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Informationen zum Autor Pamela Pollack and Meg Belviso are authors of several books in this series, including Who Is George Lucas? , Who Was Alfred Hitchcock? , Who Was Susan B. Anthony? , and Who Was Alexander Hamilton? Klappentext How did a working-class girl from Cuba become a symbol of artistic freedom for Cuban Americans and the "Queen of Salsa"? Find out in this addition to the Who HQ library! Although her family and friends know her as Úrsula Hilaria Celia de la Caridad Cruz Alfonso, the world refers to her simply as Celia Cruz. Starting her career in 1950, Celia grew increasingly popular as the new lead singer of the Cuban band Sonora Matancera. Her exceptional vocal range and flashy costumes made fans fall in love with her. Celia's talent took her all around the world, including the United States. After Fidel Castro came to power in Cuba, she wasn't allowed to return to her native country. She and other Cubans who were exiled used their music to express their love for their homeland. Celia rose to the top of the charts in a genre that was dominated by men. She become an award-winning singer and the most popular Latin artist of the twentieth century. Azucar! indeed!Who Was Celia Cruz? One Saturday morning in 1947 in Havana, Cuba, Celia Cruz woke up early. It was an exciting day. Earlier that week, her cousin Serafín had surprised her by signing her up for a singing contest. He thought his cousin was talented enough to win. The contest was for a radio show called La hora del té (say: la OR--a del TAY), which means “teatime.” Celia loved listening to the show. Her whole family did. Celia was twenty--two years old and had loved to sing all her life, but she had never appeared onstage or on the radio. She looked out at her family’s backyard and all the other houses on her street. Everything was covered in dew. Celia thought it made her neighborhood sparkle like a sequined gown. She put on a white dress, white tights, and nice white shoes. Her mother combed her dark hair into a bun and fastened it with a beautiful clip. Then Celia and Serafín got on the bus that would take them the twelve blocks to the radio station. In her hands Celia held her claves (say: KLA--vays), wooden sticks that she tapped together to keep the beat while she sang. When they got to the radio station, there were many other contestants waiting. Most of them were older than Celia. When it was her turn, she sang a song called “Nostalgia,” tapping her claves as she sang. Once she started to sing, Celia stopped thinking about the other contestants and the competition. She just enjoyed the song. She was completely surprised when she won first prize. For first prize, Celia was given a cake from one of the best bakeries in Havana. When she and Serafín got back on the bus, they placed the cake box carefully on their laps so it would not get crushed. Their family was very poor. They had never had a cake in such a fancy box. They couldn’t wait to get home to look at it, so they opened the box on the bus. The cake was covered in white frosting with colorful flowers. It was so delicate, it seemed to be made of lace. Celia and Serafín enjoyed the cake’s delicious smell before closing the box again. When they got home, Celia found her whole family waiting for her on the porch. They cheered when they saw her. She opened the box, and everyone shared the beautiful cake. Celia never forgot how good it tasted. It wasn’t just winning that felt good. Celia had loved singing in the contest. She couldn’t wait to do it again. She didn’t know that one day she would sing for crowds all over the world. Chapter 1: Lullabies and Carnival Celia Cruz was born in Havana, Cuba, on October 21, 1925. Her full name was Úrsula Hilaria Celia Caridad Cruz Alfonso. Her father was Simón Cruz, and her mother was Catalina Alf...
