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Celia Cruz ( October 21 1925 – July 16 2003 ) was a three-time Grammy Award and four-time Latin Grammy winning Afro-Cuban - American Salsa singer who spent most of her career living in New Jersey , and working in the United States and several Latin American countries. Cruz was one of the most successful Cuban performers of the 20th century, with twenty-three gold albums to her name and has earned the moniker "La guarachera de Cuba". Leila Cobo of '' Billboard Magazine '' once said "Cruz is indisputably the best-known and most influential female figure in the history of Afro-Cuban Music ." Celia once said in an interview "If I had a chance I wouldn't have been singing and dancing, I would be a teacher just like my dad wanted me to be".'' EARLY LIFE AND CAREER Celia Cruz was born Úrsula Hilaria Celia Caridad Cruz Alfonso in the Santos Suárez neighborhood of Havana, Cuba . Her parents were Catalina Alfonso and Simón Cruz. When she was a teenager, her aunt took her and her cousin to Cabaret s to sing, but her father encouraged her to keep attending school, in hopes that she would become a Spanish Language teacher. However, one of her teachers told her that as an entertainer she could earn in one day what most Cuban teachers earned in a month. Cruz began singing in talent contests (in her first one, at the Havana radio station Radio Garcia-Serra's popular "Hora del Te" daily broadcast, she sang the tango "Nostalgias", and won a cake as first place) often winning cakes and also opportunities to participate in more contests. Her first recordings were made in 1948 in Venezuela. Before that, Celia had recorded for radio stations. In 1950, she made her first major breakthrough, after the lead singer of the !") CAREER IN THE UNITED STATES In 1960, in the aftermath of the Cuban Revolution , Cruz moved to the United States. In 1961 , she and her orchestra began performing at the '' Palladium Ballroom '' in New York City . The next year, she married her lead trumpeter, Pedro Knight . In 1965, Cruz and her husband left the orchestra. Her solo career advanced, while Knight's career languished, and eventually, he became her manager. She was by then a US citizen and was never given permission to return to Cuba (she did play at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base once). In 1966, Cruz and Tito Puente began an association that would lead to eight albums for Tico Records. The albums were not as successful as expected, however, and Cruz later joined the Vaya Records label. There, she joined accomplished pianist Larry Harlow and was soon headlining a concert at New York 's Carnegie Hall . Her 1974 album, with Johnny Pacheco , ''Celia y Johnny'', was very successful, and Cruz soon found herself in a group named the Fania All Stars , which was an ensemble of salsa musicians from every orchestra signed by the Fania label (owner of Vaya Records). With the Fania All Stars, Celia had the opportunity of visiting England , France , Zaire , and to return to tour Latin America. In the late 1970s, she participated in an Eastern Air Lines commercial in Puerto Rico, singing the catchy phrase ''¡Esto sí es volar!'' (''This really is flying!!!''). (1970s)]] During the 1980s, Cruz made many tours in Latin America and Europe, doing multiple concerts and Television shows wherever she went, and singing both with younger stars and stars of her own era. She began a Crossover of sorts, when she participated in the 1988 Hollywood production of ''Salsa'', alongside Draco Cornelio Rosa . In 1990, Cruz won a Grammy Award for Best Tropical Latin Performance - Ray Barretto & Celia Cruz - ''Ritmo en el Corazon''. She later recorded an anniversary album with la Sonora Matancera . In 1992, she starred with Armand Assante and Antonio Banderas in the film '' The Mambo Kings ''. In 1994, President Bill Clinton awarded Cruz the National Medal Of Arts . In 2001, she recorded a new album, on which Johnny Pacheco was one of the producers. In early 2003, she had surgery to correct knee problems that she had for a few years, and she intended to continue working indefinitely. However, in July of that year, she died of a Cancer ous Brain Tumor at her home in Fort Lee, New Jersey . She was survived by her husband; they had no children. After her death in New Jersey, her body was taken to Miami to Lay In State in Downtown Miami 's Freedom Tower , so her South Florida fans could pay their final respects. Her body was returned to New York City where tens of thousands fans paid tribute to her at the Funeral Home. A service was held for her in St. Patrick's Cathedral on Fifth Avenue. She was buried at the Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx ; an epilogue in her autobiography notes that, in accordance with her wishes, Cuban Soil that she had saved from a visit to Guantánamo Bay was used in her burial. POSTHUMOUS CAREER ACHIEVEMENTS AND TRIBUTES In February 2004, her latest album Regalo Del Alma , won a posthumous award at the Premios Lo Nuestro for best Salsa release of the year. It was announced in December 2005 that a musical called "Assuca" would open in Tenerife before touring the world. The name comes from Cruz's well-known catch phrase of "¡Azúcar!". On '', May 30 2004 Stars were later added to the park in honor of Tito Puente , Spanish language Television News anchor Rafael Pineda , salsa pioneer Johnny Pacheco , and Benny More . The park was again refurbished by the Latin American Kiwanis Club in early June 2006. The mural was replaced with a Backlit photograph of Cruz, and four more stars were added in honor of Merengue singer Joseíto Mateo , salsa singer La India , Cuban musician Israel "Cachao" Lopez , and Cuban Tenor Beny Moré . Shortly after her death, the Bronx High School of Music was renamed the Celia Cruz Bronx High School Of Music just weeks before its September 2003 opening On May 18 2005 , the National Museum Of American History , administered by the Smithsonian Institution and located in Washington, D.C. , opened ''"¡Azúcar!"'', an exhibit celebrating the life and music of Celia Cruz. The exhibit highlights important moments in Cruz's life and career through photographs, personal documents, costumes, videos, and music. ''Oye, Celia!: A Song for Celia Cruz'' is a children's picture book tribute to Cruz, written by Katie Sciurba and illustrated by Edel Rodriguez. This book, published by Henry Holt & Company, was released in the United States on March 29, 2007. ''Celia'', a musical based on her life and starring Xiomara Laugart , is scheduled to open Off-Broadway at New World Stages on September 12, 2007. The musical is particularly notable in that it will be performed bi-lingually, with two performances a week in English, and six in Spanish. DISCOGRAPHY by James De La Vega ]]
GRAMMY AND LATIN GRAMMY WINS SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS
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