"Balut, Penoy, Balut. Bili na kayo ng itlog na balut..." Ever heard of this jazzy music? Sounds familiar? Any idea who the songbird is? Who else will it be? the Queen of Vaudeville, Ms. Catalina dela Cruz, more popularly known as Katy de la Cruz. At a very young age of seven, Katy had to take to the boards with songs that she had learned from phonograph records. As she recalls her childhood days, She had to attend morning practice from nine till noon, with three shows on Sundays and holidays. This in turn would give her father twenty bucks a week. Through her maudlin songs, she was able to keep the family. According to Katy, the way she understand the situation, she has to be fair with her parents because she must be worthy of their love. Since she is the only child, she always had everything she asked for.
 
     She has to be fair with arrangement in order for her to keep the job. in addition in this, she also has to be fair with the rabble because it is where big money starts. She has to be strict and careful with the Americans and the Spaniards, because some of them are members of a club and there's no telling when they would give her a chance in the entertainment business.

     Katy thinks this is the kindest of all worlds. "I've had al the breaks," she says, "I just try to do the best I can and I get by."
 
    Her main line of getting by is a lot of kidding. No one can beat Katy kidding. Her kidding is too frank to sportsmanship.  Supposed some men are having a fight, Katy would come in the picture and would answer them back. Men can't fight while a woman does that to them. So thier friends would tell them to seat and the show goes on, and a big hand for Katy.
 
    At about twenty years old, she fell in love with the man who came into the show to play the piano. During their rehersals, they got this chance to know more about each other and like each other more. Katy's father, at that time was against her anticipation of getting married and theathened to kill her if she thought of such thing. With this kind of situation, she can do nothing to persuade her father. So, she had to elope and hide away from home for six weeks. But still, she continued to sent money home every week and got her friends to guarantee that her parents were fine. But with the way things happened, Katy's father began to feel lonesome since she left home and would not even bother to eat. Because of this, she went home together with her husband and she was forgiven by her father who burst into tears at her shoulder. The happily married couple is blessed with four children, three girls and a boy.

    The drollest song Katy sang was when she made it up. It was about two Cavite girls waving goodbye to their hope to be husbands at the dock. She was singing how they were dressed, where they were and why. She also keeps on repeating Poco Tiempo, Spanish for soon. Because the girls were arguing who's sweethearts would come back the best in everything and when would they be back.

    With regards to her career, it became successful and as expected, it reached it's pinnacle. In April of 1989, the musical spectacular Katy was dedicated to for her life and career as a jazz singer for four decades. It was written by Jose Javier Reyes with the music composed, arranged and conducted by Ryan Cayabyab.