Celina González (Jovellanos, March 16, 1929)

Singer. Country music icon in Cuba. She has been worldwide acknowledged as The Queen of Punto Cubano.

Since her early years, she received influences from Yoruba and Ararás religions, country tunes, traditional trova`s genuiness and the oriental son, this mixture earned her a musical expression rich in cultural traditional values.

Being 16 years old, she started to sing Punto Cubano teamed up with Reutilio Domínguez, with who she formed a popular duet, performing at diverse radio stations of the country, until 1964. They both appeared in diverse Cuban movies such as Rincón criollo and Bella, la salvaje and since the fifties, her art became famous along the entire Caribbean and many other South American countries, mainly in Colombia.

Celina went on her musical career as soloist, cultivating also Son and Guaracha around the sixties and devoting her art to Cuban traditional music, especially Guajira, tackling with real excellence the music of Cuban authors and her own in a very singular and unique style.

In 1980 her son Lázaro Reutilio joined her in her performances to take a place within the preference of new generations at Jornadas Cucalambeanas, cultural event aimed at preserving the country music`s values and in TV program Palmas y Cañas, together with outstanding soneros and troubadours from the most recent generations.

Among 1980 and 1998, she travelled arounf 30 times to Colombia, producing in 1994 the recording production De mi rica cosecha, floading with her music all regions of that country, having sales of more than 110, 000 copies.

Europe turned its head towarsd her, being acclaimed in Londres, where Peter Gabriel sported her as one of the stars in one of Womad Festivals and in Albert May, and her performance together with Totó La Momposina, was a real cultural event. Celina has taken the Cuban country music through Spanich and French cities and her performance was an attraction in the festivities for the World Football Games, France 1998, being also selected to head the festival Divas del Mundo, BBC and Radio Exterior de España presented her in spacial programs.

UNESCO granted her the Picasso Medal and she won in Occidental Africa a Gold Disk for her sucessful sales of old and new recordings in 1991, delivered by the Brazilian Ivory promoter Daniel Cuxac.

Celina is the Queen of Country Music and the interpretations of Yo soy el Punto Cubano and Que Viva Changó are distinguished due to the great popularity achieved with all her compositions.

See discography in our online Cuban Music Shop.