry Harlow and was soon headlining a concert at New York's Carnegie Hall .
Cruz's 1974 album with Johnny Pacheco , Celia y Johnny , was very successful, 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, Cruz had the opportunity of visiting England, France, Zaire (Today's DR Congo ), and to return to tour Latin America; her performance in Zaire is included in the film Soul Power (film)|Soul Power .Cite news|last = Scott| first = O.A.|title = Music and Musicians Still Echo 35 Years Later|publisher = New York Times|date = 2009-07-10|url = http://movies.nytimes.com/2009/07/10/movies/10soul.html 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! ).
Celia Cruz used to sing the identifying spot for WQBA radio station in Miami, formerly known as "La Cubanísima" : "I am the voice of Cuba, from this land, far away,..., I am liberty, I am WQBA, the most Cuban& #33; (Yo soy de Cuba, la voz, desde esta tierra lejana, ..., soy libertad, soy WQBA, Cubanísima!)
During the 1980s, Cruz made many tours in Latin America and Europe, doing multiple concerts and television shows wherever she went, and singing both with younger stars and stars of her own era. She began a crossover (music)|crossover of sorts, when she participated in the 1988 Hollywood production of Salsa , alongside Robby Rosa|Robby Draco Rosa .
In 1990, Cruz won a Grammy Award for Grammy Award for Best Traditional Tropical Latin Album|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 1994, President Bill Clinton awarded Cruz the National Medal of Arts . In 2001, she recorded a new album, on which Johnny Pacheco was one of the producers.
On July 16, 2002, Cruz performed to a full house at the free outdoor performing arts festival Central Park SummerStage in New York City. During the performance she sang, "Bemba Colora." A live recording of this song was subsequently made available in 2005 on a commemorative CD honoring the festival's then 20 year history entitled, "Central Park SummerStage: Live from the Heart of the City."
In early 2003, she had surgery to correct knee problems that she had for a few years, and she intended to continue working indefinitely. She had weight issues.
Celia Cruz appeared on the 2006 Dionne Warwick album My Friends & Me .
Death
On July 16, 2003, Cruz died of a cancer ous brain tumor at her home in Fort Lee, New Jersey . She was survived by her husband Pedro Knight , who died February 3, 2007.
After her death in New Jersey, her body was taken to Miami to lying in state|lie in state in downtown Miami 's Freedom Tower (Miami)|Freedom Tower , where more than 200,000 of her South Florida fans paid their final respects. Her body was returned to New Jersey where tens of thousands of fans paid tribute to her at the funeral home. A service was held for her in St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York|St. Patrick's Cathedral on Fifth Avenue. She was interred in a private mausoleum at the Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx|Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx ; an epilogue in her autobiography notes that, in accordance with her wishes, Cuban soil that she had saved from a visit to Guantánamo Bay was used in her entombment.
Legacy
In February 2004, Cruz's latest album, Regalo del Alma , won a posthumous award at the Premios Lo Nuestro for 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 catch phrase of "¡Azúcar!"
On June 4, 2004, the heavily-Cuban-American community of Union City, New Jersey heralded its annual Cuban Day Parade by dedicating its new Celia Cruz Park (also known as Celia Cruz Plaza ), which features a sidewalk star in her honor, at 31st Street and Bergenline Avenue , with Cruz's widower, Pedro Knight , present. There are four other similar dedications to Cruz around the world. http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm? newsid=11835952& BRD=1291& PAG=461& dept_id=523584& rfi=8 Homage to Celia Cruz: UC to pay tribute to Queen of Salsa with events, park dedication, Union City Reporter , May 30, 2004 Cruz's star has expanded into Union City's "Walk of Fame",Lucio Fernandez and Gerard Karabin. Union City in Pictures ; 2010; Page 74 as new marble stars are added each spring to honor Latin entertainment and media personalities, such as merengue (music)|merengue singer Joseíto Mateo, salsa singer La India , Cuban musician Cachao López|Israel "Cachao" Lopez , Cuban tenor Beny Moré ,Rosero, Jessica. http://www.hudsonreporter.com/view/full_story/2408953/article-Viva-la-comunidad-Cubano-North-Hudson-celebrates-at-the-annual-Cuban-Day-Parade? "Viva la comunidad Cubano North Hudson celebrates at the annual Cuban Day Parade" Hudson Reporter June 18, 2006 Tito Puente , Spanish language television news anchor Rafael Pineda , salsa pioneer Johnny Pacheco ,Rosero, Jessica. http://www.hudsonreporter.com/view/full_story/2405226/article--La-vida-es-un-carnaval--North-Hudson-celebrates-6th-annual-Cuban-Day-Parade? "'La vida es un carnaval' North Hudson celebrates 6th annual Cuban Day Parade"; Hudson Reporter ; May 26, 2006 singer/bandleader Gilberto Santa Rosa and music promoter Ralph Mercado .Staab, Amanda. "UC first stop for Latin Grammies" The Union City Reporter ; October 5, 2008; Pages 1 & 21
On May 18, 2005, the National Museum of American History , administered by the Smithsonian Institution and located in Washington, D.C. , opened "¡Azúcar!" , an exhibit celebrating the life and music of Celia Cruz. The exhibit highlights important moments in Cruz's life and career through photographs, personal documents, costumes, videos, and music.
On September 26, 2007, through May 25, 2008, Celia , a musical based on the life of Celia Cruz, played at the off-Broadway venue, New World Stages. Some performances were in Spanish and some in English. The show won four 2008 HOLA awards from the Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors . http://www.lortel.org/lla_archive/index.cfm? search_by=show& title=Celia Celia at Lortel Archives; Accessed August 24, 2010
Discography
Col-beginCol-3
2003 Homenaje a Beny Moré
2003 Celia & Johnny
2003 Dios Disfrute a la Reina
2003 Son Boleros, Boleros Son
2003 Reina de la Música Cubana
2003 Regalo del Alma
2003 Más Grande Historia Jamás Cantada
2003 Estrellas de la Sonora Matancera
2003 Celia in the House: Classic Hits Remixed
2003 Carnaval de la Vida
2003 Candela Pura
2002 Unrepeatable
2002 Hits Mix
2001 La Negra Tiene Tumbao
2000 Siempre Viviré
2000 Salsa (album)|Salsa
2000 Habanera
2000 Celia Cruz and Friends: A Night of Salsa
1999 En Vivo Radio Progreso, Vol. 3
1999 En Vivo Radio Progreso, Vol. 2
1999 En Vivo Radio Progreso, Vol. 1
1999 En Vivo C.M.Q., Vol. 5
1999 En Vivo C.M.Q., Vol. 4
1998 Mi Vida Es Cantar
Col-3
1998 Afro-Cubana
1997 También Boleros
1997 Duets
1997 Cambiando Ritmos
1996 Celia Cruz Delta
1995 Irresistible
1995 Festejando Navidad
1995 Double Dynamite
1995 ''Cuba's Queen of Rhythm
1994 Merengue Saludos Amigos
1994 Mambo del Amor
1994 Irrepetible
1994 Homenaje a Los Santos
1994 Guaracheras de La Guaracha
1993 Introducing
1993 Homenaje a Beny Moré, Vol. 3
1993 Boleros Polydor
1993 Azucar Negra
1992 Verdadera Historia
1992 Tributo a Ismael Rivera
1991 Reina del Ritmo Cubano
1991 Canta Celia Cruz
1990 Guarachera del Mundo
1988 Ritmo en el Corazón
1987 Winners
1986 De Nuevo
Col-3
1986 Candela
1983 Tremendo Trío
1982 Feliz Encuentro
1981 Celia & Willie
1980 Celia/Johnny/Pete
1977 Only They Could Have Made This Album
1976 Recordando El Ayer
1975 Tremendo Caché
1974 Celia & Johnny
1971 Celia Y Tito Puente en España
1970 Etc. Etc. Etc.
1969 Quimbo Quimbumbia
1968 Serenata Guajira
1968 Excitante
1967 A Ti México
1967 Bravo Celia Cruz
1966 Son con Guaguancó
1966 Cuba Y Puerto Rico Son
1965 Sabor y Ritmo de Pueblos
1965 Canciones Premiadas
1959 Mi Diario Musical
1958 Incomparable Celia
Col-end
Grammy awards
awards table|- | align="center"|1990 | "Ritmo En El Corazon" | Best Tropical Latin Performance |won|- | align="center"|2000 | Celia Cruz and Friends: A Night of Salsa | Best Salsa Performance |won|- | align="center"|2001 | "Siempre Viviré" | Best Tropical Traditional Album |won|- | align="center"|2002 | La Negra Tiene Tumbao | Best Salsa Album |won|- | align="center"|2003 | La Negra Tiene Tumbao | Best Salsa Album |won|- | align="center"|2003 | Regalo del Alma | Best Salsa/Merengue Album |won|- | align="center"|2004 | Regalo del Alma | Best Salsa Album |won end
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi? page=gr& GRid=7691977 Celia Cruz at Findagrave.com .
http://americanhistory.si.edu/celiacruz/ ¡Azúcar& #33; The Life and Music of Celia Cruz at the National Museum of American History .
In May 2011, the VOA Special English service of the Voice of America broadcast a 15-minute program on Celia Cruz. A transcript and MP3 of the program, intended for English learners, can be found at http://www.voanews.com/learningenglish/home/Celia-Cruz-1925-2003-The-Queen-of-Salsa-121440804.html Celia Cruz, 1925-2003: 'The Queen of Salsa'
Persondata | NAME = Cruz, Celia | ALTERNATIVE NAMES = | SHORT DESCRIPTION = | DATE OF BIRTH = October 21, 1925 | PLACE OF BIRTH = | DATE OF DEATH = July 16, 2003 | PLACE OF DEATH =
DEFAULTSORT:Cruz, Celia Category:1925 births Category:2003 deaths Category:People from Havana category:Cuban people of Black African descent Category:American entertainers of Cuban descent Category:Cancer deaths in New Jersey Category:Cuban female singers Category:Cuban exiles Category:Cuban emigrants to the United States Category:Deaths from brain cancer Category:Fania Records artists Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Latin Grammy Award winners Category:Naturalized citizens of the United States Category:Salsa musicians Category:Spanish-language singers Category:United States National Medal of Arts recipients Category:Burials at Woodlawn Cemetery (Bronx) Category:People from Fort Lee, New Jersey
