Celia Cruz was the Cuban-born salsa singer, who sang only in Spanish, but who received plaudits from throughout the United States. Her career amassed a back catalogue over 50 studio albums, 23 of which were gold-selling, three Grammys and four Latin Grammys.
Cruz was born in Havana, where she sang in clubs and bars in her teens before going for a formal music education at the Conservatory of Music. After graduating she joined Cuban orchestra La Sonoro Matancera, and sang with them all over the world. When Castro took control of Cuba in 1960, Cruz took US citizenship and moved to the States, where joined up with established US-Latin star Tito Puente when she left the band in 1965.
The Cruz/Puente collaborations were, at that time, unsuccessful, her major break through came in 1974 with the Celia and Johnny album, recorded with Johnny Pacheco. Pacheco was of the co-owner of Fania Records, who specialised in Latin American music. He formed the Fania All Stars, which featured members of the labels salsa bands, and Cruz joined them on their tours. She toured and performed throughout the Eighties and Nineties, with Latin and pop stars, including a duet with ex-Talking Heads frontman David Byrne from his Rei Momo album. The track was featured on the film Something Wild, she also made an appearance in the film The Mambo Kings.
Cruz died from complications resulting from to a brain tumor in 2003
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