Celia Cruz

After the Cuban Revolution when Fidel Castro assumed power, he prohibited the members ‘Sonora Matancera’ from returning to their homeland. The band at that time was touring Mexico. The members, including Celia Cruz decided to settle in the United States. She tried to return to Cuba in 1962 when her mother died but was denied government permission.

She married Sonora's trumpet player, Pedro Knight on 14 July 1962. Knight later became her manager and music director. The couple did not have any children.

At the age of 77, on 16 July 2003 she died of brain cancer at her home in New Jersey. After her death, her body laid in state in Miami's Freedom Tower where thousands of fans paid their last respects.

Celia Cruz was born on 21 October 1925, in Santos Suárez, Havana, Cuba. She was the second of four children, born to Simon Cruz, a railroad stoker, and Catalina Alfonso, a homemaker.

She was drawn to music from an early age. Growing up in an extended family and being one of the eldest among fourteen children, she often put her younger siblings to sleep by singing.

In her growing years, she was deeply influenced by Cuba's varied musical environment and musicians, such as Fernando Collazo, Abelardo Barroso, Pablo Quevedo and Arsenio Rodríguez.

Much against her father's wish, she learned santería songs from her neighbour and began singing in school productions and community gatherings.

As a teenager, she began frequenting nightclubs with her aunt, to sing. However, her father continued to encourage her for a career in teaching. After high school, she attended the Normal School for Teachers in Havana in order to become a literature teacher.

After winning various singing contests on radio stations, Celia Cruz’s first recordings were made in Venezuela in 1948. Soon after, her first big break happened in 1950 when she replaced Myrta Silva as a singer in Cuban band ‘La Sonora Matancera’.

She helped push the band and Latin music to new heights and won the support of band leader, Rogelio Martinez. She recorded hits like ‘Yembe Laroco’ and ‘Caramelo’.

Celia Cruz stayed with the band for 15 years while also making guest appearances in Mexican films, such as ‘Rincón Criollo’ (1950), ‘Una gallega en La Habana’ (1955) and ‘Amorcito Corazón’ (1961). She also toured extensively across Latin and North America, performing with the band.

In 1961, she became an U.S. citizen after being banished by Fidel Castro. Eventually, she left the band ‘Sonora Matancera’ in 1965 and launched her solo career with Tito Puente. Although they released eight albums together, the musical collaboration failed to achieve success.

The duo later joined Vaya Records, the sister label of Fania. Her 1974 album, ‘Celia y Johnny’ with Johnny Pacheco was quite successful. The song ‘Quimbera’ from the album became one of her signature songs.

Celia Cruz’s live album, ‘Celia Cruz and Friends: A Night of Salsa’ was recorded in 1999 during a concert. Some of the participants of the concert were Tito Puente, Johnny Pacheco, La India, et al. The album reached # 12 on the Billboard Tropical Albums chart and received a Latin Grammy Award for Best Salsa Album.

Her album, ‘La Negra Tiene Tumbao’ (2001) was a musical teamwork with Mikey Perfecto and Johnny Pacheco. It released at number five on the Billboard Latin Albums chart and number two on the Billboard Tropical Albums chart. The album won Best Salsa Album at the Latin Grammy Awards.

Her final studio album, ‘Regalo del Alma’ released posthumously in July 2003. The album produced two singles, ‘Rie y Llora’ and ‘Ella Tiene Fuego’ which became extremely popular and peaked at number one on both the Billboard Latin Albums and Billboard Tropical Albums charts. It received the Latin Grammy Award for Best Salsa Album and the Grammy Award for Best Salsa/Merengue Album.