Celia Cruz Essay

The story of the life of Celia Cruz is as unique as its impressive talent. Born in Cuba in 1924, Cruz grew up in a poor neighborhood of Havana. As one of fourteen children in the house, some siblings, other cousins, Cruz stood out among them for their ability to sing. She started entering amateur contests from fourteen. Cruz studied at the National Music Conservatoria Havana with a concentration in voice, piano and music theory. Although her father encouraged her to become a teacher, developing her music career was inevitable natural ability as much as by the almost innate passion she had for music. In 1950, she joined the group La Sonora Matancera as lead singer. From there, she began her rise to fame. Her powerful voice along with the unique …show more content…
Became a US citizen and a year later in 1961, she married Pedro Knight, a trumpeter of the band. This marriage lasted all her life. During the last half of the sixties, Cruz began to expand as a singer, joining masters like Tito Puente, Johnny Pacheco, Willie Colón, Pete Conde Rodriguez, and the Fania All Stars. Her success is known to have attracted worldwide interest in Latin music. Cruz is the singer most associated with the boom of the sauce in the seventies, and thus earned the well-deserved title, "Queen of Salsa." During her career, Cruz created over seventy albums, but her accomplishments go far beyond music. Cruz won three doctorates, one of Yale, Florida International, and the University of Miami. She appeared in films, the most famous being "The Mambo Kings" (1992) and "The Perez Family" (1995). Not only sang salsa music but also hung out with rock bands and formed part of the opera "Tommy" in 1973. The list of awards and honors that Cruz won, and still winning in tribute after her death, is impressive. Some of the most notable awards include five Grammys, two Grammy Latinos, and American prestigious honor of " National Medal of Arts "presented by President Clinton in