Celia Cruz Collection

Identity elements

Name and location of repository

Level of description

Collection

Title

Celia Cruz Collection

Date(s)

  • 1948-2008 (Creation)

Extent

6 Boxes

Name of creator

Biographical history

Celia Cruz (1925-2003) migrated to the U.S. in 1960 after having had an important career in Cuba with the group La Sonora Matancera. She never returned to Cuba and died in New York in July 2003. Celia was considered "the Queen of Latin Music" and dominated the Latin music scene for almost fifty years. Her collaborations with Tito Puente, Johnny Pacheco, Willy Colón and the Fania All Stars in New York during the 1970s sparked an interest in salsa among Anglo and European audiences all over the world. She recorded more than 70albums during her career, received over 100 awards, and appeared in 10 movies. She recorded 20 gold and eight platinum albums and received three honorary degrees from Yale University, Florida International University, and the University of Miami, in recognition of her extraordinary musical talent.

Content and structure elements

Scope and content

The collection documents the professional activities of the Cuban singer Celia Cruz from the 1950s until 2003. The bulk of materials in this collection include photographs documenting Celia Cruz's career in Cuba, the U.S. and internationally. The collection also contains an important number of photographs and newspaper clippings about Celia Cruz’s funeral in July 2003. The materials include both old and recent newspaper clippings, as well as posters, magazines, invitations, correspondence, signed postcards, awards, and uncorrected page proofs for the book. The collection also contains important music scores: the instrumental parts for the arrangements of some of Cruz's major hits, written by some of the most important arrangers in Latin music, and one published music score. Additionally, the collection includes an array of items like a shoe, cassette tapes, a fan, CDs and a DVD.

System of arrangement

Conditions of access and use elements

Conditions governing access

This collection is open for research.

Physical access

Technical access

Conditions governing reproduction

Requests to publish or display materials from this collection require written permission from the rights owner. Please, contact chc@miami.edu for more information.

Preferred citation: Celia Cruz Collection, Cuban Heritage Collection, University of Miami Libraries, Coral Gables, Florida.

Languages of the material

  • English
  • Spanish

Scripts of the material

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Finding aids

Generated finding aid

Acquisition and appraisal elements

Custodial history

Immediate source of acquisition

Gift of Omer Pardillo-Cid, 2002.

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information

Accruals

Clippings have continually been added to the collection.

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Notes element

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Alternative identifier(s)

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Rules or conventions

Sources used

Archivist's note

The collection-level record created by Beata Bergen, February 2010. Updated by Rebeca Gonzalez, May 2021.

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