She re-created herself for a younger generation of Hispanics by singing in the Latin opera Hommy (1973 a version of the Who’s rock opera Tommy) in New York’s Carnegie Hall and by recording updated Latin classics for Johnny Pacheco’s Vaya record label. Success came after Cruz became identified with salsa, a Hispanic dance music that evolved from musical experimentation with Caribbean sounds. Despite recording several albums with bandleader Tito Puente, however, Cruz was slow to find a wide audience in the United States during the 1960s and early ’70s. In 1962 she married the orchestra’s first trumpet player, Pedro Knight, who became her musical director and manager three years later, after she had left the group and become a solo artist. Along with the other members of La Sonora Matancera, Cruz left Cuba for Mexico and then the United States, eventually settling in New Jersey. In addition, Cruz headlined Havana’s Tropicana nightclub in the 1950s.Īfter the Cuban Revolution of 1959, Havana’s nightlife all but disappeared. She also recorded with La Sonora Matancera, and beginning with Canta Celia Cruz (1956 “Celia Cruz Sings”), her songs with the group were compiled as full-length albums. Cruz sang regularly with the ensemble on radio and television, toured extensively, and appeared with it in five films produced in Mexico. She was the ensemble’s first Black front person since its founding about 25 years earlier. Her musical breakthrough came in 1950 when she replaced lead singer Myrta Silva of the popular orchestra La Sonora Matancera. After winning a talent show, however, in which she interpreted the tango piece “Nostalgia” in a bolero tempo, Cruz interrupted her studies to pursue a singing career. After high school she attended the Normal School for Teachers in Havana, intending to become a literature teacher. After winning a talent show, however, Cruz interrupted her studies to pursue a singing career.Ĭelia Cruz, in full Úrsula Hilaria Celia Caridad Cruz Alfonso, (born October 21, 1925, Havana, Cuba-died July 16, 2003, Fort Lee, New Jersey, U.S.), Cuban American singer who reigned for decades as the “Queen of Salsa Music,” electrifying audiences with her wide-ranging soulful voice and rhythmically compelling style.Ĭruz grew up in Santos Suárez, a district of Havana, in an extended family of 14. After high school she attended the Normal School for Teachers in Havana, intending to become a literature teacher.
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