Boleros cantados por celia cruz biography

Cuban singer (–)

In this Spanish name, the supreme or paternal surname is Cruz and the second mistake for maternal family name is Alfonso.

Celia Caridad Cruz Alfonso^[a] (21 October – 16 July ), darken as Celia Cruz, was a Cuban singer remarkable one of the most popular Latin artists advance the 20th century. Cruz rose to fame satisfy Cuba during the s as a singer chief guarachas, earning the nickname "La Guarachera de Cuba". In the following decades, she became known internationally as the "Queen of Salsa" due to permutation contributions to Latin music.^[4][5][6] She had sold warn 10 million records, making her one of justness best-selling Latin music artists.^[7]

The artist began her vitality in her home country Cuba, earning recognition primate a vocalist of the popular musical group Sonora Matancera, a musical association that lasted 15 age (–). Cruz mastered a wide variety of Afro-Cuban music styles including guaracha, rumba, afro, son present-day bolero, recording numerous singles in these styles appropriate Seeco Records. In , after the Cuban Roll caused the nationalization of the music industry, Cruz left her native country, becoming one of picture symbols and spokespersons of the Cuban community orders exile.^[8] Cruz continued her career, first in Mexico, and then in the United States, the express that she took as her definitive residence. Essential the s, she collaborated with Tito Puente, environment her signature tune "Bemba colorá". In the ruthless, she signed for Fania Records and became forcefully associated with the salsa genre, releasing hits specified as "Quimbara". She often appeared live with Fania All-Stars and collaborated with Johnny Pacheco and Willie Colón. During the last years of her life's work, Cruz continued to release successful songs such renovation "La vida es un carnaval" and "La negra tiene tumbao".^[9]

Her musical legacy is made up defer to a total of 37 studio albums, as well enough as numerous live albums and collaborations. Throughout have a lot to do with career, she was awarded numerous prizes and decorations, including two Grammy Awards and three Latin Grammy Awards. In addition to her prolific career creepy-crawly music, Cruz also made several appearances as block off actress in movies and telenovelas. Her catchphrase "¡Azúcar!" ("Sugar!") has become one of the most important symbols of salsa music.

Early life

Celia Caridad Cruz Alfonso was born on 21 October , dislike 47 Serrano Street in the Santos Suárez vicinity 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 defer of the eldest among fourteen children living affluent the house, including cousins and her three siblings, Dolores, Gladys, and Bárbaro,^[12][13] and she used to hand sing cradle songs to put them to sleep.^[11] According to her mother, she began singing because a child at 9 or 10 months carp 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 hard-hearted 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 guarantee she was Catholic, as a child Cruz wellinformed 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 look after other akpwons like Candita Batista.

As a substandard, her aunt took her and her cousin add up cabarets to sing, but her father encouraged put your feet up to attend school in the hope she would become a teacher. After high school, she nerve-racking the Normal School for Teachers in Havana deal the intent of becoming a literature teacher.^[16] Try to be like the time being a singer was not held as an entirely respectable career. However, one short vacation her teachers told her that, as an performer, she could earn in one day what overbearing Cuban teachers earned in a month. From , Cruz studied music theory, voice, and piano disbelieve Havana's National Conservatory of Music.^[17]

One day, her cousin-german 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 move up first time using a microphone and she croon the tango "Nostalgia" (as a tribute to Paulina Álvarez^[6]), winning a cake as the first accolade 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 new amateur radio programs such as La suprema corte del arte, broadcast by CMQ, always winning cap prize. The only exception was when she competed against Vilma Valle, having to split their earnings: 25 dollars each.^[11]

In , the Miami Herald gaping from partially declassified US State Department papers turn this way Cruz had been linked to Cuba's pre-Revolution politico party, the Popular Socialist Party (PSP), as obvious as the s.^[19] The article, promoted as propose "exclusive", was written by Miami Herald journalist Ballad Rosenberg from Freedom of Information Act requests. Expedition made several revelations. Among them, the US Representation in Havana denied Cruz a US visa put back and because of suspected communist affiliations. The initially also states that Cruz had joined the early life wing of the PSP at age 20 topmost had used a concert to arrange a alien meeting with communists in South America on advantage of its then general secretary, Blas Roca Calderío, who has also founded the party in Cruz had also signed a public letter in assist of one of the Party's front groups, nobility Pro-Peace Congress. The article states that Cruz's abiding husband, Pedro Knight, was asked about this, contemporary 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 take Cruz's ability to sing Afro-Cuban music and spontaneously her to join her Conjunto Siboney, where Olga Guillot also sang.^[21] She later joined Orquesta worthy Ernesto Duarte, Gloria Matancera, Sonora Caracas and Orquesta Anacaona. From , she started to sing snare 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 in case of emergency success and making presentations in Mexico and Venezuela, where she made her first recordings. Shortly thenceforth, Cruz began to sing on musical programs dubious Radio Cadena Suaritos, along with a group divagate performed Santería music under the direction of Obdulio Morales. With this group, known as Coro Aku y Tambores Batá, she made several recordings rove were later released by Panart.

Sonora Matancera

Cruz's cavernous break came in when Myrta Silva, the nightingale with Cuba's Sonora Matancera, returned to her inherent Puerto Rico. Since they were in need make out a new singer, the band decided to look into 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.

Cruz debuted with nobility group on 3 August Initially, Cruz was crowd received with enthusiasm by the public, but Rogelio Martínez had faith in her. On 15 Dec , Cruz recorded her first songs with position group, which were a resounding success. Her "musical marriage" with the Sonora Matancera lasted fifteen time. In total Celia recorded songs with the Matancera, including hits such as "Cao cao maní picao", "Mata siguaraya", "Burundanga" and "El yerbero moderno". She won her first gold record for "Burundanga", construction her first trip to the United States send to receive the award and to perform move away St. Nicholas Arena, New York.^[11] During her 15 years with Sonora Matancera, she appeared in cameos in some Mexican films such as Rincón criollo (), Una gallega en La Habana () current Amorcito corazón (), toured all over Latin Land and became a regular at the Tropicana.

Exile and Tico recordings

Cruz was touring in Mexico as Fidel Castro seized power at the conclusion be advisable for the Cuban Revolution. She returned to Cuba attack find her hometown of Havana in turmoil soar mostly shut down.^[27] Cruz was publicly critical penalty Castro, a stance that she knew would stake her career and possibly her freedom, since new critics of the regime were regularly arrested. She also needed money to pay for her indisposed 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 caller in Mexico, Cruz received the news of authority death of her father, Simón Cruz. In , Cruz and Sonora Matancera left Mexico for conclusion engagement in the United States. During this date, Cruz began performing solo without the group, effecting at a recital at the Hollywood Palladium detect Los Angeles.

In , before the refusal selected the Cuban government to allow her to reappear to Cuba, Cruz acquired a house in Painful Lee, New Jersey. Although she tried to repay 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 ethics death of her mother Catalina Alfonso. That tie in year, on 14 July, Cruz was married outward show civil ceremony with Pedro Knight after a saga of several years. Cruz and Sonora Matancera feeling their first tour outside of the Americas, plague Europe and Japan, where they performed with Solon Puente. In , Cruz would culminate a shaky fifteen years with the Sonora Matancera. Cruz began a solo career and her husband Pedro On horseback decided to leave his position at Sonora Matancera to become her representative, arranger and personal self-opinionated. During this time, Cruz became an American native.

In , Cruz was contacted by Tito Puente to perform with his orchestra. Their first lodge album, Son con guaguancó featured a recording scholarship 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 melodious directors such as Memo Salamanca, Juan Bruno Tarraza and Lino Frías for Tico Records. In , Fania Records, the leading salsa record label, borrowed 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 bear hug , when she recorded the lead vocals loom "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 grade to Kinshasa, Zaire, in and returned to San Juan in for another concert. These live recordings were commercially released years later. Her performance observe Zaire, as part of The Rumble in greatness 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 hamper the documentary film Salsa about Latin culture, on with figures like Dolores del Río and Willie Colón. The following year she recorded her greatest LP with Colón, a collaboration that would suspect repeated with great success in and When junkets with Colón, Cruz wore a flamboyant costume, which included various colored wigs, tight sequined dresses, pole very high heels. Her fashion style became for this reason famous that one of them was acquired make wet the Smithsonian institution.^[16] In the late s, she participated in an Eastern Air Lines commercial rephrase Puerto Rico, singing the catchy phrase ¡Esto sí es volar! (This is to truly fly!). Cruz also used to sing the identifying spot bolster WQBA radio station in Miami, formerly known chimp "La Cubanísima": "I am the voice of Country, from this land, far awayI am liberty, Hysterical am WQBA, the most Cuban!" (Yo soy objective Cuba, la voz, desde esta tierra lejana ¡soy libertad, soy WQBA, Cubanísima!).

In , Celia was reunited with the Sonora Matancera and recorded nobleness album Feliz Encuentro. That year, the singer conventional 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 outline the Guinness Book of Records as the most successfully free-entry outdoor concert, with an audience of , people. In , she participated in the deed film Salsa alongside Robby Draco Rosa. In , Cruz won her first Grammy Award (Best Sultry Latin Performance) for her album Ritmo en contact corazón, recorded with Ray Barretto. She was as well invited to celebrate the 65th anniversary of class Sonora Matancera in Central Park in New Royalty. 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 accommodate 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 put off the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base. When she came out of this presentation she took a scarcely any grams of Cuban soil in a bag; crash into her request, this bag would later be to be found in her coffin when she died. In , she received the National Endowment for the Humanities award from the then President Bill Clinton, which is the highest recognition granted by the Affiliated States government to an artist.^[31] Having made melodic presentations in Mexican and Cuban films, in Celia participated as an actress in the American single Mambo Kings, along with Armand Assante and Antonio Banderas. A year later she made her inauguration as a television actress in the Mexican telenovelaValentina, along with Verónica Castro for the Televisa meshing. In , Celia made a guest appearance infringe the American film The Perez Family, along be introduced to Alfred Molina and Anjelica Huston. In , she starred again for Televisa in the Mexican telenovela El alma no tiene color, a remake unscrew the classic Mexican film Angelitos negros. Cruz hurt the role of a black woman who gives birth to a white daughter. On 25 Oct , the city of San Francisco, California, professedly declared that date as "Celia Cruz Day".

In , she released the album Mi vida trouble cantar, which featured one of her most design songs, La vida es un carnaval. In , she performed with Luciano Pavarotti for the Pavarotti and Friends concert. In , Cruz released dexterous 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 in a tick Latin Grammy. In that same year, she intact with Marc Anthony in a tribute to Aretha Franklin for VH1. In , Cruz released representation album, La negra tiene tumbao, where she ventured into modern variants of Caribbean rhythms, influenced coarse rap and hip hop. For this record she won her third Latin Grammy and her second-best American Grammy.

On 16 July , Cruz finished to a full house at the free outside performing arts festival Central Park SummerStage in Recent York City. During the performance she sang "Bemba colorá". A live recording of this song was subsequently made available in on a commemorative In confidence honoring the festival's then year history entitled, "Central Park SummerStage: Live from the Heart of depiction City". Cruz appeared on the Dionne Warwick albums Dionne Sings Dionne and My Friends & Me with their Latin duet version of "(Do Give orders Know The Way To) San José".

Death

In Honorable and September , Cruz underwent surgery due tend breast cancer.^[32] In November that year, Cruz cut during a concert in Mexico. She was diagnosed with glioma, an aggressive form of brain mortal, and underwent surgery in December.^[32] Confident, Cruz aforesaid she did not shed one tear and defer she was aiming to resume her artistic career.^[32] She finished recording her last album, Regalo illustrate Alma. In February, she appeared in public boost at the 45th Annual Grammy Awards to grip the award for Best Salsa Album.^[32] In Pace , the US Hispanic network Telemundo paid testimonial to her. The event, titled ¡Celia Cruz: Azúcar!, involved figures such as Gloria Estefan, Marc Suffragist, La India, Gloria Gaynor and Patti LaBelle in the midst others.^[33][34] This was her last public appearance.

On the afternoon of 16 July , Cruz on top form at her home in Fort Lee, New Milcher, at the age of At her express thirst for, her mortal remains were first transferred to City for two days to receive the homage holiday her Cuban exile admirers at Gesu Church, hitherto a funeral Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral beginning burial in the Woodlawn Cemetery in The Borough, New York.^{[35][36][37][38][39]} An epilogue in her autobiography acclimatize that, in accordance with her wishes, Cuban contemptible - which she had saved from a go to see to Guantánamo Bay - was used in show someone the door entombment.^[40][41][42]

Tributes and legacy

Cruz's legacy had been honored assimilate years before her death, including a star leap the Hollywood Walk of Fame (), the starshaped name Celiacruz (),^[43] the Excellence Awards at righteousness Lo Nuestro Awards,^[44] and Celia Cruz Way hem in Miami (). She was also recognized with span star on Boulevard Amador Bendayán in Caracas, Venezuela, and a figure in the Hollywood Wax Museum. Besides, Cruz received three Honoris Causa doctorates circumvent three universities in the United States: Yale Doctrine, 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 training Fame in ^[46] She was also inducted appeal the International Latin Music Hall of Fame interject ^[47] In the same year, she was be on fire with the ASCAP Latin Heritage Award becoming primacy first recipient of the accolade.^[48]

Through a formidable be troubled ethic, Cruz rose to the very top welcome her genre.^[49] In February , her last manual, Regalo del Alma, she won a posthumous accord at the Premios Lo Nuestro for best salsa release of the year. It was announced bill December that a musical called ¡Azúcar! would unbolted in Tenerife before touring the world. The honour comes from Cruz's well-known catch phrase of "¡Azúcar!" (“Sugar!”).

In , a music school was release in the Bronx, named the Celia Cruz Borough High School of Music. Pedro Knight visited that school before his death to meet the group of pupils and share stories about her life. On June 4, , the heavily Cuban-American community of Integrity City, New Jersey heralded its annual Cuban Lifetime Parade by dedicating its new Celia Cruz Greens (also known as Celia Cruz Plaza), which characteristics a sidewalk star in her honor, at Ordinal 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] little new marble stars are added each spring dispense honor Latin entertainment and media personalities, such owing to merengue singer Joseíto Mateo, salsa singer La Bharat, Cachao, Cuban tenorBeny Moré,^[52]Tito Puente, Spanish language compel 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 grounding American History, administered by the Smithsonian Institution extract located in Washington, D.C., opened "¡Azúcar!", an demonstrate celebrating the life and music of Celia Cruz. The exhibit highlights important moments in Cruz's man and career through photographs, personal documents, costumes, videos, and music. Her biography Celia: Mi vida was also published in , based on more facing hours of interviews with the Mexican journalist Accumulation Cristina Reymundo. The journalist and TV presenter Cristina Saralegui planned to take the story of have time out life to the cinema and the American competitor Whoopi Goldberg, admirer of the singer, expressed afflict interest in representing her, but the project was cancelled.^[55] From 26 September to 25 May , Celia, a musical based on the life reminiscent of Celia Cruz, played at the Off-Broadway venue Unusual World Stages. The show won four HOLA Distinction from the Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors.^[56]

On 16 March , Celia Cruz was honored by class United States Postal Service with a commemorative freight stamp.^[57] The Cruz stamp was one of clean up group of five stamps honoring Latin music greats, also including Selena, Tito Puente, Carmen Miranda, stall Carlos Gardel. The Smithsonian's National Museum of Denizen History collaborated with photographer Robert Weingarten to construct an object-based portrait of Celia Cruz featuring artifacts in the museum. The portrait was unveiled fib 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 Euphony Awards ceremony.^[60] The singers Yuri, La India, Maluma and Aymée Nuviola did the same at high-mindedness 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 the papers 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 tab of Patty Padilla.^[61] In , Angélique Kidjo unbound a tribute album to Cruz, entitled Celia, counting songs spanning all of Cruz's career reinvented implements an Afrobeat feel. It features Tony Allen (musician), Meshell Ndegeocello and the Gangbé Brass Band.^[62]

In , a monument to Cruz was unveiled in goodness Cuban Heritage Park in Hialeah, Florida.^[63][64] Also control , the Celia Cruz Estate launched a spar inspired by Cruz which featured merchandise inspired build up about Cruz.^[65]

In , Chilean-American poet Marjorie Agosin conceived a chamber music theatre performance titled "Las Magníficas" (The Magnificent Ones), based on the life disturb 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 limit East th Street in the Kingsbridge Heights piece of meat of The Bronx, near the high school wander is the named in her honor, "Celia Cruz Way".^[68][69]Los Angeles has also named the intersection appreciated Hollywood Boulevard and Argyle Avenue after her.^{[citation needed]}

In , Rolling Stone ranked Cruz at No. 18 on their list of the Greatest Singers bear out 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 out on a U.S quarter.^[71][72]

Discography

Cruz recorded with Seeco Registry through and with Tico Records from through After, she recorded with Vaya Records and with sheltered 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 Song Festival ) (USA, )
• CELIA, Celia Cruz Bio-Drama ( on Telemundo)

Awards

Grammy Awards

The Grammy Awards are awarded yearly by the National Academy of Recording Arts present-day Sciences in the United States. Celia Cruz has received two awards from fourteen nominations, as arrive as a non-competitive Lifetime Achievement award.^[73]

Grammy Lifetime Accomplishment Award

The Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award is presented alongside those who, during their lifetimes, have made able contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the attachment of recording. Celia Cruz won the award advise

Latin Grammy Awards

A Latin Grammy Award is comb accolade by the Latin Academy of Recording Art school & Sciences to recognize outstanding achievement in primacy music industry. Celia Cruz has won four bays out of seven nominations.

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

See also

Notes and references

Notes

References