IN
MEMORIAM: THE QUEEN OF SALSA, CELIA CRUZ
She continues to use Valentín's chart of "Bemba Colora" to close her live shows. Cruz toured Africa and Europe with Fania All Stars and recorded with them up until 1988. After a gap of about 17 years, Cruz reunited on record with Sonora Matancera on 1982's Feliz Encuentro. She was the subject of BBC television's Arena film profile My Name Is Celia Cruz broadcast in 1988, a year after she was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame. Later that year, a programme in the BBC's Rhythms Of The World series was devoted to concert footage of Cruz teamed up with Puente's big band (with special guest Pacheco) recorded at the Apollo theatre, New York in 1987. She joined a reunion of 13 former lead singers of Sonora Matancera for a series of three concerts by the band in June 1989 in celebration of their 65th anniversary and was commemorated by a double album release. In 1989 Cruz was awarded an honorary doctorate of music by Yale University. Her second collaboration with Ray Barretto, 1988's Ritmo En El Corazón, won a Grammy Award in 1990. In 1992, Celia appeared in the Hollywood movie The Mambo Kings as nightclub owner Evalina Montoya, and three years later played a cameo role in The Perez Family. Cruz signed to the RMM label in 1989, and the following year licensed her product for release in Spain on the newly formed BAT label. Azucar Negra gave Cruz her first gold record on the Spanish charts, and she spent the rest of the 90s establishing her presence in an important market. During a decade which saw the assimilation of Latin music into the US mainstream, Cruz was garlanded with several important titles, not least of which was 1995's Billboard Lifetime Achievement Award. At the end of the decade she signed to Sony, debuting for the label in 2000 with Siempre Viviré.
DISCOGRAPHY:
With Tito Puente Cuba Y Puerto Rico Son.
Puente Etc., Etc., Etc. (Tico 1970)***, with
Puente Alma Con Alma (The Heart And Soul Of) (Tico 1971)****, with Puente
Celia Cruz Y Tito Puente En España (Tico 1971)****, with Memo Salamanca Nuevos
Exitos de Celia Cruz (Tico 1971)***, with Puente Algo Especial Para Recordar (Tico
1972)***, with Johnny Pacheco Celia & Johnny (Fania 1974)***, with Pacheo
Tremendo Caché (Fania 1975)***, with Pacheco, Justo Betancourt, Papo Lucca
Recordando El Ayer (Fania 1976)***, with Willie Colón Only They Could Have
Made This Album (Fania 1977)****, with Pacheco Eternos (Fania 1978)***, with
Papo Lucca, Sonora Ponceña La Ceiba (Fania 1979)***, with Pacheco, Pete "El
Conde" Rodrííguez Celia, Johnny And Pete (Fania 1980)***, with Colón Celia y
Willie (Fania 1981)***, with La Sonora Matancera Feliz Encuentro (Fania
1982)***, with Ray Barretto, Adalberto Santiago Tremendo Trio! (Fania
1983)****, with Pacheco De Nuevo (Fania 1985)***, with Colón The Winners (Fania
1987)***, with Barretto Ritmo En El Corazón (Fania 1988)***, with La Sonora
Matancera Band Live! From Carnegie Hall: 65th Anniversary Celebration (Fania
1989)***, Azucar Negra (RMM 1993)****, A Night Of Salsa (RMM 2000)***, Siempre
Viviré (World Up!
End of the Article.