One of the most well-known Latin artists of the 20th century was Celia Cruz, whose real name was Úrsula Hilaria Celia de la Caridad Cruz Alfonso (21 October 1925 – 16 July 2003).
Cruz gained notoriety in Cuba in the 1950s as a guaracha singer, gaining the moniker “La Guarachera de Cuba.” As a result of her contributions to Latin music in the next decades, she rose to fame as the “Queen of Salsa” on a global scale.
Celia Cruz parents: Meet Catalina Alfonso, Simon Cruz
Simón Cruz, her mother, and Catalina Alfonso Ramos, a homemaker who looked after a large family, were both railroad stokers.
The home had fourteen children total, including her three siblings, Dolores, Gladys, and Bárbaro, as well as cousins. Celia was one of the older ones and would sing lullabies to the younger ones to help them go to sleep. Her mother claims that she started singing when she was 9 or 10 months old, frequently in the middle of the night. She also sang in her neighbourhood group, Botón de Oro, and at the Friday civic acts at her school.
