Los Angeles Declares Oct. 17 as “Celia Cruz Day”
- Masanobu Miyasaki-Castro
- 28 minutes ago
- 3 min read
BY: MASANOBU MIYASAKI-CASTRO / STAFF WRITER
"¡Azucar!" Break out your dancing shoes! LA officially declared Oct. 17 as “Celia Cruz Day!” The Los Angeles City Council is honoring the Cuban singer and icon, also known as the “Queen of Salsa,” just days before what would have been her 100th birthday.
Cruz was born on Oct. 21, 1925. She grew up in Santos Suárez, a working-class neighborhood in Havana, Cuba. She lived in a crowded household with her extended family of 14, including her siblings, parents, aunties, grandmother, and cousins.
She was especially close to her aunt Ana and her cousin Serafín, who both encouraged her to pursue music from a young age.
As one of the oldest in her extended family, Cruz would sing her younger family members to sleep, not just with conventional lullabies, but with any song that came to her head.
Later, she entered and won singing contests hosted by local radio stations, regularly bringing home prizes like cake, soap, chocolate, and even a silver necklace. Not bad for a girl from Santos Suárez.
From there, Cruz would go on to perform for various groups on different radio stations. In 1950, she landed a role as the lead singer for the popular band La Orquesta Sonora Matancera, becoming the band's first Black front-woman.
The Cuban music scene in the 1950s favored light-skinned or white vocalists for lead positions. Black women were typically relegated to backup roles, making Cruz's rise groundbreaking. Her charisma was undeniable.
Sonora Matancera reached its highest popularity with Cruz. Around the same time, Cuban music gained popularity across the world, largely due to the growth of radio.
Despite espite her success, the Cold War and Cuban Revolution interfered with her life and career. Fidel Castro’s new government enacted socialist reforms, including the nationalization of media and other important industries. This change in regime made her home increasingly alien.
On Jun. 15, 1960, the Sonora Matancera flew from Cuba to Mexico for a concert tour and never came back.
Soon, a romance formed between Cruz and Sonora Matancera’s trumpeter, Pedro Knight, and in 1961, the couple left the band and moved to the United States. The next year, they got married in Connecticut.
In the U.S., Cruz adopted her iconic exclamation “¡Azucar!”, meaning “sugar” in English, but she used it to express joy and sweetness during her performances. She claimed it originated at a restaurant in Miami when she was shocked when asked if she wanted sugar in her coffee. Of course she did!
In 1965, Cruz found herself in New York City. There she made her solo debut on Tico Records, a smaller label that specialized in Mambo and Latin Soul. With Tico Records, she joined Hispanic music legends like Tito Puente and Ray Baretta.
These artists emphasized Afro-Cuban rhythms in their music. They started calling this new Pan-Latin style “Salsa,” marking the birth of Cruz’s iconic musical genre.
Being one of the only women in the new world of Salsa, Cruz stood out. She used her deeper voice to perform songs that were typically reserved for male singers. While at the same time, she displayed a flamboyant, feminine persona: feathers, bright colors, and shiny jewelry.
A career spanning six different decades of active recording and performing, Celia Cruz kept the world dancing as the reigning Queen of Salsa.
Sadly, after a world tour in 2002, Cruz was diagnosed with breast cancer. A brain tumor followed, and she died on July 16, 2003. She was 77 years old.
In 2005, shortly after her death, the U.S. Congress issued her a Congressional Gold Medal. In 2011, the Postal Service issued a commemorative stamp in her honor. In 2024, she was featured on a quarter as part of the American Women’s Quarters Program.
And now she has her own day! "¡Azucar!”
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