CELIA CRUZ : EXITOS ETERNOS

CELIA CRUZ
Celia Cruz was born Úrsula Hilaria Celia Caridad Cruz Alfonso in the neighborhood of Havana, Cuba, on October 21, 1925. While growing up in Cuba's diverse 1930s musical climate, Cruz listened
to many musicians that later influenced her adult career, such as Paulina Alvarez, Fernando Collazo, Abelardo Barroso, Pablo Quevedo, Arsenio Rodriguez, and Arcaño y sus Maravillas. Cruz began singing in a strip bar in South America for a radio station Radio Garcia-Serra's popular "Hora del Te" daily broadcast.In 1950, she made her first major breakthrough, after the lead singer of the Sonora Matancera, a renowned Cuban orchestra, left the group and Cruz was called to fill in. Hired permanently by the orchestra, she wasn't well accepted by the public at first. However, the orchestra stood by their decision, and soon Cruz became famous throughout Cuba.
During the 15 years she was a member, the band travelled all over Latin America, becoming known as "Café Con Leche" (coffee with milk). Cruz became known for her trademark shout "¡Azúcar!", ("Sugar!" in Spanish). The catch phrase started as the punch line for a joke Cruz used to tell frequently at her concerts.
In 1966, Cruz and Tito Puente began an association that would lead to eight albums for Tico Records. The albums were not as successful as expected, however, and Cruz later joined the Vaya Records label. There, she joined accomplished pianist Larry Harlow and was soon headlining a concert at New York's Carnegie Hall.
Her 1974 album, with Johnny Pacheco, Celia y Johnny, was very successful, and Cruz soon found herself in a group named the
Fania All Stars, . With the Fania All Stars, Cruz had the opportunity of visiting England, France, Zaire. In 1990, Cruz won a Grammy Award for Best Tropical Latin Performance - Ray Barretto & Celia Cruz - Ritmo en el Corazon. She later recorded an anniversary album with la Sonora Matancera. In 1992, she starred with Armand Assante and Antonio Banderas in the film The Mambo Kings. In 1994, President Bill Clinton awarded Cruz the National Medal of Arts. In 2001, she recorded a new album, on which Johnny Pacheco was one of the producers. In early 2003, she had surgery to correct knee problems that she had for a few years, and she intended to continue working indefinitely. However, in July of that year, she died of a cancerous brain tumor at her home in Fort Lee, New Jersey. She was
survived by her husband; they had no children. She was buried at the Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx; an epilogue in her autobiography notes that, in accordance with her wishes, Cuban soil that she had saved from a visit to Guantánamo Bay was
used in her burial.
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MINHA OPINIãO - Conheci Célia Cruz pessoalmente e sou testemunha do quanto ela era adorada e considerada como um ícone, uma "deusa" pela comunicade cubana exilada nos USA. É nome de rua em "Little Havana, o bairro cubano de Miami e sua morte provocou uma comoção poucas vezes vista. Neste álbum, sua gravação do clássico OYE COMO
VÁ, de Tito Puente, (muita gente pensa que o autor é Carlos Santana, que o popularizou - acho que até o próprio Santana se acha dono da música (rs.), recebe a sua melhor e definitiva versão. Antes de tudo Celia Cruz foi um extraordinário ser humano, que muito deu de si em benefício dos seus compatriotas cubanos,
exilados como ela. Sua maior tristeza, que levou com ela, foi nunca poder ter voltado à sua pátria.
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Celia Cruz - Éxitos Eternos (2003)


TRACKS/FAIXAS:
01 - La Vida Es Un Carnaval
02 - La Negra Tiene Tumbao
03 - Que Le Den Candela
04 - Sazón
05 - Usted Abusó
06 - La Guagua
07 - Oye Como Va
08 - La Voz De La Experiencia ( con La india )
09 - Mi Vida Es Cantar
10 - Cucala ( live )
11 - Tu Voz con (Vicente fernandez)
13 - Guantanamera ( Live )
14 - Por Si Acaso No Regreso
15 - Que Le den Candela ( Video )

DOWNLOAD: AQUI (Parte 1) AQUI (parte 2)