Monday 27 May 2024

Roquette Pinto Award 1957 - 1962 - 1963

 

Paulo Machado de Carvalho presents Manuel Durães & Edith de Moraes their 1957 Roquette Pinto trophy for their 21 years of commanding radio-drama at Radio São Paulo and elsewhere. 1958 was the last time TV Record presented the Roquette-Gala at Teatro de Cultura Artística at Rua Nestor Pestana. From 1959 onwards it would be held at their own Teatro Record, on Rua da Consolação. 
List of those bestowed the Roquette Pinto trophy for 1957. Radiolândia #199 (1958).
Charming Idalina de Oliveira (22) was voted the best 'garota-propaganda' (commercial-girl) for 1957; Márcia Real, best actress and Jayme Barcelos, best actor. Radiolândia, 1958.


Artists bestowed with the Roquette Pinto Award for 1963.



Thursday 16 May 2024

Thais Matarazzo & Luiz Amorim meet Leila Silva - 2012

Thaís Matarazzo Cantero was an entrepreneur at heart. She made things happen. She would meet someone like the president of São Paulo's Order of Musicians, and sooner than later she would organize an afternoon recital at their headquarters at Edifício Itália at the heart of the city São Paulo.

I had met Thaís at Pateo do Collégio some time in 2004. We both took part in a weekly meeting of people who admired show business & Brazilian music of the 1930s & 1940s. Thaís had a special preference for Aurora Miranda, who had a much more famous sister called... Carmen Miranda. Thaís also liked to write biographies about show-business people who lived in the 20s, 30s & 40s.

One day, Thaís told me she was going to meet Leila Silva, who had been a popular singer in the late 1950s and 1960s at the headquarters of the Order of Musicians. I had already told Thaís, I had a special bias to Leila Silva, for she was Number One at the Hit Parade, when I moved to São Paulo in December 1960, with a samba-choro called 'Não sabemos'. I was really impressed by that particular song and I elected her my favourite female singer. More than 50 years had already gone by but I was still excited when Thaís invited me to go along and meet my former teen-idol.

Here are the photos taken on that particular Wednesday afternoon, 3rd October 2012.  Twelve years have gone by... Thaís, sadly passed away in early 2023 and Leila, unfortunately had been struck with some form of the Alzheimer disease, and is being taken care of by her daughter in Santos-SP. But the memories are so alive I just can't believe it was so long ago. It seems like only yesterday. 

Thais Matarazzo, Valdir Comegno, popular singer Leila Silva and someone who worked at São Paulo's Order of Musicians, in the afternoon of 3rd October 2012.
Leila Silva worked then at the Order of Musicians at their Santos off-shoot. 
Luiz Amorim with Leila Silva, his favourite female singer. 
I couldn't believe I was taking a photo with Leila Silva... 
Thais Matarazzo took this shot... 
a double Leila is better than one Leila...

Wednesday 27 March 2024

Tropicália - Rogério Duprat - Mutantes 1967-1968

 

'Veja', weekly magazine, 18 September 1968, shows Rogério Duprat, visionary orchestra arranger and conductor who gave an orchestral polish to the music written by Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso, Tom Zé, Mutantes etc. One could easily say Duprat did for Tropicália what George Martin did for the Beatles. He was born in Rio de Janeiro on 7 February 1932
Rogério Duprat in the pages of 'Veja', 18 September 1968. 
Mutantes at Maracanãzinho sing 'Caminhante noturno' and held the whole arena spell-bound. Cariocas had never heard such a new and vibrant sound. Mutantes themselves were surprised by the audience's positive reaction for they had been booed just a week before in São Paulo while accompanying Caetano Veloso with his ground-breaking 'É proibido proibir'. 'Veja' tells part of the story in its issue of 2nd October 1968.
Rita Lee at her parent's front door at Rua Joaquim Távora, 670, Vila Mariana, some time in 1968.
Cream-de-la-creme of Brazilian pop music in 1967 pose for Manchete. Starting with groups they were Argentine rock band Beat Boys, rock trio Mutantes (Rita, Arnaldo & Sergio), MPB-4 plus Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso, Nara Leão, Roberto Carlos, Geraldo Vandré, Sérgio Ricardo, Nana Caymmi, Marília Medalha sans Edu Lobo (who won the Festival with 'Ponteio'), Chico Buarque de Hollanda and Sidney Miller. 
A slightly different pose with the addition of Edú Lobo (centre)...



Monday 20 March 2023

Laerte, cartoonist

 

Laerte Coutinho at 'Folha da Tarde' on 7 December 1985



Friday 30 September 2022

One afternoon at São Paulo's Musicians' Guild

 

At Ordem dos Músicos in São Paulo waiting for the show to begin...Antonio Aguilar, Carlus Maximus and Pedro da Lana... 
Everyone either looking at their cell-phones or cameras... 
Antonio Aguilar, Marmo, Denise Duran, Beto Abrantes & Pedro da Lana...
Cinderela née Luiza Trevisan wipes tears from her eyes while watches Silvana singing...
Silvana who still had a powerful voice wows the audience...
Carlus Maximus & Pedro Dalana... 

Saturday 5 March 2022

Roberto Carlos & Helena dos Santos

 

song-writer Helena dos Santos & Roberto Carlos.


Helena dos Santos was born on 7 January 1922, in Conselheiro Lafaiete-MG

Francisco dos Santos was her father and Maria Amália her mother, who died while Helena was still very young.  Francisco re-married and Helena lived with him and step-mother until 1934 when she was 12 years old. Maria Augusta, her older sister married and moved to Rio de Janeiro-DF; Helena saw her chance to scape the humdrum of a small town and joined her sister and brother-in-law into the Brazilian capital city. 

In Rio, Helena first worked as a labourer at a textile factory, then at a men's clothing shop at Rua Frei Caneca, downtown where she learned how to sew. During this time she was a victim of a commuter train crash at Central do Brasil railway and had to stay home for 2 years until she got her health back and went to work as a char-woman. 

In 1949, when Helena was 17, she met Lauro de Oliveira, originally from Cabo Frio-RJ who worked at the same factory as her. Soon they got married. Lauro and Helena worshipped at São Cristovão's Pentecostal Church where he was active in the choir. Lauro wrote songs and hymns for it and Helena used to sit down and help him on rhymes and rhythm. Unfortunately, 
Lauro had an untimely death in 1961, leaving Helena with 5 children and an unborn baby.

After Lauro's death, Helena started writing non-religious songs like ballads and sambas which she would take to radio stations in the hope of getting the attention of singers like Orlando Silva or Carlos Galhardo to listen to her ditties. She was on the verge of giving that up altogether when one afternoon, at popular DJ Luiz de Carvalho daily show at Radio Globo, she managed to get the attention of Roberto Carlos, a Columbia recording artist who took the time to listen to some of her songs. Here's what Helena herself tells:

- Roberto Carlos foi extremamente atencioso comigo. Ouviu minhas queixas e depois pediu para ouvir minhas músicas. Cantei para ele 'Na lua não há', a minha música mais bonita naquele tempo. Ele achou bonita a melodia, mas disse que ia melhorar a letra. Afirmou que eu podia ficar tranquila; que ele iria gravar a minha composição. 

(He was extremely attentive with me. Listened to some of my lamenting and then wanted to hear my songs. I sang 'Na lua não há' (You won't find it in the moon) which was my best song then. Roberto liked the melody and said he would make some changes in the lyrics. He told me to be at ease for he would surely record it in his next album.)

Helena was happy but as weeks turned into months she almost forgot that promise when one day, an alarmed neighbour told her she had been summoned by radio and newspaper to go to Radio Globo and talk to DJ Luiz de Carvalho about a subject of her interest. Mr Carvalho told her Roberto Carlos had recorded her song as part of the album 'Splish splash' which would be released in October 1963

Helena dos Santos songs recorded by Roberto Carlos 

1. 'Na lua não há' - Splish splash (1963)
2. 'Meu grande bem' - É proibido fumar (1964)
3. Como é bom saber - Roberto Carlos canta para a juventude (1965)
4. 'Sorrindo para mim' - Jovem Guarda (1965)
5. 'Esperando você' - Nossa canção-album (1966)

6. 'Fiquei tão triste' - B-side of Martinha's 'Eu daria a minha vida' (1967
7. 'Nem mesmo você' - O inimitável (1968)
8. 'Do outro lado da cidade' - Pão-de-Açucar album (1969)
9. 'O astronauta' (with Edson Borges) - Jesus Cristo-album (1970)
10. 'Agora eu sei' (w Edson Borges) (1972)
11. 'Recordações' (w Edson Borges) (1982)


Helena died on 23rd October 2005 (83 years old) in Rio de Janeiro-RJ.

Roberto Carlos grabs a photo opportunity with Pelé at Congonhas Airport in 1969.