Salsa was pushing outside its own community walls in New York City, 1973 and into the elitist domain of Carnegie Hall. Simultaneously, rock operas were opening up more opportunities for musicians to be seen. And, as Hermes sums it up well, salsa “was virtuous music with deep history and an international pedigree; it wanted respect.”

So, Lawrence Ira Kahn or most known as Larry Harlow composed the Latin opera “Hommy, the Latin Opera” that would change the way Latin music was perceived in the mainstream United States.

“Hommy, a Latin Opera” was performing in Carnegie Hall. Celia Cruz, the queen of salsa, not only carried Harlow’s Latin Opera, but Cruz enabled mainstream exposure to other musicians such as Barretto and Mongo Santamaria performing along side Cruz.

In spite of Celia Cruz being in political exile from Cuba since 1962 and being Afro-Cuban during post-Civil Rights United States, Cruz is the pride of Latinx music and salsa.

Source: Hermes, W (2014)., Love Goes to Buildings on Fire: Five Years In New York That Changed Music Forever. pp. 25.