![]() Celia was on top of the Latin World and she became Cuba’s biggest star. Celia became her replacement and through her talent she took the band to new heights.Ĭelia and La Sonora traveled all over Latin America, from Mexico to Colombia to the Dominican Republic to Venezuela. Myrta Silva, the band’s previous lead singer before Celia, decided to retire due to her pregnancy and go back to Puerto Rico. In 1950, when she was 25 years old, after participating in many radio contests, Celia achieved her dream which was the first of many as she became a part of La Sonora. The support of her mother Catalina Alfonso along with her aunts played a critical role in Celia and her destiny. Celia refused to listen and participated in radio contests on Havana’s radio stations to get her name and talent before the public. He wanted Celia to be a teacher and follow his dictates. Her father, Simon Cruz, did not appreciate her talent and had other plans for her. Show business was not seen as a suitable career for a single, respectable woman of that time and the idea of her being a performer was not acceptable to her father. La Sonora was so big they were like the Earth, Wind, and Fire of Cuba. As she was developing her talent, Celia wanted to become a singer with Cuba’s most famous band, La Sonora Matancera. She would go on to study at the National Conservatory of Music. However, her natural talent could not be ignored. Although a Roman Catholic, she was exposed to and learned the musical traditions of Santeria, which is the religion that comes from the Yoruba of Africa.Ĭelia attended the Normal School for Teachers in Havana hoping to become a teacher. The music of Cuba is a vital mixture of both the European and the African, in short, a coming together of the Spanish guitar and African drum. It was unique and stirring.Īll her life, Celia absorbed and experienced the incredible musical culture that was all around her. Yet, most of these criticisms ceased when the audience heard her voice. She often felt the sting of racism and sexism as she was told she was not attractive enough or fair enough to be a star. Celia’s path to stardom was not an easy one. ![]() She was born to Simon Cruz and Catalina Alfonso. This is Celia Cruz´s Story and how she achieved this legacy.Ĭruz was born Ursula Hilaria Celia Caridad Cruz Alfonso on Octoin the neighborhood of Santos Suárez in Cuba’s capital city, Havana. A genuine hero who through the power of her voice was the sound of Latin Music, battled prejudice, and who spoke out against Communism in Cuba. This is the story of someone who was more than a singer and role model. She was more than an entertainer she was a symbol of hope and of freedom. There’s something about that man that I don’t like.Jmarked the fifteen-year anniversary of the death of Cuba’s greatest singer and the undisputed Queen of Latin Music, Celia Cruz. They asked her if she wasn’t going to greet him as well, and she said: “No. When he arrived, everybody got on their feet and went to say hello, but she stayed behind, next to the pianist. Celia was singing at the piano, and Castro was already well-known. ![]() One time was at the home of the editor of Bohemia magazine. Remember, Celia was Cuba’s most famous artist it would have been very important for the government to have her on their side.Ĭelia actually met Castro on two occasions. I’ve always thought that if they had allowed Celia to bury her mother, the story of Celia and Cuba would have been very different. That’s when she said, “If I can’t return to bury my mother, I’ll never return.” Then in 1962, Celia’s mom died, and when Celia requested permission to go bury her, the Cuban embassy denied her the visa. She was going to tour with La Sonora Matancera in Mexico, and Rogelio Martinez, the director of the band, said, “I don’t think we’re coming back.” At the time, of course, everyone thought the Castro regime wouldn’t last. When she sang it in the studio, it was the fist time I ever saw Celia cry at a recording she realized she truly was never going back.Ĭelia left Cuba on July 15, 1960. Angie Chirino, Willy Chirino’s daughter, wrote a song for her called “Por si acaso no regreso” (In Case I Don’t Return). Back in 2000, when Celia was 74, she was already sick when she recorded the album Siempre Viviré. ![]()
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