Celia Cruz, the "Queen of Salsa"

Over a career that lasted more than 60 years, Celia Cruz helped popularize salsa music in the United States. By celebrating her Cuban culture, she also helped Afro-Latino Americans embrace their own heritage. As a lead singer of Cuban orchestra La Sonora Matancera, Cruz performed across Latin America. Cruz arrived in the U.S. on November 20, 1961. She became one of few women to succeed in the male-dominated world of salsa music. Salsa was a music style that arose in 1960s and 1970s New York. It blended Cuban and other Afro-Latino musical traditions. Cruz performed salsa in Spanish, celebrating her Afro-Latino culture during the U.S. Civil Rights movement.