Craft Latino will release The Queen Of Salsa on October 24, a 12-track compilation honoring Celia Cruz’s centennial, available on LP, CD, and digital formats. The set forms part of a year-long tribute to the Cuban singer.
Curated from recordings on Tico, Vaya, Seeco, and Fania, the collection includes collaborations with Tito Puente, Johnny Pacheco, Willie Colón, and the Fania All Stars. Highlights include “Quimbara,” “Usted abusó,” “Guantanamera,” and “Quizás, quizás, quizás” from 1993’s Boleros. Additional picks range from “Toro mata” (Celia & Johnny, 1974) and “Bamboleo” (Fania All Stars, 1988) to “Cuando estoy contigo” (1978) and the 1958 La Sonora Matancera cut “Dile que por mí no tema.”
New liner notes by Ana Cristina Reymundo, co-author of Cruz’s authorized autobiography, accompany updated artwork.
Cruz (1925–2003) sold more than 10 million records and earned seven Grammy Awards, including a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award. Additional honors include the National Medal of the Arts, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (1987), and inductions into the Billboard Latin Music Hall of Fame (1994) and the International Latin Music Hall of Fame (1999). Her legacy reached U.S. currency in 2024, when she became the first Afro-Latina featured through the American Women’s Quarters Program.
Author: World Music Central News Room
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