#CRUZ CELIA PROFESSIONAL#

#CRUZ CELIA PROFESSIONAL#

Their professional partnership lasted until 1973. In 1961, she and her husband moved to New York City, New York where they joined other Cubans, Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, and Spanish-speaking North Americans to create the sound that became known as “Salsa.” This music came to exemplify the Latino counterculture of the 1970s.Ĭruz left Sonora Matancera permanently in 1965 and began a musical relationship with the famous orchestra leader, Tito Puente. Her stay contributed to her growing international reputation. During her time in Mexico, Cruz made several appearances on Mexican television and films.

They rejoined Sonora Matancera, which worked in Mexico City for the next year. When Fidel Castro came to power in Cuba in 1959, Cruz and her husband, alongside many other musicians, left the country. She performed in a variety of musicals, which allowed her to launch her career as a solo entertainer. It was here that Cruz showcased her talent.

The Tropicana, a world-famous Havana nightclub, epitomized the spectacle and glamour of Cuban musical cabaret. She became famous throughout Cuba for her trademark battle cry, “Azucar!” or “Sugar!” With this single shout she began most of her performances, allowing her to link her music to the history of the Cuban sugar economy, the violence of slavery, and the vibrant cultural diversity that resulted.īy the 1950s, Cuban music had become popular worldwide but especially in the U.S. There, she met her husband, fellow musician Pedro Knight, whom she married in 1962. She began singing professionally on Radio Garcia-Serra’s popular daily radio broadcast, a major avenue for promoting new talent.Ĭruz’s first musical breakthrough happened in 1950, when she became the lead singer of the Cuban orchestra, Sonora Matancera. Growing up in the eclectic and visionary music climate of 1930s Cuba, Cruz was exposed to a variety of musical genres. Her father, Simon Cruz, was a railroad stoker, and her mother, Catalina Alfonza, cared for their extended family of 14. Cruz was born “Ursula Hilaria Celia Caridad Cruz Alfonso” to working-class parents in Havana, Cuba. Celia Cruz, the “Queen of Salsa,” was one of the most notable 20th Century ambassadors of Cuban culture.

Cruz celia