Lesson 3/8

Celia Cruz was born in Havana, Cuba in 1925

She was born into a family with low resources living in Santo Suarez - which is a neighborhood - in Havana.

Celia Cruz's father wanted her to pursue a career in teaching.

It was seen as improper for women to be singing in bands.

He wanted what he thought was best for his daughter although that did mean that her talent would be wasted.

Celia's mom wanted her to sing. She knew her daugher was talented and felt like this was the best for her.

Celia's teachers all supported her dream and encouraged her to pursue her singing career.

Celia's dedication to her craft landed her a first place prize on La Hora Del Té which was a radio program in Cuba.

She won the talent show and dropped out of teaching school in order to follow her dreams and become a musician.

Celia joined La Sonora Matancera, her first musical group and saw success touring with them as well.

They were well received in North and Central America on their tours.

Unfortunately, with the Cuban Revolution and Fidel Castro's rule the band was forced to make a choice.

Some of the key players in the Cuban revolution include Batista, Fidel Castro, Che Guevara.

Batista was the dictator before the revolution struck.

Fidel Castro took over as the dictator from 1959 until his death in 2008.