Celia Cruz was born Úrsula Hilaria Celia de la Caridad Cruz Alfonso, in 1925 in Havana, Cuba. She was the daughter of Simón Cruz and Catalina Alfonso Ramos, and one of the eldest children in a household of 14 extended family members.
Celia was always interested in music. Her family encouraged her to become a teacher because singing was not considered a respectable career choice. However, when she learned that she could make considerably more money being an entertainer than a teacher, she decided to pursue singing.
In 1950 she landed the job of lead singer of the well-known and highly successful Cuban band, Sonora Matancera. She was the band’s first black frontwoman and would remain so for 15 years. It was here that she met her future husband, trumpeter Pedro Knight.
Fidel Castro seized power in 1959 and nightlife in Cuba all but disappeared. Cruz had not been shy in publicly criticizing Castro and his regime, ultimately at great personal cost. Her mother was ill, and Cruz took a job performing at a club in Mexico City for a few months to pay the medical expenses. She left Cuba on July 15, 1960, without knowing that she would not be able to return for many years.
Shortly after arriving in Mexico, she received news that her father, Simón Cruz, had died. She tried to return to Cuba to visit her mother, who was dying, but her requests were denied by the Cuban government. On April 7, 1962, she received news of the death of her mother, Catalina Alfonso Ramos.
That same year, she married Pedro Knight and settled in New Jersey. In 1965, after fifteen years with Sonora Mantancera, she left the band to go solo. Her husband, Knight, followed Cruz to support her solo career as her manager and musical director.
Celia’s voice was unique and described as operatic, with an incredible ability to move between high and low pitches with ease, even at such a young age. Her music was infectious and joyful. Her costumes were flamboyant, extravagant, sequined, and always full of colour. She wore the highest of heels and the most enormous wigs. Her trademark phrase, “¡Azúcar!”, meaning "Sugar!" came to be her self-described “battle cry”.
In her own words:
Cuando la gente me escucha cantar, quiero que sean felices, felices, felices. No quiero que piensen cuando no hay dinero o cuando hay peleas en casa. Mi mensaje siempre es felicidad, happiness.
(When people hear me sing, I want them to be happy, happy, happy. I don't want them to think about when there's no money or when there are fights at home. My message is always happiness, happiness.)
Cruz was known as La Reina de la Salsa, "The Queen of Salsa". She was equal parts talent and heart. She became an icon not just in the Spanish-speaking world but beyond. She was a trailblazer at a time when many people didn't believe that women could be successful.
Celia Cruz died in 2003 but her music lives on. In her lifetime she accrued many awards and honours, including two Grammys, as well as a Lifetime Achievement Award and four Latin Grammys.
To enjoy some of Cruz’s work jump onto Spotify and have a listen here.
Want to be able to translate more of Celia Cruz's songs? Or perhaps even sing a few yourself? Take a look at our courses here to learn how to understand more of your favourite songs or kickstart that musical career!
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By Estella
May 17, 2023
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