José Bettio * 2 January 1926, in Promissão-SP
+ 27 August 2018, in São Paulo.
Zé Bettio was born José Bettio on 2nd January 1926 in Promissão-SP from a family that came originally from Italy. His parents were probably born in Brazil but his grand-parents were from Italy. He had two brothers: Arlindo and Osvaldo. All of them learned to play the accordion when still children.
Zé who lived part of his youth in Lins-SP where he worked as a shoe-maker and played football at Club Athlético Linense. Zé formed a trio called Sertanejos Alegres with Antonio Moraes and Afonso that toured small and medium-sized cities in S.Paulo and Paraná.
After a while Zé moved to the city of São Paulo and would play his accordion accompanying amateur singers in a gong-show at Radio Tupi. He also played at smaller Radio Cometa that had its studios on Rua Wenceslau Braz.
One day while waiting to go on air Radio Difusora in Guarulhos-SP (in the Greater S.Paulo) Zé Bettio had to act as a radio announcer in a show whose head could not arrive at the studio on time. Zé read the commercials and did some small-talk on the air that struck a chord with the listeners. Soon after that, Zé was signed by Radio Cometa - a small-time radio which had its studios on Avenida do Estado - to have his own show where he developed the sort of rapport with his listener that would shoot him to # 1 in São Paulo's radio ratings war.
Zé Bettio knew that a great part of Sao Paulo inhabitants had migrated from various parts of the country and most yearned to go back to their previous rural lives. Bettio created a 'rural atmosphere' in his show talking to cows, donkeys, pigs and saws calling them by particular nicknames catering for this rural population who lived in the big city.
In the early 1970s Zé Bettio was signed by Radio Record to have two daily shows; one from 5:30 to 7:30 in the morning where he played mostly country-hits and a second show at 17:30 (5:30 PM) that he would play oldies-but-goodies plus some country hits. By 1975, Zé Bettio took Radio Record from #14 to # 1 in the ratings.
Zé Bettio plays his beloved accordion at his famous 'Bailão do Zé Bettio' at former Cine Coliseu in the Northern Section of S.Paulo.
In 1984, after more than 10 years at Radio Record, Ze Bettio was signed by Radio Capital to do a bit more of the same. He also took his show to Radio Gazeta.
By 2011, Ze Bettio had retired from radio and lived contentedly in his two rural properties; one in Garça-SP and the other in Rinópolis-SP not too far from his home town Promissão-SP. Some say Zé Bettio is writing his memoirs. We're waiting with baited breaths.
sources: 'Bastidores do Radio' de Adriano Barbiero & Tufano Silva.
chat between Carlus Maximus & Jair do Nascimento on Facebook on 27 October 2015.
Carlus Maximus: Eu escutava o Programa Zé Béttio entre 1974 e 1978. Ele ainda vive?
Jairo do Nascimento: Sim, está com 92 anos e mora na Serra da Cantareira.
After a while Zé moved to the city of São Paulo and would play his accordion accompanying amateur singers in a gong-show at Radio Tupi. He also played at smaller Radio Cometa that had its studios on Rua Wenceslau Braz.
One day while waiting to go on air Radio Difusora in Guarulhos-SP (in the Greater S.Paulo) Zé Bettio had to act as a radio announcer in a show whose head could not arrive at the studio on time. Zé read the commercials and did some small-talk on the air that struck a chord with the listeners. Soon after that, Zé was signed by Radio Cometa - a small-time radio which had its studios on Avenida do Estado - to have his own show where he developed the sort of rapport with his listener that would shoot him to # 1 in São Paulo's radio ratings war.
Zé Bettio knew that a great part of Sao Paulo inhabitants had migrated from various parts of the country and most yearned to go back to their previous rural lives. Bettio created a 'rural atmosphere' in his show talking to cows, donkeys, pigs and saws calling them by particular nicknames catering for this rural population who lived in the big city.
In the early 1970s Zé Bettio was signed by Radio Record to have two daily shows; one from 5:30 to 7:30 in the morning where he played mostly country-hits and a second show at 17:30 (5:30 PM) that he would play oldies-but-goodies plus some country hits. By 1975, Zé Bettio took Radio Record from #14 to # 1 in the ratings.
Zé Bettio plays his beloved accordion at his famous 'Bailão do Zé Bettio' at former Cine Coliseu in the Northern Section of S.Paulo.
In 1984, after more than 10 years at Radio Record, Ze Bettio was signed by Radio Capital to do a bit more of the same. He also took his show to Radio Gazeta.
By 2011, Ze Bettio had retired from radio and lived contentedly in his two rural properties; one in Garça-SP and the other in Rinópolis-SP not too far from his home town Promissão-SP. Some say Zé Bettio is writing his memoirs. We're waiting with baited breaths.
sources: 'Bastidores do Radio' de Adriano Barbiero & Tufano Silva.
Zé Bettio and his 4-wheel-drive in Rinopolis-SP chatting with Zé Benetton, Gaúcho, Guido Brait & Valdevino Pirú. Foto by Antonio Mansilhas.
chat between Carlus Maximus & Jair do Nascimento on Facebook on 27 October 2015.
Carlus Maximus: Eu escutava o Programa Zé Béttio entre 1974 e 1978. Ele ainda vive?
Jairo do Nascimento: Sim, está com 92 anos e mora na Serra da Cantareira.
Maximus: uma vez eu até cheguei a ir a um Bailão do Zé Bettio lá no Jaçanã, só que não entrei. Fui só p'ra ver a movimentação.
Jairo: O bailão era realizado às noites de sexta-feira e sábado, no antigo Cine Coliseu, na rua Luiz Stamatis.
Maximus: Tenho algumas fitas-cassette com partes do 'Programa do Zé Béttio'. Ele tinha 2 programas diários na Radio Record de S.Paulo. Um começava as 5 da mattina (Joga água nele, Zé Bettio) e o outro as 17:30, que abria com a música 'Quem é?' do Silvinho Lima e encerrava com 'Tchau amor' com Zé Tapera & Teodoro.
Tinha a Malhada, a vaquinha do Zé Bettio, que sempre mugia para os ouvintes. Tinha a Mascarada também, outra vaca.
Jair: Perfeitamente! Ele tinha bons efeitos sonoros em vinhetas minutadas em cartucheiras e o operador era excelente.
Maximus: Eu devo ter material suficiente para fazer um programa de quase 1 hora com trechos dos antigos programas dos anos 1970s. Ele também tinha um burro de nome Teimoso.
Jairo: Engraçado mesmo era quando ele começava a falar em 'italianês'. Grande figura!
Maximus: Sim, ele, as vezes, dizia: 'Mãnhê, hoje o 'fio' está com uma 'fiaca'!; isto é, vontade de não fazer nada. Provavelmente de algum dialetto italiano que ele aprendeu com os avós. Ah, falava 'impiastro', querendo dizer 'imbecil' ou 'cri-cri'. Ele tinha 2 irmãos: Osvaldo e Arlindo.
Jair: Osvaldo Bettio faleceu em 27 Agosto 2018, com 92 anos. Arlindo Bettio foi assassinado há mais de 30 anos.
Maximus: Sim, agora me lembro dessa tragédia.
o que restou do antigo Cine Coliseu na Avenida Luiz Stamatis, no Jacanã.
