Who Is Celia Cruz? NJ Parkway Rest Stop Honors Queen Of Salsa

LACEY, NJ —If you've been by the rest area in Forked River recently, you have likely seen it getting a new name: the Celia Cruz Service Area.

Who is Celia Cruz, you ask?

Cruz is a member of the New Jersey Hall of Fame known to many as the "Queen of Salsa," a Grammy winner and one of the most popular Latin artists of the 20th century.

She was born in Havana, Cuba, and as a teenager won amateur singing contests. She tried to follow her father’s dream of becoming a teacher, enrolling at the National Teachers’ College, but dropped out soon after when she gained popularity for her singing.

Cruz made her first recordings in 1948 but it was when she became the lead singer in the popular Cuban orchestra Sonora Matancera in 1950 that her career soared. The band grew in popularity in tours in Central and North America in the 1950s. Cruz, who became known for her trademark shout “¡Azúcar!” (“Sugar!” in Spanish) during her performances, went on to record 23 gold albums and made cameo appearances in some Mexican films.

In 2002 Cruz performed to a full house at the free outdoor performing arts festival in Central Park SummerStage in New York.

Cruz was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame in 2013, 10 years after her death. The refurbished services area between exits 77 and 74 on the Parkway also will include a mini-museum dedicated to Cruz, with a display supplied by the New Jersey Hall of Fame, the New Jersey Turnpike Authority said.

More information about the singer can be found on a website dedicated to her.

Celia Cruz signs were installed on the Parkway in late January, and the mini-museum installation is anticipated to be finished in March, officials said. The name on the outside of the building will be changed at that time, the Turnpike Authority said.

Cruz is one of several New Jersey Hall of Fame inductees whose names will grace service areas. The former Cheesequake Service Area was renamed for Jon Bon Jovi in September. In the coming months include James Gandolfini (Montvale), Larry Doby (Brookdale North), Connie Chung (Brookdale South), Whitney Houston (Vauxhall), Judy Blume (Monmouth), Frank Sinatra (Atlantic), and Toni Morrison (Ocean View).