An internationally beloved singer, whose ever-evolving, five-decade-long career spanned a multitude of styles and eras, Celia Cruz (1925–2003) lives on as one of Latin music’s most revered icons. Born in Havana with a passion for music, Cruz sang, studied her craft and performed at every opportunity throughout her youth. Her big break arrived in 1950 when she joined the long-running, hugely popular group La Sonora Matancera. With the band, Cruz found stardom across Latin America, thanks to high-profile tours, hit records and several cameos in films. But in 1960, amid the Cuban Revolution, everything changed.

Cruz left her country—first relocating to Mexico City, where she had an established following, and then settling in New York City. While Cruz continued to perform with La Sonora Matancera for several years after moving to the U.S., the singer (known then as “The Guarachera of Cuba”) soon embarked on a solo career, releasing Cuba y Puerto Rico son…—her first of many collaborative albums with celebrated bandleader Tito Puente—in 1966. Months later, she made her official solo debut with Son con guaguancó.

Released via Puente’s label, Tico Records, Son con guaguancó found Cruz at a defining moment in her personal and artistic journey. The album, notes NPR, is “an artifact of Cruz’s . . . life in transition—from Cuba to exile in the United States, and from obscurity behind institutional barriers to international fame. On the cusp of international stardom, the Cruz who recorded this album is at once a girl in Cuba’s countryside, set firmly in the day-to-day landscape and concerns of el campo, as well as a burgeoning star, transplanting these minutiae among the tumultuous United States of 1966.”

That sense of blended identity was also reflected in Cruz’s music, as she fused an array of genres. The album’s title, which combined the names of two popular styles—the Afro-Cuban son montuno and the faster-paced guaguancó rhythms—further reinforced the concept. Helping Cruz imagine the album was legendary producer Al Santiago (founder of the pioneering label Alegre Records), as well as a star-studded line-up of arrangers, including Puente, Charlie Palmieri, Bobby Valentín and Louie Ramirez. The singer was backed by some of the best musicians in the genre—all of whom were members of the foundational collective Alegre All Stars.

Among the album’s memorable tracks is the upbeat opener, “Bemba colorá,” a self-affirming guaracha mambo (featuring Puente on the timbales) which became an early hit for the singer. Other highlights include the joyful “Son con guaguanco” and “Oye mi consejo” (“Hear My Advice”), a lighthearted guajira-style song, in which Cruz asserts that people should heed her advice—or else they won’t reach old age. The fanciful “El cohete,” meanwhile, is a cha-cha-cha about traveling to the moon. Cruz also takes a more serious tone on the album—particularly through songs like “Se me perdio la cartera” (“I Lost My Purse”), a breakneck guaracha mambo, in which she sings about the frustrations of rebuilding her life as an immigrant. Similarly, Cruz laments the state of the world in the bolero “Es la humanidad.”

While Son con guaguancó saw respectable sales, it would pale in comparison to her later titles. In the years following her debut, Cruz’s profile skyrocketed. With the rise of salsa in the ’70s, Cruz dominated the Latin charts, scoring several Gold records and countless hits, beginning with 1974’s Celia & Johnny—her first of several collaborative titles alongside Fania Records co-founder Johnny Pacheco. Son con guaguancó, however, opened the door to those successes and, nearly 60 years after its release, continues to inspire.

Including the album in their “150 Greatest Albums Made by Women” round-up, NPR called Son con guaguancó “A cultural and historical artifact as Cruz’s first quiet defiance in Cuban America.” AllMusic praised that the album “Positively sizzles with heat and energy. With tight arrangements, a crack group behind her, and no down-tempo material in sight, Cruz lets it all out, while the sections (brass, wind, percussion) follow her every move and inject more energy between the lines.” Ranked No.8 in “Los 600 de Latinoamérica” (a countdown of the 600 best Latin albums of all time) Son con guaguancó was hailed as “Una obra fundamental en la carrera de la Reina de la Salsa . . . [y] un testimonio de la versatilidad y el talento inigualable de Celia Cruz.” (“A seminal work in The Queen of Salsa’s career . . . [and] a testament to Celia Cruz’s versatility and unmatched talent.”)

Cruz, who passed away in 2003 at the age of 77, left behind a mighty legacy—one that extended far beyond her five-decade-long career. Today, she is remembered as one of the most influential Latin artists of all time and, having sold over 10 million records, remains one of the most popular Latin singers of the 20th century. Throughout the years, the seven-time GRAMMY® winner has been honored with numerous awards, exhibits, commemorative stamps, samples by major artists and tributes, including a posthumous GRAMMY® Lifetime Achievement Award, a National Medal of the Arts, a Smithsonian Lifetime Achievement Award, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (1987) and inductions into the Billboard Latin Music Hall of Fame (1994) and the International Latin Music Hall of Fame (1999), among others. Last year, Cruz became the first Afro-Latina to appear on U.S. currency through the American Women’s Quarter Program.