English version of the Best Brazilian Singer of All Times

1. Elis Regina
Biography
Aguas de Marzo

2. 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.

3. 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

4. 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.

5. 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

6. 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.

7. 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

8. 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.

9. 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

10. 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.

11. Discography
Albums recorded in Studio
1961 - Viva a Brotolândia
1962 - Poema de Amor
1963 - Elis Regina
1963 - O Bem do Amor
1965 - Samba - Eu Canto Assim
1966 - Elis
1969 - Elis - Como e Porque
1970 - Em Pleno Verão
1971 - Ela
1972 - Elis
1973 - Elis
1974 - Elis & Tom & Antônio C. Jobim
1974 - Elis
1976 - Falso Brilhante
1977 - Elis
1979 - Essa Mulher
1980 - Saudade do Brasil
1980 - Elis
Amor hasta el Fin

12. 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 Praia
1978 - Transversal do Tempo
Posthumous
1982 - Montreux Jazz Festival
1982 - Trem Azul
1984 - Luz das Estrelas
1995 - Elis ao Vivo
1998 - Elis Vive

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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

16. E N D
AVM 12.03.2013