Elis Regina

Biography

Aguas de Marzo

Elis Regina ( 1945 - 1982 )

Elis Regina Carvalho Costa, was one of the most famous singers of brazilian popular music between 1960 and 1980. She is widely regarded by many critics, musicians and commentators, as the Best Brazilian singer of all times.

She became nationally renowned in 1965, after singing "Arrastão“, composed by Edu Lobo and Vinícius de Moraes, in the first edition of TV-Excelsior festival song contest, and soon joined “O Fino da Bossa”, a television program on TV-Record.

Elis was noted for her perfect vocalization, as well as for her personal interpretation and outstanding performances in shows.

Her most memorable artistic presence was recorded in the albums:“Em Pleno Verão” (1970), “Elis & Tom” (1974), “Falso Brilhante” (1976), “Transversal do Tempo” (1978), “Saudade do Brasil” (1980) and “Elis” (1980).

Her discography includes: 18 albums recorded in studio, 11 albums recorded live, 10 extended plays (EP) and 22 singles.

Her album “Dois na Bossa”, was the first in Brazil to sell over one million copies.

With the success of “Falso Brilhante” y “Transversal do Tempo”, she innovated the musicals in the country. She was able to show emotions as contrary as melancholy and happiness, in the same presentation or in the same song.

Like many other artists from Brazil, Elis emerged of music festivals in the 1960s and showed interest in developing his talent through dramatic presentations. His style was heavily influenced by singers from the radio, especially Angela Maria.

Elis Regina ventured by many musical genres; MPB, bossa-nova, samba, rock and jazz. Interpreting songs, which are still famous and memorable, she recorded moments of happiness, love, sadness, patriotism and military dictatorship in the country.

She sang songs of hitherto little-known musicians such as Milton Nascimento, Ivan Lins, Renato Teixeira, Anja Blanc, John Bosco, helping to launch them and promote their works, propelling them into the Brazilian music scene.

She recorded several successful compositions, such as "Como nossos pais" (Belchior), "Upa Neguinho" (E. Lobo and Gianfrancesco Guarnieri), "Madalena" (Ivan Lins), "Casa no Campo" (Zé Rodrix and Tavito), "Águas de Março" (Tom Jobim), "Atrás da porta" (Chico Buarque and Francis Hime), "O bêbado e a equilibrista" (Aldir Blanc and João Bosco), "Conversando no bar" (Milton Nascimento).

Zazueira

Elis married twice in her life and gave birth to three children. Her first marriage with Ronaldo Bôscoli, gave birth to one son, João Marcelo Bôscoli, in 1970.

She later married her long-time collaborator César Camargo Mariano, and had two more children with him: Pedro Camargo Mariano in 1975, and Maria Rita in 1977. The three children all later became musicians and/or producers.

Among other partnerships, she recorded very famous duets with Jair Rodrigues, Tom Jobim, Simonal, Rita Lee, Chico Buarque, and her second husband, pianist César Camargo Mariano, he helped her to bring back many old songs and provide new musical arrangements to them, as with "É Com Esse Que Eu Vou".

She was the first person to enroll her voice like an instrument in the Brazilian musicians association called: “Ordem dos Músicos do Brasil”.

Early Years

Daughter of Romeo and Ercy Costa Carvalho, Elis Regina was born at the Portuguese Charity Hospital of Porto Alegre, the capital of Rio Grande do Sul. She had a brother, Roger, born in 1949.

She began his career as a singer at the age of eleven on a radio program for children called “The Club of Guri” in Radio Farrupilha, hosted by Ari Rego.

A Star is Born in the 60’s

In 1961, she was contracted by Rádio Gaúcha and in the next year she travelled to Rio de Janeiro where she recorded her first LP, “Viva a Brotolândia”. (Long Live Teenage Land).

She moved to Sao Paulo in 1964, where she remained until his death. She achieved success with performances at “Fino da Bossa” concert and found a bustling city where she could realize her artistic plans.

The “Fino da Bossa” concert was organized by the Academic Center of the School of Dentistry of the University of São Paulo, which became known as “First-Demti Samba”, directed by Walter Silva at the Paramount Theatre, which is now the “Teatro Abril” of São Paulo.

Also in 1964, she signed a contract with TV-Rio to attend the “Gala Nights” program, under the double direction of Carlos Miele and Ronaldo Boscoli, with whom she accomplished later various artistic partnerships, three years later she married Boscoli in 1967.

At the end of the same year 1964, she met Solano Ribeiro, the producer, creator and performer of festivals of MPB for TV-Record.

This was a very successful year, she was also offered by TV-Record, to lead the program “O Fino da Bossa”, together with Jair Rodrigues.

Upa Negrito

The program, made of pre-recorded shows and directed by Walter Silva, ran until 1967 and spawned three very successful albums, one of them, “Dois na Bossa”, was the first album to sell over a million copies in Brazil.

Accompanied by the group called “Trio Copa” she was singing at the “Beco das Garrafas”, that was the redoubt where bossa nova was born, she met the American choreographer Lennie Dale, who taught her how to sing moving her body rhythmically, instead of moving only her arms.

The MPB Festivals

Since the middle of the 1960s till the end of the 1980s, the special Festival of Brazilian Popular Music was produced by TV-Record, and the Brazilian television was marked by the success of the these shows, featuring new talent, and attaining records of audience ratings.

She had a great success and was the big reveal of TV Excelsior festival in 1965, when she sang "Arrastão“, composed by Vinicius de Moraes and Edu Lobo.

This unforgettable interpretation, staged shortly after Elis was just completing only 20 years old, was crowned with the recognition of the “Berimbau Gold Award”. The Trophy “Roquette Pinto” came following, after being elected the Best Singer of the year.

Elis Regina was considered the first star of Brazilian popular song in the age of television. While other contemporary singers like Maria Bethania had arisen and were specialized in theaters, Elis gave preference to radio and television.

Pioneered in 1966 founding her own recording label “Artistas”, recording the first album independently produced in Brazil, titled “Viva o Festival da Música Popular Brasileira”, recorded during the festival.

She had also a victorious participation in the 3rd Festival of Brazilian Popular Music, organized by TV-Record, with the song “O Cantador”, by Dori Caymmi and Nelson Motta, qualifying for the Grand Final and being recognized with the award for Best Performer of the Festival.

In 1968, she made a trip to Europe to make her music known internationally, and she got a great success, especially at the Olympia in Paris, where she became the first artist to appear twice in the same year, in what is the oldest concert hall for music in Paris.

In 1969, she recorded “Aquarela do Brasil” in Stockholm with Toots Thielemans.

Elis was also helping to promote many of the hitherto unknown composers such as Milton Nascimento, Renato Teixeira, Tim Maia, Gilberto Gil, João Bosco and Blanc Aldir, Sueli Costa, among others. One of her greatest admirers was Milton Nascimento, who elected her as his muse and made countless compositions for Elis.

Acuarela do Brasil

The 70’s, Years of Success

During the 70s, she constantly perfected her technique and mastered her voice, recording discs of very high-quality that were the best of her generation.

Sponsored by Philips, she was invited to perform in the shows “Phono 73”, with several other famous artists, strangely she was faced with an audience cold and indifferent, broken away only until Caetano Veloso reproached the public saying: “Respect the greatest singer of this land”.

Her 1974 collaboration with Antonio Carlos Jobim, “Elis & Tom”, is often cited as one of the greatest bossa nova albums of all time, which also includes what many consider the all time best Brazilian song, "Águas de Março".

In 1975, with the show “Falso Brilhante”, which later led to an eponymous album, Elis reached huge success, getting more than a year in theaters and performing nearly 300 shows. It became one of the most successful and legendary shows in the history of national music and a milestone of her career.

Then she had great success with the show “Transversal do Tempo”, in 1978, in spite of living in an extremely political and tense climate; another successful show was “Essa Mulher”, in 1979, directed by Oswaldo Mendes, which premiered at Anhembi in São Paulo and toured the eponymous album release.

In 1979 Elis attended the special program “Women of the 80’s” by TV-Globo, one of those defining moments of television, the program ran a series of interviews and musicals whose central theme was the Brazilian women and the discussion of their role in society.

This issue was addressed in the context of national music and the undeniable preponderance of female voices in the artistic world of Brazil, such as: Maria Bethania, Fafá Bethlehem, Zeze Motta, Marina Lima, Simone, Rita Lee, Joanna, Elis Regina, Gal Costa and special participation of actresses like Regina Duarte and Narjara Turetta.

The show “Saudades do Brasil”, in 1980, was a great success both for the critics and the general public due to its originality, both in the songs and in the dancing numbers, the direction was by Ademar Guerra and choreography by Márika Gidali (Stagium Ballet), and finally her last show was “Trem azul”, in 1981, directed by Fernando Faro.

Years of military repression

Elis Regina often criticized the Brazilian dictatorship during the difficult years of repression, when many musicians were persecuted and exiled. The criticism became public amid her interviews or in the middle of the shows where she was performing. The popularity kept her out of prison, but she was forced by the authorities to sing the National Anthem during a show in a stadium, a fact that raised the ire of the Brazilian left.

Nega de Cabelo Duro

Always politically engaged, Elis participated in a series of movements of political and cultural renewal of Brazil, she was a voice for the campaign to ask for amnesty for all the Brazilian exiles. The awakening of her social and political responsibilities accompanied her all through her life.

One of his songs “O bêbado e a equilibrista”, by John Bosco and Blanc Aldir, was considered the anthem of amnesty. The song crowned the return of personalities from exile, starting in 1979. One of them, that was mentioned in the song, was Herbert José de Souza “Betinho”, a very important Brazilian sociologist. Also noteworthy, is the fact that Elis Regina signed his affiliation to the “Brazilian Worker’s Party”, in 1981.

Another important involvement of Elis Regina was with the fight for the rights of Brazilian musicians, composers and singers, controversy that required several times the attendance of Elis to many meetings in Brasilia, the political capital of the country. In addition to the former activities, she was the president of the “Associação de Intérpretes e de Músicos” (ASSIM).

Her Last Days

Elis Regina died at the age of 36, in 1982. More than 15,000 people, among friends, relatives and fans, held her wake at Teatro Bandeirantes, in São Paulo, with large groups of fans singing her songs. More than 100,000 people followed her funeral procession throughout São Paulo. She was buried at Morumbí cemetery.

Discography

Albums recorded in Studio

1961 - Viva a Brotolândia1962 - Poema de Amor1963 - Elis Regina1963 - O Bem do Amor1965 - Samba - Eu Canto Assim1966 - Elis1969 - Elis - Como e Porque1970 - Em Pleno Verão1971 - Ela1972 - Elis1973 - Elis1974 - Elis & Tom & Antônio C. Jobim1974 - Elis1976 - Falso Brilhante1977 - Elis1979 - Essa Mulher1980 - Saudade do Brasil1980 - Elis

Amor hasta el Fin

Discography

Albums recorded in live performances

During her life

1965 - Dois na Bossa (con Jair Rodrigues)1965 - O Fino do Fino (con Zimbo Trio)1966 - Dois na Bossa 2 (con Jair Rodrigues)1967 - Dois na Bossa 3 (com Jair Rodrigues)1970 - Elis no Teatro da Praia1978 - Transversal do Tempo Posthumous

1982 - Montreux Jazz Festival1982 - Trem Azul1984 - Luz das Estrelas1995 - Elis ao Vivo1998 - Elis Vive

Singles

1961 - Dá Sorte / Sonhando 1961 - Dor de Cotovelo / Samba Feito pra Mim 1962 - Poporó Popó / Nos teus Lábios 1962 - A Virgem de Macarena / 1, 2, 3 Balançou 1965 - Menino das Laranjas / Sou sem Paz 1965 - Arrastão / Aleluia 1965 - Zambi / Esse Mundo É Meu / Resolução 1966 - Canto de Ossanha / Rosa Morena 1966 - Ensaio Geral / Jogo de Roda 1966 - Upa, Neguinho / Tristeza que se Foi 1966 - Saveiros / Canto Triste 1967 - Travessia / Manifesto

Singles

1968 - Yê-melê / Upa, Neguinho 1968 - Samba da Benção / Canção do Sal 1968 - Lapinha / Cruz de Cinza, Cruz de Sal 1969 - Casa Forte / Memórias de Marta Saré 1969 - Tabelinha Elis por Pelé (Perdão Não Tem / Vexamão) (Elis cantando dos composiciones de Pelé) 1972 - Águas de Março / Entrudo 1972 - Águas de Março / Cais 1979 - O Bêbado e a Equilibrista / As Aparências Enganam 1980 - Moda de Sangue / O Primeiro Jornal 1980 - Alô, Alô Marciano / No Céu da Vibração 1980 - Se Eu Quiser Falar com Deus / O Trem Azul

Vou Deitar e Rolar

Double Discs

1966 - Menino das Laranjas / Último Canto / Preciso Aprender a Ser Só / João Valentão 1966 - Pout-Porri de Samba / Sem Deus, com a Família / Ué 1966 - Saveiros / Jogo de Roda / Ensaio Geral / Canto Triste 1968 - Deixa / A Noite do meu Bem / Noite dos Mascarados / Tristeza 1969 - Andança / Samba da Pergunta / O Sonho / Giro 1970 - Madalena / Fechado pra Balanço / Falei e Disse / Vou Deitar e Rolar 1971 - Nada Será como Antes / A Fia de Chico Brito / Osanah / Casa no Campo 1972 - Águas de Março / Atrás da Porta / Bala com Bala / Vida de Bailarina 1975 - Dois pra lá, Dois pra Cá / O Mestre-sala dos Mares / Amor até o Fim / Na Batucada da Vida 1976 - Como Nossos Pais / Um Por Todos / Fascinação / Velha Roupa Colorida

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AVM 12.03.2013