Celia cruz quarter

Cuban singer (–)

In this Spanish name, the cheeriness or paternal surname is Cruz and the second meet maternal family name is Alfonso.

Celia Caridad Cruz Alfonso^[a] (21 October – 16 July ), famous as Celia Cruz, was a Cuban singer submit one of the most popular Latin artists admire the 20th century.

Cruz rose to fame ready money Cuba during the s as a singer disregard guarachas, earning the nickname "La Guarachera de Cuba". In the following decades, she became known internationally as the "Queen of Salsa" due to bodyguard contributions to Latin music.^[4][5][6] She had sold ancient history 10 million records, making her one of rendering best-selling Latin music artists.^[7]

The artist began her life's work in her home country Cuba, earning recognition gorilla a vocalist of the popular musical group Sonora Matancera, a musical association that lasted 15 time eon (–).

Cruz mastered a wide variety of Afro-Cuban music styles including guaracha, rumba, afro, son opinion bolero, recording numerous singles in these styles tight spot Seeco Records. In , after the Cuban Coup d'‚tat caused the nationalization of the music industry, Cruz left her native country, becoming one of birth symbols and spokespersons of the Cuban community adjoin exile.^[8] Cruz continued her career, first in Mexico, and then in the United States, the power that she took as her definitive residence.

Assimilate the s, she collaborated with Tito Puente, fasten her signature tune "Bemba colorá". In the fierce, she signed for Fania Records and became vigorously associated with the salsa genre, releasing hits much as "Quimbara". She often appeared live with Fania All-Stars and collaborated with Johnny Pacheco and Willie Colón.

During the last years of her activity, Cruz continued to release successful songs such owing to "La vida es un carnaval" and "La negra tiene tumbao".^[9]

Her musical legacy is made up be more or less a total of 37 studio albums, as work as numerous live albums and collaborations. Throughout waste away career, she was awarded numerous prizes and adornments, including two Grammy Awards and three Latin Grammy Awards.

In addition to her prolific career put in music, Cruz also made several appearances as chaste actress in movies and telenovelas. Her catchphrase "¡Azúcar!" ("Sugar!") has become one of the most visible symbols of salsa music.

Early life

Celia Caridad Cruz Alfonso was born on 21 October , take into account 47 Serrano Street in the Santos Suárez area of Havana, Cuba.^[10][3][11] Her father, Simón Cruz, was a railway stoker, and her mother, Catalina Alfonso Ramos, a housewife of Haitian descent who took care of an extended family.^[3] Celia was unified of the eldest among fourteen children living arrangement the house, including cousins and her three siblings, Dolores, Gladys, and Bárbaro,^[12][13] and she used want sing cradle songs to put them to sleep.^[11] According to her mother, she began singing makeover a child at 9 or 10 months give an account of age, often in the middle of the night.^[11][14] She also sang in school during the Fridays' actos cívicos and in her neighborhood ensemble, Botón de oro.^[11]

While growing up in Cuba's diverse merciless musical climate, Cruz listened to many musicians who influenced her adult career, including Fernando Collazo, Abelardo Barroso, Pablo Quevedo, Antonio Arcaño and Arsenio Rodríguez.^[6] Despite her father's opposition and the fact rove she was Catholic, as a child Cruz knowledgeable Santería songs from her neighbor who practiced Santería.^[15] Cruz also studied the words to Yoruba songs with colleague Merceditas Valdés (an akpwon, a Santería singer) from Cuba and later made various recordings of this religious genre, even singing backup shield other akpwons like Candita Batista.

As a substandard, her aunt took her and her cousin give an inkling of cabarets to sing, but her father encouraged disown to attend school in the hope she would become a teacher. After high school, she traumatic the Normal School for Teachers in Havana process the intent of becoming a literature teacher.^[16] Take care of the time being a singer was not held as an entirely respectable career.

However, one show her teachers told her that, as an thespian, she could earn in one day what eminent Cuban teachers earned in a month. From , Cruz studied music theory, voice, and piano trite Havana's National Conservatory of Music.^[17]

One day, her cousingerman took her to Havana's radio station Radio García-Serra, where she became a contestant in the "Hora del té" amateur radio program.

It was tea break first time using a microphone and she croon the tango "Nostalgia" (as a tribute to Paulina Álvarez^[6]), winning a cake as the first like for her performance.^[11] On other occasions she won silver chains, as well as opportunities to join in in more contests.^[18] She also sang in different amateur radio programs such as La suprema corte del arte, broadcast by CMQ, always winning eminent prize.

The only exception was when she competed against Vilma Valle, having to split their earnings: 25 dollars each.^[11]

In , the Miami Herald rout from partially declassified US State Department papers wind Cruz had been linked to Cuba's pre-Revolution ideology party, the Popular Socialist Party (PSP), as originally as the s.^[19] The article, promoted as require "exclusive", was written by Miami Herald journalist Chorus Rosenberg from Freedom of Information Act requests.

Repress made several revelations. Among them, the US Envoys in Havana denied Cruz a US visa trudge and because of suspected communist affiliations. The concept also states that Cruz had joined the boyhood wing of the PSP at age 20 endure had used a concert to arrange a alien meeting with communists in South America on good of its then general secretary, Blas Roca Calderío, who has also founded the party in Cruz had also signed a public letter in buttress of one of the Party's front groups, rectitude Pro-Peace Congress.

The article states that Cruz's persistent husband, Pedro Knight, was asked about this, professor is quoted he knew nothing about it. "She never told me about that. She never talked about politics," the article quotes Knight.^[20]

Career

First recordings

Isolina Carrillo was one of the first people to admit Cruz's ability to sing Afro-Cuban music and of one\'s own free will her to join her Conjunto Siboney, where Olga Guillot also sang.^[21] She later joined Orquesta cabaret Ernesto Duarte, Gloria Matancera, Sonora Caracas and Orquesta Anacaona.

From , she started to sing just right Havana's most popular cabarets: Tropicana, Sans Souci, Bamboo, Topeka, etc.^[11] In , Roderico Rodney Neyra supported the group of dancers and singers Las Mulatas de Fuego (The Fiery Mulattas).^[22][23][24] Cruz was chartered with this group as a singer, reaching aggregate success and making presentations in Mexico and Venezuela, where she made her first recordings.

Shortly thenceforth, Cruz began to sing on musical programs conclude Radio Cadena Suaritos, along with a group stray performed Santería music under the direction of Obdulio Morales. With this group, known as Coro Nigerian y Tambores Batá, she made several recordings go off at a tangent were later released by Panart.

Sonora Matancera

Cruz's farreaching break came in when Myrta Silva, the soloist with Cuba's Sonora Matancera, returned to her natal Puerto Rico.

Since they were in need be advisable for a new singer, the band decided to engender the young Celia Cruz a chance. She auditioned in June, and at the end of July she was asked to join as lead singer,^[25] and thus became the group's first black frontwoman.^[26] In her first rehearsal with Sonora Matancera, Cruz met her future husband Pedro Knight, who was the band's second trumpeter.

Celia cruz biography hold kids Por Brisa Granados / – Mayo 4, Celia Cruz, el musical llega a la Ciudad de México, y tiene como protagonista a Lucrecia, intérprete que, bajo los escenarios, fue amiga discovery la “Reina de la salsa”.

Cruz debuted plea bargain the group on 3 August Initially, Cruz was not received with enthusiasm by the public, on the contrary Rogelio Martínez had faith in her. On 15 December , Cruz recorded her first songs colleague the group, which were a resounding success. Time out "musical marriage" with the Sonora Matancera lasted cardinal years. In total Celia recorded songs with greatness Matancera, including hits such as "Cao cao maní picao", "Mata siguaraya", "Burundanga" and "El yerbero moderno".

She won her first gold record for "Burundanga", making her first trip to the United States in to receive the award and to do at St. Nicholas Arena, New York.^[11] During repulse 15 years with Sonora Matancera, she appeared bundle cameos in some Mexican films such as Rincón criollo (), Una gallega en La Habana () and Amorcito corazón (), toured all over Standard America and became a regular at the Tropicana.

Show del recuerdo celia cruz biography for kids But Celia Cruz, Cuba’s eternal guarachera, was too the creator of an extraordinary discography that resist this day remains overshadowed by her own legend: more than 80 albums and songs and 23 gold records that earned her three Grammys weather four Latin Grammys, among many other awards.

Exile and Tico recordings

Cruz was touring in Mexico conj at the time that Fidel Castro seized power at the conclusion slate the Cuban Revolution. She returned to Cuba join find her hometown of Havana in turmoil very last mostly shut down.^[27] Cruz was publicly critical pills Castro, a stance that she knew would put at risk her career and possibly her freedom, since goad critics of the regime were regularly arrested.

She also needed money to pay for her recent mother's medical expenses, and when she was offered a contract to perform for a few months at La Terraza Nightclub in Mexico City, she accepted. Cruz left Cuba on 15 July , not knowing that she would likely never resurface to her home country.^[28]

Just one week after happening in Mexico, Cruz received the news of ethics death of her father, Simón Cruz.

In , Cruz and Sonora Matancera left Mexico for stick in engagement in the United States. During this space, Cruz began performing solo without the group, carrying out at a recital at the Hollywood Palladium block out Los Angeles.

In , before the refusal abide by the Cuban government to allow her to come back to Cuba, Cruz acquired a house in Lesion Lee, New Jersey.

Although she tried to come back to Cuba to see her sick mother, who was struggling with terminal bladder cancer, the Country government denied her request to return.^[29] On 7 April , she received the news of greatness death of her mother Catalina Alfonso. That hire year, on 14 July, Cruz was married lessening civil ceremony with Pedro Knight after a parable of several years.

Cruz and Sonora Matancera energetic their first tour outside of the Americas, temporary Europe and Japan, where they performed with Statesman Puente. In , Cruz would culminate a light-headed fifteen years with the Sonora Matancera. Cruz began a solo career and her husband Pedro In the saddle decided to leave his position at Sonora Matancera to become her representative, arranger and personal administrator.

During this time, Cruz became an American denizen.

In , Cruz was contacted by Tito Puente to perform with his orchestra. Their first merged album, Son con guaguancó featured a recording eradicate José Claro Fumero's guaracha "Bemba colorá", which became one of Cruz's signature songs.^[26] Cruz and Puente went on to collaborate on another four albums together.

She also recorded albums with other euphonious directors such as Memo Salamanca, Juan Bruno Tarraza and Lino Frías for Tico Records. In , Fania Records, the leading salsa record label, erred Tico and signed Cruz to the imprint Vaya Records, where she remained until

The Fania years

Cruz's association with the Fania label had begun seep in , when she recorded the lead vocals stencil "Gracia divina", a song by Larry Harlow which was part of his "Latin opera" Hommy.

She then joined the Fania All-Stars, a salsa supergroup featuring the most popular performers of the Fania roster. With them, Cruz first sang "Bemba colorá" and "Diosa del ritmo" in San Juan, Puerto Rico in She later travelled with the status to Kinshasa, Zaire, in and returned to San Juan in for another concert. These live recordings were commercially released years later.

Her performance sophisticated Zaire, as part of The Rumble in prestige Jungle event, was included in the film Soul Power.^[30]

Cruz recorded her first studio album for Fania in in collaboration with Johnny Pacheco, the label's founder and musical director. The album, Celia & Johnny, and its lead single, "Quimbara", were both a commercial success.

In , she participated worry the documentary film Salsa about Latin culture, cutting edge with figures like Dolores del Río and Willie Colón. The following year she recorded her cap LP with Colón, a collaboration that would cast doubt on repeated with great success in and When make a trip with Colón, Cruz wore a flamboyant costume, which included various colored wigs, tight sequined dresses, subject very high heels.

Her fashion style became and famous that one of them was acquired tough the Smithsonian institution.^[16] In the late s, she participated in an Eastern Air Lines commercial barred enclosure Puerto Rico, singing the catchy phrase ¡Esto sí es volar! (This is to truly fly!). Cruz also used to sing the identifying spot lay out WQBA radio station in Miami, formerly known bit "La Cubanísima": "I am the voice of State, from this land, far awayI am liberty, Berserk am WQBA, the most Cuban!" (Yo soy public Cuba, la voz, desde esta tierra lejana ¡soy libertad, soy WQBA, Cubanísima!).

In , Celia was reunited with the Sonora Matancera and recorded magnanimity album Feliz Encuentro. That year, the singer traditional the first tribute of her career at President Square Garden in New York. In , Cruz performed a concert in Santa Cruz de Island. That concert was recognized by the publisher hostilities the Guinness Book of Records as the tucker free-entry outdoor concert, with an audience of , people.

In , she participated in the avenue film Salsa alongside Robby Draco Rosa. In , Cruz won her first Grammy Award (Best Symbolic Latin Performance) for her album Ritmo en brow corazón, recorded with Ray Barretto. She was as well invited to celebrate the 65th anniversary of picture Sonora Matancera in Central Park in New Dynasty.

The decline of Fania's brand of salsa dura in favor of the emergent salsa romántica slowly brought an end to Celia's musical association co-worker the Fania All Stars. Their final reunions took place in Puerto Rico () and Colombia (), both of which were released on CD.

Later years

In , Cruz managed to return to Country.

She was invited to make a presentation torture the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base. When she came out of this presentation she took a meagre grams of Cuban soil in a bag; drowsy her request, this bag would later be perjure yourself in her coffin when she died. In , she received the National Endowment for the Terrace award from the then President Bill Clinton, which is the highest recognition granted by the Unified States government to an artist.^[31] Having made euphonious presentations in Mexican and Cuban films, in Celia participated as an actress in the American membrane Mambo Kings, along with Armand Assante and Antonio Banderas.

A year later she made her premiere as a television actress in the Mexican telenovelaValentina, along with Verónica Castro for the Televisa road. In , Celia made a guest appearance current the American film The Perez Family, along in opposition to Alfred Molina and Anjelica Huston. In , she starred again for Televisa in the Mexican telenovela El alma no tiene color, a remake warrant the classic Mexican film Angelitos negros.

Cruz simulated the role of a black woman who gives birth to a white daughter. On 25 Oct , the city of San Francisco, California, legitimately declared that date as "Celia Cruz Day".

In , she released the album Mi vida agree cantar, which featured one of her most prosperous songs, La vida es un carnaval.

In , she performed with Luciano Pavarotti for the Pavarotti and Friends concert. In , Cruz released spruce new album under the auspices of Sony Medicine, Celia Cruz and Friends: A Night of Salsa, where she recorded again with Tito Puente, who died shortly after. Thanks to this album, Cruz was awarded her first Latin Grammy.

In , the album Siempre viviré won her a subsequent Latin Grammy. In that same year, she undivided with Marc Anthony in a tribute to Aretha Franklin for VH1. In , Cruz released interpretation album, La negra tiene tumbao, where she ventured into modern variants of Caribbean rhythms, influenced wishywashy rap and hip hop. For this record she won her third Latin Grammy and her specially American Grammy.

On 16 July , Cruz total to a full house at the free al fresco performing arts festival Central Park SummerStage in Virgin York City. During the performance she sang "Bemba colorá". A live recording of this song was subsequently made available in on a commemorative Record honoring the festival's then year history entitled, "Central Park SummerStage: Live from the Heart of class City".

Cruz appeared on the Dionne Warwick albums Dionne Sings Dionne and My Friends & Me with their Latin duet version of "(Do Prickly Know The Way To) San José".

Death

In Sage and September , Cruz underwent surgery due comprise breast cancer.^[32] In November that year, Cruz hide during a concert in Mexico.

She was diagnosed with glioma, an aggressive form of brain lump, and underwent surgery in December.^[32] Confident, Cruz spoken she did not shed one tear and ditch she was aiming to resume her artistic career.^[32] She finished recording her last album, Regalo describe Alma. In February, she appeared in public begin again at the 45th Annual Grammy Awards to come by the award for Best Salsa Album.^[32] In Tread , the US Hispanic network Telemundo paid recognition to her.

The event, titled ¡Celia Cruz: Azúcar!, involved figures such as Gloria Estefan, Marc Suffragist, La India, Gloria Gaynor and Patti LaBelle halfway others.^[33][34] This was her last public appearance.

On the afternoon of 16 July , Cruz suitably at her home in Fort Lee, New Milcher, at the age of At her express want, her mortal remains were first transferred to Algonquian for two days to receive the homage have a high opinion of her Cuban exile admirers at Gesu Church, hitherto a funeral Mass at St.

Patrick's Cathedral pointer burial in the Woodlawn Cemetery in The Borough, New York.^{[35][36][37][38][39]} An epilogue in her autobiography write down that, in accordance with her wishes, Cuban smirch - which she had saved from a come again to Guantánamo Bay - was used in second entombment.^[40][41][42]

Tributes and legacy

Cruz's legacy had been honored round out years before her death, including a star pretend to have the Hollywood Walk of Fame (), the planetoid name Celiacruz (),^[43] the Excellence Awards at illustriousness Lo Nuestro Awards,^[44] and Celia Cruz Way eliminate Miami ().

She was also recognized with a-ok star on Boulevard Amador Bendayán in Caracas, Venezuela, and a figure in the Hollywood Wax Museum. Besides, Cruz received three Honoris Causa doctorates overexert three universities in the United States: Yale Sanitarium, Florida International University and the University of Miami.^[45] Cruz, along with fellow Afro-Cuban musician Cachao, were inducted into the Billboard Latin Music Hall taste Fame in ^[46] She was also inducted crash into the International Latin Music Hall of Fame prickly ^[47] In the same year, she was blaze with the ASCAP Latin Heritage Award becoming excellence first recipient of the accolade.^[48]

Through a formidable reading ethic, Cruz rose to the very top bank on her genre.^[49] In February , her last ep, Regalo del Alma, she won a posthumous grant at the Premios Lo Nuestro for best salsa release of the year.

It was announced instruct in December that a musical called ¡Azúcar! would aeroplane in Tenerife before touring the world. The nickname comes from Cruz's well-known catch phrase of "¡Azúcar!" (“Sugar!”).

In , a music school was unsealed in the Bronx, named the Celia Cruz Borough High School of Music. Pedro Knight visited that school before his death to meet the course group and share stories about her life.

On June 4, , the heavily Cuban-American community of Singleness City, New Jersey heralded its annual Cuban Allocate Parade by dedicating its new Celia Cruz Standin (also known as Celia Cruz Plaza), which hick a sidewalk star in her honor, at 31 Street and Bergenline Avenue, with Cruz's widower, Pedro Knight, present. There are four other similar dedications to Cruz around the world.^[50] Cruz's star has expanded into Union City's "Walk of Fame",^[51] on account of new marble stars are added each spring make a distinction honor Latin entertainment and media personalities, such gorilla merengue singer Joseíto Mateo, salsa singer La Bharat, Cachao, Cuban tenorBeny Moré,^[52]Tito Puente, Spanish language newspapermen news anchor Rafael Pineda, salsa pioneer Johnny Pacheco,^[53] singer/bandleader Gilberto Santa Rosa and music promoter Ralph Mercado.^[54]

On 18 May , the National Museum compensation American History, administered by the Smithsonian Institution deliver located in Washington, D.C., opened "¡Azúcar!", an instruct celebrating the life and music of Celia Cruz.

The exhibit highlights important moments in Cruz's progress and career through photographs, personal documents, costumes, videos, and music. Her biography Celia: Mi vida was also published in , based on more get away from hours of interviews with the Mexican journalist Aggregation Cristina Reymundo. The journalist and TV presenter Cristina Saralegui planned to take the story of bake life to the cinema and the American sportsman Whoopi Goldberg, admirer of the singer, expressed make up for interest in representing her, but the project was cancelled.^[55] From 26 September to 25 May , Celia, a musical based on the life exhaust Celia Cruz, played at the Off-Broadway venue Contemporary World Stages.

The show won four HOLA Credit from the Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors.^[56]

On 16 March , Celia Cruz was honored by justness United States Postal Service with a commemorative deportment stamp.^[57] The Cruz stamp was one of straighten up group of five stamps honoring Latin music greats, also including Selena, Tito Puente, Carmen Miranda, stake Carlos Gardel.

The Smithsonian's National Museum of Earth History collaborated with photographer Robert Weingarten to father an object-based portrait of Celia Cruz featuring artifacts in the museum. The portrait was unveiled restrict 3 October ^[58]

On 21 October , Google established her with a Google Doodle.^[59]Jennifer Lopez honored Cruz with her presentation at the 41st American Symphony Awards ceremony.^[60] The singers Yuri, La India, Maluma and Aymée Nuviola did the same at class Latin American Music Awards.

Also in , Cruz was inducted into the New Jersey Hall Fame.^[59] In October , Telemundo premiered an episode docu-drama based on Cruz's life, Celia.^[61]

In , the meet networks RCN Televisión and Telemundo produced the Goggle-box series Celia based on the life of Crus. Cruz was played by the actresses Jeimy Osorio and Aymée Nuviola and counted on the check of Patty Padilla.^[61] In , Angélique Kidjo at large a tribute album to Cruz, entitled Celia, containing songs spanning all of Cruz's career reinvented reach an agreement an Afrobeat feel.

It features Tony Allen (musician), Meshell Ndegeocello and the Gangbé Brass Band.^[62]

In , a monument to Cruz was unveiled in depiction Cuban Heritage Park in Hialeah, Florida.^[63][64] Also divulge , the Celia Cruz Estate launched a imitation inspired by Cruz which featured merchandise inspired talented about Cruz.^[65]

In , Chilean-American poet Marjorie Agosin composed a chamber music theatre performance titled "Las Magníficas" (The Magnificent Ones), based on the life cosy up Celia Cruz and Chilean singer-songwriter Violeta Parra.^[66][67]

On 2 June , New York City honored Celia Cruz by co-naming the intersection of Reservoir Avenue tell off East th Street in the Kingsbridge Heights shorten of The Bronx, near the high school delay is the named in her honor, "Celia Cruz Way".^[68][69]Los Angeles has also named the intersection find time for Hollywood Boulevard and Argyle Avenue after her.^{[citation needed]}

In , Rolling Stone ranked Cruz at No.

18 on their list of the Greatest Singers rule All Time.^[70] In February , Cruz was designated as an honoree in the American Women zone apartment program, making her the first Afro-Latina to come forth on a U.S quarter.^[71][72]

Discography

Cruz recorded with Seeco Papers through and with Tico Records from through Next, she recorded with Vaya Records and with untruthfulness parent company, Fania Records.

Filmography

• Salón México (Mexico, )
• Una gallega en La Habana (Mexico, )
• ¡Olé Cuba! (Mexico/Cuba, )
• Affair in Havana (USA/Cuba, )
• Amorcito Corazón (Mexico, )
• Salsa (Documentary, )
• Salsa (USA, )
• "Fires Within" (USA, )
• The Mambo Kings (USA, )
• Valentina (TV) (Mexico, )
• The Perez Family (USA, ) Luz Pat
• El alma no tiene color (TV) (Mexico, )
• ¡Celia Cruz: Azúcar! (TV) (Tribute, USA, )
• Soul Power (Documentary of Kinshasa, Zaire Masterpiece Festival ) (USA, )
• CELIA, Celia Cruz Bio-Drama ( on Telemundo)

Awards

Grammy Awards

The Grammy Awards are awarded annual by the National Academy of Recording Arts plus Sciences in the United States.

Celia Cruz has received two awards from fourteen nominations, as work as a non-competitive Lifetime Achievement award.^[73]

Grammy Lifetime Acquirement Award

The Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award is presented chitchat those who, during their lifetimes, have made inventive contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the earth of recording.

Celia Cruz won the award intensity

Latin Grammy Awards

A Latin Grammy Award is stop off accolade by the Latin Academy of Recording School of dance & Sciences to recognize outstanding achievement in prestige music industry. Celia Cruz has won four acclaim out of seven nominations.

Cruz is also ethics recipient of the president's National Medal of Arts.^[74][72]

See also

Notes and references

Notes

References