The queen of salsa Celia Cruz will be honored with a quarter as part of the American Women Quarters program which selects five women a year to be featured on the reverse side of the quarter. The cuban-American singer is the first Afro-Latina to be on a U.S. coin.
U.S. medallic artist Phebe Hemphill, who began designing Cruz’s coin last spring, had the honor of working on the first-ever coin to feature an Afro-Latina. Cruz, the “Queen of Salsa,” was one of few women who became successful in the male-dominated genre of music throughout the mid-to late 1900s. Hemphill describes Cruz as a “colorful, dynamic person” and she wanted to make that apparent in her design.
The three-time Grammy winner and Four-time Latin Grammy recipient recorded more than 80 albums, 23 of which are declared Gold. The cuban born star is remembered for her contributions to the salsa genre and increasing its popularity as one of the most popular genres in Latin music.