Celia Cruz
Also known as: Queen of Salsa
Queen of Salsa
Known For
Celia Cruz earned eternal fame as the Queen of Salsa for popularizing the genre worldwide, breaking gender and racial barriers in Latin music, and amplifying Afro-Cuban heritage through her explosive voice and '¡Azúcar!' signature.
About
Rising from Havana's vibrant cabarets in the 1940s, she dominated Radio Garcia Serra contests before joining La Sonora Matancera in 1950, pioneering as their lead vocalist amid a male-driven scene. Exiled to the U.S. in 1961 after Cuba's revolution, she ignited salsa's explosion in New York through Fania Records hits like 'Quimbará' with Johnny Pacheco and collaborations with Tito Puente. In Miami, her adopted hub, Cruz embodied Cuban exile resilience, fueling the diaspora with 188 recordings, 23 gold albums, three Grammys, and four Latin Grammys while championing Afro-Latino pride via her iconic '¡Azúcar!' cry. South Florida honors her with murals, renamed streets, and cultural tributes, cementing her as the city's salsa sovereign.