Celeste Mendoza

Celeste Mendoza was an Afro-Cuban singer and dancer born in Santiago de Cuba on April 6, 1930, who became one of Cuba's most celebrated voices in guaguanco and guaracha. She started out as a dancer at cabarets including the Tropicana before moving into recording, where she built a reputation as a leading female interpreter of rumba styles that had long been dominated by men. She died in Havana in November 1998.