Úrsula Hilaria Celia de la Caridad Cruz Alfonso also known by her stage name Celia Cruz was born on October 21, 1925 in Havana, Cuba. She was daughter to Simon Cruz and Catalina Alfonso and was the second of four children. In the 1940s, Cruz won a "La hora del té" singing contest that allowed her to start her music career. While Celia’s mother entered her in contests around Cuba, her father wanted her to become a teacher. Being a teacher was a common occupation for Cuban women at that time. Cruz enrolled at the National Teachers’ College, but ended up dropping out. She later enrolled at Havana 's National Conservatory of Music going against her father’s wishes. Though it was one of her professors that told her she should take up her music career full time. …show more content…
With the Fania All-Stars, Celia Cruz was able to travel to England, France, Zaire and to return to tour Latin America. In 1976, she participated in a documentary film Salsa about the Latin culture, along with figures like Dolores del Rio and Willie Colón. Celia Cruz used to sing the identifying spot for WQBA radio station in Miami, formerly known as "La Cubanísima": "I am the voice of Cuba, from this land, far away...I am liberty, I am WQBA, the most Cuban!” (“Yo soy de Cuba, la voz, desde esta tierra lejana...soy libertad, soy WQBA, Cubanísima!”). During the 1980s, Celia did many tours in Latin America and Europe, making time to do multiple concerts and television shows wherever she went, and also singing both with stars younger and older. In 1990, Cruz won a Grammy Award for Best Tropical Latin Performance. In 1992, she starred with Armand Assante and Antonio Banderes in the film The Mambo Kings. She was awarded the National Medal of Arts b in 1994. In the same year, she was inducted into Billboards Music Latin Music Hall of Fame along with fellow Cuban musician Cachao