The Late Celia Cruz in Africa-Quimbara (1378 hits)
October 21 Celia Cruz *Celia Cruz was born on this date in 1924. She was an Afro-Cuban entertainer. She was one of fourteen children, born in the small village of Barrio Santra Suarez, Havana, Cuba. Cruz was drawn to music from an early age. Her first pair of shoes was a gift from a tourist for whom she sang. A young Cruz sang her younger siblings to sleep, in school productions and community get-togethers. Soon she was taken to cabarets and nightclubs by an aunt and was introduced to the world of professional music.
Her first break came when she was invited to join the band La Sonora Matancera in 1950. Cruz remained with the group for fifteen years, touring throughout the world. She married the band's trumpet player Pedro Knight on July 14, 1962. With Fidel Castro's assuming control of Cuba in 1960, she and her husband refused to return to their homeland and became citizens of the United States. Although they initially signed to perform with the orchestra of the Hollywood Palladium, they eventually settled in New York. Cruz left the band in and pursued a solo career with Tito Puente...
I am amazed every time I discover how rich African culture really is. It is nice to be a black woman regardless to where we are in the great Diaspora.
Wednesday, September 10th 2008 at 1:42PM
Jen Fad
