12/6/2023 0 Comments Celia cubaIn 1994, Celia was inducted into Billboards Latin Music Hall of Fame with fellow Cuban musician Cachao Lopez. A street in Miami was renamed in her honor. Celia received honorary doctorates from Yale University and the University of Miami. She also appeared in several Hollywood movies, including the popular 1992 film “The Mambo Kings.” She earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and was awarded the American National Medal of the Arts by President Bill Clinton. In 1976, she participated in the documentary film “Salsa” with costars Dolores del Rio and Willie Colon (with whom she made three albums in 1977, 19). She performed with a wide range of celebrities, including Gloria Estefan, Dionne Warwick, Ismael Rivera and Wyclef Jean. Over the course of an amazing career, Celia recorded more than 80 albums and songs, earned 23 Gold Records, and won five Grammy Awards. The bout was pushed back six weeks, but the Show went on – and was brilliantly documented in the powerful film, “Soul Power.” Celia Cruz Just before the concert was scheduled to begin, Foreman injured his eye. The performance was supposed to precede the famous boxing match “Rumble in the Jungle” between George Foreman and Muhammed Ali. The concert was part of a three day festival, “Zaire ’74,” the brainchild of South African trumpeter High Masekela. King, James Brown, The Spinners, Bill Withers and Miriam Makeba that performed in Kinshasa, Zaire alongside top local groups. In 1974, Celia was one of a group of artists including B.B. Celia Cruz – Fania All-Stars – 1980 CELIA’S FAME CIRCLES THE GLOBEĭuring Celia’s star-studded 60 years as a performer, she collaborated and performed with many musical legends around the world.Ĭelia was a true pioneer of AfroLatinidad, focusing on the African elements of her identity (music, lyrics and dress) at a time when it was not popular to do so. She would go on to perform with the Willie Colon Orchestra and the Sonora Poncena, with Pete “El Conde” Rodriguez. Celia was the only woman in the Fania All Stars, and one of the few women to succeed in the male-dominated salsa world. One of the album’s tracks, “ Quimbera” became a signature song for her. In 1974, Celia joined the label and recorded “ Celia y Johnny” with Johnny Pacheco. The group was central to the new sound developing in the 1960s and ‘70s – music born of Cuban and Afro-Latin mixed musical tradition – which came to be known as “Salsa.” A new record label, “Fania,” was launched, devoted solely to the genre. Her flamboyant attire and magnetic personality meteorically expanded the group’s fan base. Pedro Knight and Celia CruzĬelia joined the Tito Puente Orchestra in the mid–1960’s. In fact, Celia never returned to her homeland. Fidel Castro was so enraged by Cruz’s defection, he barred her from returning to Cuba. In 1961, she moved to the U.S., and married Pedro Knight, her longtime friend and trumpet player. Las Mulatas del Fuego CELIA IN NEW YORKĪs the Cuban Revolution raged in 1960, Celia (touring in concert in Mexico at the time), made the decision not to return to the island. Over the next years with the orchestra, her star continued to rise. In 1950, she became the lead female singer for La Sonora Matancera, Cuba’s most popular orchestra. She was hired as the singer for Las Mulatas Del Fuego, a dance group that traveled throughout Latin America. In the late 1940’s, she competed on an amateur radio show contest called “The Tea Hour.” As a result of her growing radio fame, she came to the attention of influential producers and musicians. Although her father wanted her to become a teacher, she followed her heart and chose music instead, studying voice, theory and piano at Havana’s National Conservatory of Music. Her career began in earnest as a teenager, when her aunt and cousin took her to cabarets to perform. In addition to singing her siblings to sleep, Celia sang in school productions and community gatherings. Legend has it that her first pair of shoes was actually a gift from a tourist for whom she sang. First CommunionĬelia was drawn to music from an early age. In a career that spanned six decades, Celia became the “Queen of Salsa,” and was central to the genre’s rising popularity. Celia de la Caridad Cruz Alfonso – Celia Cruz – was born in 1925 in Barrio Santos Suarez in Havana, one of 4 children.
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