Celia Cruz

Background

Úrsula Hilaria Celia de la Caridad Cruz Alfonso de la Santísima Trinidad, more popularly known as Celia Cruz, was born on October 20, 1925, in Havana, Cuba, making her zodiac sign Libra. She was the second of four children, and she was raised in the working-class Santos Suarez area by her mother Catalina Alfonso, a housewife, and her railroad worker father, Simon Cruz. Cruz was singing with the neighborhood band “El Botón de Oro,” or “The Golden Button,” when her cousin entered her in the “Hora del té,” or “The tea hour,” a radio station competition. She had never held a microphone before, but she still won. Then, she was sought ‌by radio stations all across the city to play on weekends.

After high school, her father encouraged her to pursue studies to become a teacher. She moved to the National Conservatory of Music in Havana shortly before receiving her teaching degree from the Normal School for Teachers to pursue her artistic aspirations. When La Sonora Matancera, a renowned Cuban symphonic band, sought a singer in 1950, Cruz was preoccupied with performing as a backup singer in many bands. This turned out to be her big break. As they toured North and Central America, they experienced great success. When Fidel Castro came to power, everything was altered.

Havana’s nightlife came to a complete halt during the Cuban Revolution in 1959. Several band members traveled from Mexico to the United States. She eventually made her home in New Jersey, where she married Pedro Knight, the first trumpet player in the ensemble. In 1961, she got U.S. citizenship. She was banished from Cuba by the anti-American Castro. Knight took on dual roles as her manager and musical director when she quit the band to start a solo career.

In the 1960s and early 1970s, Cruz collaborated on several albums with bandleader Tito Puente. She quickly got involved in the thriving salsa culture in New York, a Hispanic dance genre that originated from musical experimenting to Caribbean sounds. Salsa was spiced up by her original style of improvised rhymed lyrics. Her appeal extended beyond the younger Hispanic generation. She performed in a Latin adaptation of The Who’s rock opera “Tommy” at Carnegie Hall in 1973. Several albums with Johnny Pacheco and Willie Colón were produced as part of additional collaborations. She continued to perform for as long as she could until passing away in 2003, one year after receiving a brain tumor diagnosis.