{"product_id":"celia-cruz-mi-vida","title":"Celia Cruz, My Life. Preface by Franco Battiato","description":"\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\"\u003eThere are artists who belong to all people, from all places, from all eras. The list of singers, musicians, and poets includes Old Testament models, the storyteller Aesop, the Tentmaker Omar Khayyam, Shakespeare the Bard of Avon, Louis Armstrong the genius of New Orleans, Om Kalsoum the soul of Egypt, Frank Sinatra, Mahalia Jackson, Dizzy Gillespie, and Celia Cruz. The list of names could go on until I was breathless, yet Celia Cruz's name could stand among them, as one of the artists who belong to all people, from all times and all places. In the early 1950s, I heard a Celia Cruz record for the first time, and although I spoke very little Spanish, I loved her music but couldn't understand the lyrics. Thus began a search for everything related to Celia Cruz, and I realized that if I wanted to be a truly devoted admirer, I would have to study Spanish diligently. And so I did. I asked my brother Bailey, who lived in New York, for support and help. I asked him to find every record and magazine that mentioned Celia Cruz. And as I began to listen to her attentively, my Spanish improved. Later, I worked with Tito Puente, Willie Bobo, and Mongo Santa Maria, managing to stay on stage and even converse with them. When I became a professional singer, my repertoire included calypso and some Mexican rancheras. I found wonderful audiences, not because I sang well, but because my rhythms were captivating, and those rhythms were entirely inspired by Celia Cruz's music. When she came to the United States to perform at the theater on Upper Broadway in New York, I went to see her every day. She exploded on stage, present and sensual. From her, I learned how important it is to bring your world to the stage. And now, forty years after leaving music, simply by reading poetry, I can hold an audience of thousands in one evening, never losing their attention. I learned a lot about this from Celia Cruz. Before her death, she sent me a short letter, telling me how much she admired all my work. I never had the chance to tell her how much I was the one thanking her for her work and her life. I can say it now, to her family, her friends, and the entire world to which she belongs: Thank you, Celia Cruz.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n \u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eMaya Angelou\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"RUEBALLU EDIZIONI * RUEBALLU 36 BOOKSHOP \u0026 CAFÉ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52282875969873,"sku":"9788895689067","price":23.75,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0961\/5900\/7057\/files\/Celia.jpg?v=1766677100","url":"https:\/\/shop.rueballu.it\/en\/products\/celia-cruz-mi-vida","provider":"RUEBALLU EDIZIONI - RUEBALLU 36 BOOKSHOP E CAFÉ  Piazzetta S. Sofia 4\/5 - 90133 Palermo","version":"1.0","type":"link"}