When someone says “salsa singer,” one of the first names that springs to mind is “La Reyna,” or the Queen of Salsa, Celia Cruz. A prolific and flamboyant salsa singer, Celia Cruz’s voice was uniquely her own. She was an authentic human being, an artist without boundaries, and although forced to leave her cherished homeland, what she found in the end was a beloved humanity in her citizenship of the world.

Úrsula Hilaria Celia Caridad Cruz Alfonso was the only daughter of four children born to Catalina “Ollita” Alfonso and Simón Cruz. She was born in a little house located at 47 Serrano Street in the poorer section of a working class neighborhood in Havana, Cuba called Santos Suárez. She never revealed the actual year she was born. Even after she died, there remained confusion as to her birth date and year.

Celia’s aunt, Ana Alfonso, or “Tía Ana” and her mother shared a deep bond. At the time that Celia’s mother was pregnant with her, Ana’s newborn daughter had just died. The death had so frightened her that she never had any other children. Despite her inconsolable grief, Ana took heart at the words Celia’s mother spoke to her at that time: “Ana, when a child dies at birth, or if it’s born dead, that means that its soul will return. You have to leave a mark on the child to recognize it when it’s reborn, to make sure that she’s returned.” Celia later said she didn’t realize how much to heart her aunt took those words. As soon as her mother spoke those words, her aunt got up from the mourners and went over to her dead baby and grasped her pinkie fingers, pulling them back toward her thumbs until they broke. Celia’s mother was so shocked by this display that she said she the instant she heard that sound, she felt Celia move inside her.

Several months later at their house in Havana, Celia’s mother said that a strong breeze had begun to blow and just when she about to go into the house to retrieve a shawl, she heard a voice whisper her name in her ear. From that moment on, her mother knew that she was carrying a baby girl and that her name would be Celia.

Celia enjoyed a happy childhood with her cousins and friends in Havana. When she was a teenager, they would attend dances at a neighborhood social club in Santos Suaréz. She spent most of her time learning and singing the songs that were then in style. She began entering local competitions and in 1947, her cousin signed her up for an amateur radio show called La Hora del Té (Tea Time). She won that contest and was invited to return the next month. She continued her studies at the Teachers College and graduated in 1949. Upon graduation, one of her professors encouraged her to continue signing with her obviously gifted voice. Celia continued to study music at Havana’s National Conservatory of Music until 1950.

One of her earliest influences was singer Paulina Alvarez, the first singer she had seen perform with an orchestra. Celia’s break came when she was chosen to replace the lead singer for the popular Cuban band, La Sonora Matancera. The current singer, Puerto Rican soloist Myrta Silva, had a successful career in Cuba, but had decided to leave the group and return to Puerto Rico. She wished to build an enormous new home in her native country with the money she had earned, therefore leaving the singer’s spot open. She auditioned for the spot at the Radio Progreso studios (on which occasion that she first saw her future husband, Pedro Knight) and she was later announced to be the replacement to Myrta Silva.

With this group she recorded a number of legendary Afrocuban songs, including, “Burundanga,” “Caramelo,” and “Yerbero Moderno.” She toured with this band throughout Latin America and Mexico for the next fifteen years.

Last Look at the Cuban Sky

When Fidel Castro came to power after the Cuban Revolution in 1960, Cruz left Cuba on July 15, 1960. Celia described her last day in Cuba: She said her goodbyes to her mother, promising to come see her at Christmas. Tía Ana gave her blessing and told her not to worry about her sick mother; she would care for her and follow Celia’s instructions for her care. There was a process to get through customs at the airport, their luggage was placed on the plane. “Although at that moment I didn’t know it, it would be the last time I’d feel the Cuban sun as it shone in that beautiful sky.” She and the rest of the Sonora Matancera band, along with its director, Rogelio Martínez, boarded the plane. Once they were safely out of Cuban airspace, Rogelio announced to the rest of them that it was a one-way trip. The following year, she became a U.S. citizen.

She formally met trumpet player Pedro Knight in 1961. Celia would later marry Pedro, a marriage that would last 42 years.

Celia teamed up with Tito Puente’s Orchesta in 1966 and recorded a total of eight albums with him on the Tico label. Tito Puente had expanded on the mambo style of Perez Prado and enjoyed great success with Celia’s lusty interpretation of salsa. These two stars were so popular that Tito Puente was considered “El Rey” or the King of Salsa and Celia Cruz was “La Reyna” or the Queen. Some opposed the term “salsa” from the beginning. Celia said that Tito Puente, who had done so much to maintain the vitality of Cuban music in the 60s didn’t care for the term, “What’s ‘salsa’? You eat salsa, you don’t dance to it.” Yet the term remained and has become part of the musical lexicon.

Azucar!

Celia became associated with using the word “Azúcar!” (sugar) in the early 70s. The story is that after she had finished dining in a Miami restaurant, the waiter inquired if she wanted sugar with her coffee. Stunned, she turned to her friends and said, “Could you imagine that? Cuban coffee without sugar?” She explained to the waiter, “Look, chico, you’re Cuban, and you know Cuban coffee is really strong and bitter. So give it to me with azuúúúcar!” That night, when performing at the Montmarte, she relayed this story to the audience and everyone burst out in laughter. Audiences then clamored to hear this story over and over and finally, she would just yell out, “Azúcar!” bringing the audience to their feet!

Celia was unafraid to try new things and showed no signs of slowing down as she grew older. In 1973, she sang at Carnegie Hall in the role of Gracia Divina in Larry Harlow’s “Hommy,” a Latin adaption of the rock opera, “Tommy” by the Who.

In the mid to late 70s salsa experienced a resurgence in the United States with groups like the Fania All Stars bursting onto the music scene. Artists included Willie Colón, Johnny Pacheco, Hector Lavoe, Ruben Blades, Bobby Cruz, Ricardo Ray, Larry Harlow, Ray Barretto, Cheo Feliciano, Bobby Valentin, and many, many more. It was during this period that Celia embarked on a worldwide tour with the Fania All-Stars to such cities as London, England, Zaire, Africa, and Cannes, France.

In the 1980s, she appeared in the movie, The Mambo Kings, a movie adaption of Oscar Hijuelos’ book. She also appeared in the movie “The Perez Family.” Over her lifetime, she appeared in 10 movies.

Celia Cruz has also been recognized throughout the world for her work. Some honors include an honorary doctorate from YaleUniversity, a star on Hollywood Boulevard (California), National Endowment for the Arts Medal (1994); a total of five (5) Grammy Awards including two (2) Best Tropical Latin Album (1989) and (2000); as well as numerous Grammy nominations over the years. She is included in Walks of Fame in Mexico, Costa Rica, and Venezuela, and in 1990, Miami named Calle Ocho “Celia Cruz Way,” also awarding her a star on that same boulevard in 1991. The Smithsonian Institution awarded her their Lifetime Achievement Award; the Republic of Columbia bestowed their Presidential Medal of Arts upon her; she has received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Hispanic Heritage Awards and the City of San Francisco declared October 25, 1997 Celia Cruz Day.

In 2002, the Celia Cruz Foundation was created with the mission of providing financial aid to low-income students who have a desire to study music as well as aid cancer victims. In March 2003, Telemundo presented a tribute to Celia with all funds generated by the broadcast donated to the Foundation.

Celia fought breast cancer for several years. In July 2003, she underwent surgery for brain cancer and died at her home in Fort Lee, New Jersey on July 16th. She was “believed” to be around 78 years old. Thousands of fans had waited to pay their respects to Celia as she lay in a plush coffin, dressed in her usual performing attire: sparkling, extravagant colors. Funeral directors said the crowds exceeded those who had paid their last respects there for Judy Garland, Ed Sullivan, and Billy Martin. Her life was celebrated in a funeral held on Tuesday, July 22, 2003 in New York City. A wake was held the previous weekend in Miami with over 100,000 fans paying their respects to their "Cuban Nightingale" as Walter Winchell had referred to her. Her album “Dios Disfrute a la Reina” was released after her death.

Cuba, the land that Celia had loved with all her heart and soul and longed to one day return, had basically ignored her death. Any mention of her had been erased from Cuban history years earlier. However, within hours of her death, "Azucar!" grafitti began appearing throughout the island. The regime's response was a "obituary" in the official Communist paper, Granma, which stated, "Celia Cruz, a counterrevolutionary icon had died in New York." There was no other mention of her death. However, the more the regime ordered the grafitti removed, more appeared in its place. Celia's family in Cuba held several wakes for her and numerous requiem masses were said in her memory, including her beloved Miraculous Medal Parish in her old neighborhood.

“Don’t ever forget that promoters don't pay your salaries; the fans do. Record labels don’t pay you either. It’s all thanks to the fans, because if they don’t buy our records or come to our shows, we as entertainers have no one else to turn to. Fans lend fame and fortune to the entertainer. The secret lies in the way you treat your audience. You have to promise to give them the best of your God-given talent. And that’s why I always say that if you can’t conduct yourself that way, you should look for another career path, since the career of an entertainer is not for you.”

When I think of Celia Cruz, I think of that wonderful voice, her beautiful, over-the-top dresses, and intriguing hairstyles. She truly was a queen. Her music will live forever in our hearts and minds as long as someone is listening, as long as someone is dancing, Celia still lives.