What the Queen of Salsa's red satin heels say about America

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4.1 • 953 Ratings

🗓️ 25 May 2026

⏱️ 19 minutes

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Summary

A pair of red, satin, sky-high heels that Celia Cruz, or the “queen of salsa” wore on stage is part of a new exhibit at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. Ranald Woodaman, exhibitions and public programs director at the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Latino, shares more about the exhibit and Cruz’s lasting legacy.

And, throughout the early 20th century, East Coast musicians developed a finger-picking, ragtime-style called the Piedmont blues. Singer and guitarist John Cephas and harmonica player Phil Wiggins were modern ambassadors of the genre. Smithsonian Folkways director Maureen Loughran details their influence in American music.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	WBUR Podcasts, Boston.
0:05.2	The amazing thing about salsa is that from very on, Americans of all stripes, of course Latinos, Puerto Ricans, Mexican Americans, and others, but all Americans make this music their own.
0:16.3	How salsa music and one killer pair of heels help tell the story of America.
0:31.7	It's Monday, May 25th, and this is here and now anytime from NPR and WBUR.
0:37.0	I'm Chris Bentley.
0:41.6	Today on the show, as part of our collab with the Smithsonian Institution,
0:46.2	marking 250 years since the founding of the country,
0:49.6	we're looking at two styles of music and some of their greatest icons.
0:59.0	In a few minutes, we'll dig into the music known as the Piedmont Blues. I play the Piedmont style.
1:07.0	This is alternating thumb and bass where you play a background and then you play the leading
1:11.8	part, you know. But first, if you're a fan of salsa, I'm sure you already know, Celiet Cruz. This is one of her biggest hits, La Vida is a carnival.
1:35.3	Cruz is one of the best-selling Latin performers of all time,
1:38.5	and was posthumously inducted into the rock and roll Hall of Fame this year.
1:43.1	An incredible pair of red satin, sky-high, open-toed, cantilevered heels that crew swore when
1:50.5	she danced and sang, captivating audiences from Savannah to New York City, is one of the
1:55.2	highlights of a new exhibit called Puro Rhythmo at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American
2:00.3	History.
2:01.6	Those shoes and the story they tell about salsa music are part of our look at 25 objects
2:07.6	from the Smithsonian that tell the story of America.
2:11.1	They were brought to our attention by Ranald Woodhamen from the Smithsonian's National
2:15.8	Museum of the American Latino.
2:18.0	He spoke to Indira Lakshmanan.
	...

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