Sunday, 8 June 2014

ASTRUD & JOÃO GILBERTO 1959

João Gilberto & Astrud first met at her friend Nara Leão's house. They got married in May 1959, and rented a flat on Rua Visconde de Pirajá in Ipanema, Rio de Janeiro.

On 30 January 1960, daily 'Ultima Hora' sent a journalist and a photographer called Rodolpho to their flat. Here are some of the pictures taken that day - that ended up being part of the estate Samuel Weiner bequeathed to his wife Danuza Leão who eventually donated to the state of Sao Paulo's 'Arquivo do Estado'.

Astrud had a kitten she'd call it simply 'Gato'. Unfortunately, not long after those shots were taken - on 28 March 1960 - the poor feline fell out the window to certain death. João who was recording at Odeon studios rushed home to Astrud and they both took the victim to a veterenary but the fall had been fatal.

Astrud laughs at Gato's antics...
the happy couple leaf through some illustraded magazine...
you see, we have a TV set too... and it's portable...
João stops playing to confere with his sweetheart... 
me and Gato... plus my husband on the side...
looking out at Ipanema...

We are family... Astrud's family; clockwise from the back row: father Fritz; Astrud's older sister with a daughter & husband; next comes Astrud's other brother-in-law; her mother holding another granddaughter; another niece (sitting cross-legged on the carpet), her younger sister with daughter, João Gilberto & Astrud herself holding Gato. 
Wedding party: mother Evangelina, João, Astrud & father Fritz.
João Gilberto plays his guitar to João Marcelo & Astrud. 
João Gilberto & João Marcelo. 

Astrud accompanied her husband to the U.S.A. in March 1963, and ended up taking part in the recording of 'Garota de Ipanema' / 'Girl from Ipanema'.

Verve Records kept the tapes of what would be the 'Getz/Gilberto' album for almost a year. When Verve finally released the album in early 1964, it decided also to release a single featuring Astrud singing the English lyrics part. The 45 rpm shot up to #5 on 18 July 1964, for 2 weeks at Billboard and went on to receive a Grammy for 'Record of the Year' in 1964.

It took so long for Verve to release their recording that João & Astrud's marriage ended in the meantime. So when 'Girl from Ipanema' was high on the charts João had already met Miúcha in Paris and was about to marry her in New York. 

After Astrud hit the US charts, Stan Getz included her in his personal performances. She is featured in Getz's 1964 album 'Getz au go go' recorded live at 'Cafe au go go', a Greenwich Village night club located in the basement of 152 Bleecker Street.

João Gilberto married Heloisa Buarque de Hollanda aka Miúcha in New York City in 1965. Miúcha rented a house for them to live just on the other side of the Hudson River, in Weehawken, New Jersey not too far from the Lincoln Tunnel. Miúcha eventually got pregnant and had a baby girl which was named Isabel.
João Gilberto & Miúcha tie the knot in New York, U.S.A.
Miúcha & João in Weehawken, N.J. just across the Hudson River with mid-town Manhattan in the background.
'Intervalo' 26 December 1965 - João Gilberto arrives in Congonhas with his second wife Miúcha.

João Gilberto and new wife Heloisa Buarque de Hollanda arrived at Congonhas Airport in São Paulo in December 1965, after an absence of more than 3 years. 

He would perform 3 times at Elis Regina’s ‘O Fino da Bossa’, a new-sensation weekly TV show on TV Record during the first few weeks of 1966.  

Heloisa aka Miúcha was 5 months pregnant. They soon returned to New Jersey where they lived and Miúcha had a baby girl on 12 May 1966, who was named Isabel Gilberto de Oliveira (future singer Bebel Gilberto). 

Heloisa Buarque de Hollanda aka Miúcha and her husband at Congonhas in December 1965
João performs at Teatro Record for 'O Fino da Bossa' on a Monday night in January 1966. 
'Intervalo' 19 June 1966 - João Gilberto doesn't show up for his recital on Teatro Record. 
João Gilberto signed with TV Record for a series of recitals at their theatre on Rua da Consolação but did not honour it. On the afternoon of his performance João sent word he would not be able to perform and did not mind paying the fine for contractual break.
New York City metropolitan area, including New Jersey... 

MARIA BETHANIA 1965









at 'Opinião' in Rio de Janeiro in 1965. 

Maria Bethania signs autographs to fans who bought her single 'Carcara' for RCA Victor at Galeria Malcon - just before she was to perform the play 'Opinião' at Teatro Leopoldina in Porto Alegre-RS. 


Sunday, 2 March 2014

Nelson Ned - Rosana Toledo - Claudio Fontana


Norma Suely, Nelson Ned, Rosana Toledo e...
Yeda Maria made a little splash around 1961 & 1962.

CLAUDIO FONTANA 

 The Pop Hit's & Claudio Fontana (3rd from left) in 1966.
article about Claudio Fontana on Revista Melodias - 1973.

'You'll never make money singing', said Claudio Fontana's sister when he left his job as a stenographer to accompany Antonio Garim, 'El gringo del samba' in shows around the outskirsts of Rio de Janeiro. 

One day he was playing his guitar at DJ Jair de Taumaturgo's Rock Show on TV Rio when he met Wanderley Cardoso, a young singer from São Paulo who had been very popular in Rio since 1966. He showed him some of his songs and Wanderley was so enthusiastic that he invited Claudio to move in with him and his manager Genival Melo who lived in São Paulo.

Wanderley recorded some of Fontana's songs like 'Não posso controlar meu pensamento' (I can't control my thoughts), 'Canudinho' (Straw) and 'Doce de côco' that went up the charts. Wanderley starred in a film 'Pobre príncipe encantado' (Poor enchanted prince) whose sound-track was written by Fontana. All was well until Cardoso dropped Genival as his manager and moved to Rio definitely.

Genival Melo had a stable of young hopefuls like Antonio Marcos and Nelson Ned and decided to work on Claudio Fontana as a singer. 'Adeus ingrata', his first single for Copacabana Records went straight to #1, becoming one of the best selling songs in 1969. Claudio Fontana had finally arrived. 

He soon recorded his first album in which he paid tribute to São Luiz do Maranhão, his hometown with 'São Luiz, ilha do amor', that eventually became an anthem for the most northern Brazilian capital city.

'O homem de Nazaré', a song describing the times in which Jesus lived in Palestine was Claudio Fontana's biggest hit. It was recorded by his friend Antonio Marcos and went to #1 in the whole country in 1973.
Claudio Fontana gets a Chico Viola Award from Kalil Filho for 'Adeus ingrata' in 1969. 
Claudio Fontana's EP 'Adeus ingrata'.
Claudio Fontana at TV Guide Intervalo in 1967.
Nelson Ned is interviewed by 'Intervalo' in 1970. It is remarkable how rude the journalist is to Ned who was a dwarf. 

Friday, 7 February 2014

Martha Mendonça - Edith Veiga

MARTHA MENDONÇA 1962-1963

'Revista do Radio1st September 1962, with Martha Mendonça on its cover.
'Revista do Radio' asks 50 (mostly silly) questions and finds out Martha Mendonça had a dream to work with Pat Boone... 
Martha Mendonça at Avenida Atlantica, Copacabana Beach in August 1962... 

I was 12 years old in 1961, when I fell in love with 'Tu sabes', a song sung by a new singer called Martha Mendonça, that played on the radio constantly until it became the Number One single in the Nation.

With only one song, 'Tu sabes', Martha Mendonça got to be a well-known face around the country and soon recorded a whole album for Chantecler

One could not say Martha Mendonça was a 'one-hit-wonder' because she recorded myriad of singles & albums for Chantecler, Odeon & other labels, but she never managed to come up with another huge hit as 'Tu sabes'.

revista Intervalo 18 August 1963. 
1st October 1961 - 78 rpm released by Chantecler, 'Tu sabes', a bolero written by Joaquim Taborda, with an exquisite arrangement by Elcio Alvarez in which a long meandering introduction prepared the listener for the soft voice of Martha Mendonça.   
12 November 1961 - 'Tu sabes' with Martha Mendonça ended up being the best selling record of 1961
Irenice Mendonça Ferreira, Martha Mendonça's real name was born on 16 February 1940, in Uberaba-MG, being very musical maybe due to her father being a professional guitar player. 

When Martha was 15 years old she started singing at Uberaba's PRE-5 radio station soon moving on to Radio Difusora Triangulina.in the same town.

In 1956, along with her family, Martha moved to São Paulo in search of better opportunities. She started singing at 'Galera do Nelson', on Radio Nacional Paulista being introduced to night-life work at Bar Dindin, at Rua Augusta, owned by Dora Lopes, where she was spotted by Wilson Miranda who took her to record-label Chantecler which was riding on top of the waves with more Number Ones in 1961 than anybody else.

Before 1961 was out, Martha Mendonça had taken 'Tu sabes' to Number One, adding up value to herself and Chantecler. 

EDITH VEIGA 

'Revista do Radio', 30 September 1961.