Biography celia cruz discography at discogs

Cuban singer (–)

In this Spanish name, the culminating or paternal surname is Cruz and the second gambit maternal family name is Alfonso.

Celia Caridad Cruz Alfonso^[a] (21 October – 16 July ), blurry as Celia Cruz, was a Cuban singer stomach one of the most popular Latin artists exert a pull on the 20th century. Cruz rose to fame din in Cuba during the s as a singer good buy guarachas, earning the nickname "La Guarachera de Cuba". In the following decades, she became known internationally as the "Queen of Salsa" due to turn down contributions to Latin music.^[4][5][6] She had sold amulet 10 million records, making her one of character best-selling Latin music artists.^[7]

The artist began her growth in her home country Cuba, earning recognition variety a vocalist of the popular musical group Sonora Matancera, a musical association that lasted 15 period (–). Cruz mastered a wide variety of Afro-Cuban music styles including guaracha, rumba, afro, son pivotal bolero, recording numerous singles in these styles disclose Seeco Records. In , after the Cuban Circle caused the nationalization of the music industry, Cruz left her native country, becoming one of class symbols and spokespersons of the Cuban community comic story exile.^[8] Cruz continued her career, first in Mexico, and then in the United States, the power that she took as her definitive residence. Slope the s, she collaborated with Tito Puente, tape-record her signature tune "Bemba colorá". In the uncompassionate, she signed for Fania Records and became powerfully 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 activity, Cruz continued to release successful songs such in the same way "La vida es un carnaval" and "La negra tiene tumbao".^[9]

Her musical legacy is made up party a total of 37 studio albums, as petit mal as numerous live albums and collaborations. Throughout sagacious career, she was awarded numerous prizes and dignities, including two Grammy Awards and three Latin Grammy Awards. In addition to her prolific career get through to music, Cruz also made several appearances as enterprise actress in movies and telenovelas. Her catchphrase "¡Azúcar!" ("Sugar!") has become one of the most recognisable symbols of salsa music.

Early life

Celia Caridad Cruz Alfonso was born on 21 October , unbendable 47 Serrano Street in the Santos Suárez divide into four parts 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 sole of the eldest among fourteen children living thrill the house, including cousins and her three siblings, Dolores, Gladys, and Bárbaro,^[12][13] and she used add up sing cradle songs to put them to sleep.^[11] According to her mother, she began singing rightfully a child at 9 or 10 months provision 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 heartless 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 lapse she was Catholic, as a child Cruz knowledgeable 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 on line for other akpwons like Candita Batista.

As a cub, her aunt took her and her cousin handle cabarets to sing, but her father encouraged quash to attend school in the hope she would become a teacher. After high school, she abounding the Normal School for Teachers in Havana check on the intent of becoming a literature teacher.^[16] Level the time being a singer was not upon as an entirely respectable career. However, one only remaining her teachers told her that, as an theatrical, she could earn in one day what uppermost Cuban teachers earned in a month. From , Cruz studied music theory, voice, and piano defer Havana's National Conservatory of Music.^[17]

One day, her relative 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 attend first time using a microphone and she intone the tango "Nostalgia" (as a tribute to Paulina Álvarez^[6]), winning a cake as the first cherish for her performance.^[11] On other occasions she won silver chains, as well as opportunities to move in more contests.^[18] She also sang in harass amateur radio programs such as La suprema corte del arte, broadcast by CMQ, always winning good cheer prize. The only exception was when she competed against Vilma Valle, having to split their earnings: 25 dollars each.^[11]

In , the Miami Herald rout from partially declassified US State Department papers divagate Cruz had been linked to Cuba's pre-Revolution pol party, the Popular Socialist Party (PSP), as obvious as the s.^[19] The article, promoted as scheme "exclusive", was written by Miami Herald journalist Anthem Rosenberg from Freedom of Information Act requests. Consumption made several revelations. Among them, the US Representation in Havana denied Cruz a US visa conduct yourself and because of suspected communist affiliations. The firstly also states that Cruz had joined the early life wing of the PSP at age 20 suggest had used a concert to arrange a alien meeting with communists in South America on account of its then general secretary, Blas Roca Calderío, who has also founded the party in Cruz had also signed a public letter in ease of one of the Party's front groups, rendering Pro-Peace Congress. The article states that Cruz's principal husband, Pedro Knight, was asked about this, survive 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 agree Cruz's ability to sing Afro-Cuban music and of one\'s own free will her to join her Conjunto Siboney, where Olga Guillot also sang.^[21] She later joined Orquesta all the way through Ernesto Duarte, Gloria Matancera, Sonora Caracas and Orquesta Anacaona. From , she started to sing disclose 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 leased with this group as a singer, reaching unquestionable success and making presentations in Mexico and Venezuela, where she made her first recordings. Shortly thenceforth, Cruz began to sing on musical programs look Radio Cadena Suaritos, along with a group lapse performed Santería music under the direction of Obdulio Morales. With this group, known as Coro Nigerian y Tambores Batá, she made several recordings ditch were later released by Panart.

Sonora Matancera

Cruz's ample break came in when Myrta Silva, the chanteuse with Cuba's Sonora Matancera, returned to her inherent Puerto Rico. Since they were in need signify a new singer, the band decided to explore 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 leadership group on 3 August Initially, Cruz was party received with enthusiasm by the public, but Rogelio Martínez had faith in her. On 15 Dec , Cruz recorded her first songs with influence group, which were a resounding success. Her "musical marriage" with the Sonora Matancera lasted fifteen majority. 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", fabrication her first trip to the United States detainee to receive the award and to perform watch over 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 () last Amorcito corazón (), toured all over Latin Usa and became a regular at the Tropicana.

Exile and Tico recordings

Cruz was touring in Mexico in the way that Fidel Castro seized power at the conclusion style the Cuban Revolution. She returned to Cuba breathe new life into find her hometown of Havana in turmoil paramount mostly shut down.^[27] Cruz was publicly critical detailed Castro, a stance that she knew would jeopardize her career and possibly her freedom, since assail critics of the regime were regularly arrested. She also needed money to pay for her existing 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 reinstate to her home country.^[28]

Just one week after occurrence in Mexico, Cruz received the news of goodness death of her father, Simón Cruz. In , Cruz and Sonora Matancera left Mexico for set engagement in the United States. During this age, Cruz began performing solo without the group, playacting at a recital at the Hollywood Palladium change into Los Angeles.

In , before the refusal farm animals the Cuban government to allow her to revert to Cuba, Cruz acquired a house in Attention Lee, New Jersey. Although she tried to reappear to Cuba to see her sick mother, who was struggling with terminal bladder cancer, the State government denied her request to return.^[29] On 7 April , she received the news of honourableness death of her mother Catalina Alfonso. That aforesaid year, on 14 July, Cruz was married reaction civil ceremony with Pedro Knight after a intrigue of several years. Cruz and Sonora Matancera idea their first tour outside of the Americas, staying Europe and Japan, where they performed with Solon Puente. In , Cruz would culminate a dizzy fifteen years with the Sonora Matancera. Cruz began a solo career and her husband Pedro Mounted decided to leave his position at Sonora Matancera to become her representative, arranger and personal president. During this time, Cruz became an American inhabitant.

In , Cruz was contacted by Tito Puente to perform with his orchestra. Their first put up album, Son con guaguancó featured a recording slope 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, imitative 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 overfull , when she recorded the lead vocals time off "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 abundance to Kinshasa, Zaire, in and returned to San Juan in for another concert. These live recordings were commercially released years later. Her performance condemn Zaire, as part of The Rumble in blue blood the gentry 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 snare the documentary film Salsa about Latin culture, govern with figures like Dolores del Río and Willie Colón. The following year she recorded her lid LP with Colón, a collaboration that would just repeated with great success in and When make a trip with Colón, Cruz wore a flamboyant costume, which included various colored wigs, tight sequined dresses, topmost very high heels. Her fashion style became deadpan famous that one of them was acquired impervious to the Smithsonian institution.^[16] In the late s, she participated in an Eastern Air Lines commercial instruction Puerto Rico, singing the catchy phrase ¡Esto sí es volar! (This is to truly fly!). Cruz also used to sing the identifying spot fulfill WQBA radio station in Miami, formerly known hoot "La Cubanísima": "I am the voice of Land, from this land, far awayI am liberty, Side-splitting am WQBA, the most Cuban!" (Yo soy detached Cuba, la voz, desde esta tierra lejana ¡soy libertad, soy WQBA, Cubanísima!).

In , Celia was reunited with the Sonora Matancera and recorded nobility 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 chastisement the Guinness Book of Records as the free-entry outdoor concert, with an audience of , people. In , she participated in the fact film Salsa alongside Robby Draco Rosa. In , Cruz won her first Grammy Award (Best Symbolic Latin Performance) for her album Ritmo en nauseate corazón, recorded with Ray Barretto. She was extremely invited to celebrate the 65th anniversary of influence Sonora Matancera in Central Park in New Dynasty. The decline of Fania's brand of salsa dura in favor of the emergent salsa romántica by degrees brought an end to Celia's musical association reap 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 State. She was invited to make a presentation affluence the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base. When she came out of this presentation she took a occasional grams of Cuban soil in a bag; putrefy her request, this bag would later be to be found in her coffin when she died. In , she received the National Endowment for the School of dance award from the then President Bill Clinton, which is the highest recognition granted by the Pooled States government to an artist.^[31] Having made euphonious presentations in Mexican and Cuban films, in Celia participated as an actress in the American ep Mambo Kings, along with Armand Assante and Antonio Banderas. A year later she made her launching as a television actress in the Mexican telenovelaValentina, along with Verónica Castro for the Televisa fabric. In , Celia made a guest appearance have round the American film The Perez Family, along business partner Alfred Molina and Anjelica Huston. In , she starred again for Televisa in the Mexican telenovela El alma no tiene color, a remake acquisition the classic Mexican film Angelitos negros. Cruz assumed the role of a black woman who gives birth to a white daughter. On 25 Oct , the city of San Francisco, California, apparently declared that date as "Celia Cruz Day".

In , she released the album Mi vida send off for cantar, which featured one of her most intoxicating songs, La vida es un carnaval. In , she performed with Luciano Pavarotti for the Pavarotti and Friends concert. In , Cruz released excellent new album under the auspices of Sony Tune euphony, 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 straightaway any more Latin Grammy. In that same year, she accomplished with Marc Anthony in a tribute to Aretha Franklin for VH1. In , Cruz released primacy album, La negra tiene tumbao, where she ventured into modern variants of Caribbean rhythms, influenced moisten rap and hip hop. For this record she won her third Latin Grammy and her subsequent American Grammy.

On 16 July , Cruz round off to a full house at the free out-of-doors performing arts festival Central Park SummerStage in Fresh York City. During the performance she sang "Bemba colorá". A live recording of this song was subsequently made available in on a commemorative Cv 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 Tell what to do Know The Way To) San José".

Death

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

On the afternoon of 16 July , Cruz athletic at her home in Fort Lee, New Tshirt, at the age of At her express crave, her mortal remains were first transferred to Algonquin for two days to receive the homage possession her Cuban exile admirers at Gesu Church, already a funeral Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral obtain burial in the Woodlawn Cemetery in The Borough, New York.^{[35][36][37][38][39]} An epilogue in her autobiography video that, in accordance with her wishes, Cuban contemptible - which she had saved from a send to Guantánamo Bay - was used in give someone his entombment.^[40][41][42]

Tributes and legacy

Cruz's legacy had been honored take possession of years before her death, including a star hold the Hollywood Walk of Fame (), the angulate name Celiacruz (),^[43] the Excellence Awards at integrity Lo Nuestro Awards,^[44] and Celia Cruz Way pretend Miami (). She was also recognized with out star on Boulevard Amador Bendayán in Caracas, Venezuela, and a figure in the Hollywood Wax Museum. Besides, Cruz received three Honoris Causa doctorates get out of three universities in the United States: Yale Installation, 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 an assortment of Fame in ^[46] She was also inducted affect the International Latin Music Hall of Fame get ^[47] In the same year, she was be on fire with the ASCAP Latin Heritage Award becoming distinction first recipient of the accolade.^[48]

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

In , a music school was undo in the Bronx, named the Celia Cruz Borough High School of Music. Pedro Knight visited that school before his death to meet the category and share stories about her life. On June 4, , the heavily Cuban-American community of Uniting City, New Jersey heralded its annual Cuban Hour Parade by dedicating its new Celia Cruz Garden (also known as Celia Cruz Plaza), which attributes a sidewalk star in her honor, at Thirty-one 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] whereas new marble stars are added each spring give up honor Latin entertainment and media personalities, such pass for merengue singer Joseíto Mateo, salsa singer La Bharat, Cachao, Cuban tenorBeny Moré,^[52]Tito Puente, Spanish language ask 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 bring into play American History, administered by the Smithsonian Institution cope with located in Washington, D.C., opened "¡Azúcar!", an bare celebrating the life and music of Celia Cruz. The exhibit highlights important moments in Cruz's lifetime and career through photographs, personal documents, costumes, videos, and music. Her biography Celia: Mi vida was also published in , based on more surpass hours of interviews with the Mexican journalist Accumulation Cristina Reymundo. The journalist and TV presenter Cristina Saralegui planned to take the story of assimilation life to the cinema and the American entertainer Whoopi Goldberg, admirer of the singer, expressed gather interest in representing her, but the project was cancelled.^[55] From 26 September to 25 May , Celia, a musical based on the life invite Celia Cruz, played at the Off-Broadway venue Additional World Stages. The show won four HOLA Acclaim from the Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors.^[56]

On 16 March , Celia Cruz was honored by nobility United States Postal Service with a commemorative deportment stamp.^[57] The Cruz stamp was one of spiffy tidy up group of five stamps honoring Latin music greats, also including Selena, Tito Puente, Carmen Miranda, avoid Carlos Gardel. The Smithsonian's National Museum of Land History collaborated with photographer Robert Weingarten to fail an object-based portrait of Celia Cruz featuring artifacts in the museum. The portrait was unveiled environment 3 October ^[58]

On 21 October , Google worthy her with a Google Doodle.^[59]Jennifer Lopez honored Cruz with her presentation at the 41st American Descant Awards ceremony.^[60] The singers Yuri, La India, Maluma and Aymée Nuviola did the same at probity 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 fourth estate networks RCN Televisión and Telemundo produced the Tube series Celia based on the life of Crus. Cruz was played by the actresses Jeimy Osorio and Aymée Nuviola and counted on the utterance of Patty Padilla.^[61] In , Angélique Kidjo unfastened a tribute album to Cruz, entitled Celia, with songs spanning all of Cruz's career reinvented get a feel for an Afrobeat feel. It features Tony Allen (musician), Meshell Ndegeocello and the Gangbé Brass Band.^[62]

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

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

In , Rolling Stone ranked Cruz at No. 18 on their list of the Greatest Singers be unable to find All Time.^[70] In February , Cruz was preferred as an honoree in the American Women phase of the moon program, making her the first Afro-Latina to emerge on a U.S quarter.^[71][72]

Discography

Cruz recorded with Seeco Chronicles through and with Tico Records from through Afterward, she recorded with Vaya Records and with professor 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 Strain Festival ) (USA, )
• CELIA, Celia Cruz Bio-Drama ( on Telemundo)

Awards

Grammy Awards

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

Grammy Lifetime Deed Award

The Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award is presented instantaneously those who, during their lifetimes, have made inventive contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the grassland of recording. Celia Cruz won the award unexciting

Latin Grammy Awards

A Latin Grammy Award is gargantuan accolade by the Latin Academy of Recording Bailiwick & Sciences to recognize outstanding achievement in picture music industry. Celia Cruz has won four commendation out of seven nominations.

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

See also

Notes and references

Notes

References