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CELIA CRUZ BIOGRAPHY |
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Cruz was born in the Santo Suarez neighborhood of Havana. Her
parents were Catalina Alfonso (Ollita) and Simón Cruz. When she
was a child, she earned her first pair of shoes by singing to a
couple of tourists. As a teenager, her aunt took her and her
cousin to cabarets to sing, however her father encouraged her to
keep attending school, in hopes that she would become a teacher.
But a teacher told her that as an entertainer Cruz could make in
one day what most teachers make in one year. Cruz began singing
in talent contests, often winning cakes and also opportunities
to participate in more contests. Her first recordings were made
in 1948 in Venezuela with the Turpial label. Curiously, those
recordings were not with the famed Sonora Matanzera band, but
with the Leonard Melody and Alfonso Larrain orchestras. Before
that, Celia had recorded for radio stations, but those
recordings were not distributed commercially. In 1950, she made
her first major breakthrough, after the lead singer of the
famous Cuban band la Sonora Matancera, Myrta Silva, left the
group and returned to Puerto Rico, Cruz was called to fill in.
Hired permanently by the orchestra, 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 fifteen years she was a member, the band travelled all over
Latin America, becoming known as Café Con Leche ("coffee with
milk"). Cruz became known for her shout "¡Azúcar!" ("Sugar!").
In 1960, in the aftermath of the Cuban Revolution, Cruz moved to
the United States. In 1961, she and her orchestra began
performing at the Hollywood Palladium. The following year, she
married her lead trumpeter, Pedro Knight. In 1965, Cruz and her
husband left the orchestra. Her solo career advanced, while
Knight's career languished, and eventually, he became her
manager. She was by then a US citizen and never returned to
Cuba. 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, and later, Cruz joined the
Vaya Records label. There, she joined accomplished pianist Larry
Harlow and was soon headlining a concert at New York's Carnegie
Hall. Her 1974 album, with Johnny Pacheco, Celia y Johnny, went
gold, 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, Celia had the opportunity of visiting
England, France, Zaire, and to return to tour Latin America. In
the late 1970s, she participated in an Eastern Airlines
commercial in Puerto Rico, singing the catchy phrase ¡¡¡Esto
sà es volar!!! (This really is Flying!!!). During the 1980s,
Cruz made frequent tours in Latin America, doing multiple
concert and television shows wherever she went, and singing both
with younger stars and stars of her own era. She began a
crossover of sorts, when she participated in the 1988 Hollywood
production of Salsa, alongside Draco Cornelio Rosa. In 1990
Celia Cruz won a Grammy Award for Best Tropical Latin
Performance - Ray Barretto & Celia Cruz - Ritmo en el Corazon.
In 1991, Cruz sang along with Cuban pop star Martika on the song
"Mi Tierra", about a young Cuban-American woman longing for her
homeland. The song became a crossover hit in over more than ten
countries, winning Cruz a legion of younger fans. She later
recorded an anniversary albums with la Sonora Matancera. In
1992, she participated, along with Armand Asante and Antonio
Banderas in the film The Mambo Kings. In 2001, she recorded a
new album, on which Johnny Pacheco was one of the producers. In
early 2003, she had surgery to correct knee problems that she
had for a few years, and she intended to continue working
indefinitely. However, in July of that year, she died of a
cancerous brain tumor at her home in Fort Lee, New Jersey. After
her death, her body was taken on a tour of US cities with large
Cuban populations so that her many fans could pay their final
respects. She was buried at the Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx.
Mural by Edgardo Davila paying homage to Cruz in Celia Cruz Park
in Union City, New Jersey. In February 2004, her latest album
Regalo del Alma, released after her death, won a posthumous
award at the Premios Lo Nuestro as 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 catchphrase of "¡Azúcar!", meaning
sugar. (2) On June 4, 2003, Union City, New Jersey, which lies
not far from Cruz's Fort Lee home (and which boasts the second-highest
Cuban population after Miami), heralded its annual Cuban Day
Parade by dedicating its new Celia Cruz Park at 31st Street and
Bergenline Avenue, with Cruz's widower, Pedro Knight, present.
The park boasts a sidewalk star in Cruz's honor, and an 8' x 10'
mural by Union City's Edgardo Davila, a collage of Cruz's career
throughout the decades. There are four other similar dedications
to Cruz around the world. |
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