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Elis Regina Biography
“Singing for me is a sacred,” said Elis Regina. Coming to prominence at the peak of bossa nova years in the late 1950s and early 1960s and considered by many Brazilians as one of their finest female singers, her ability to bring the sensual emotions of a song to life made her a myth in her own lifetime. This small petite dark haired woman stunned everyone with the perfectly pitched purity of her gorgeous voice, a voice which seemed effortlessly capable of capturing both strength and vulnerability, of evoking the kaleidoscope of emotions people often travel through in a brief moment. Very much a free spirit and quixotic in temperament, she was capable of expressing a wide range of often fiery emotions in the course of her own everyday life. What set her apart and made her so special was her ability to bring this same emotional intensity to her work, giving herself body and soul in performance, Regarded as one of the most ferociously talented singers to emerge in Brazil, like her US counterpart Billie Holiday, Regina’s was a voice which illuminated the words of songs from within , creating a subtle palette of colours and textures. Like Holliday her own vulnerabilities and the bittersweet experience of fame took its toll and she was to die a tragic early death due to the effects of an overdose.
Born Elis Regina de Carvalho on March 17th 1945 in Port Alegre, Rio Grando do Sul southern Brazil into a modest family she was from an early age precociously talented and ambitious for fame. At that age of eleven she was singing on Maurcio Sobrinhos programme on the local Rádio Gaúcha in front of a live audience at the Cine Castelo, making her first professional deal as a singer with station in 1959. The following year she went to Río de Janeiro to record her first single and in 1961, when she was only sixteen, the same record label, Continental, released her first LP called “Viva a Brotolândia". That eclectic set, featuring calypso and rock’n’roll tunes showed from the beginning her enormous versatility. Story has it that early on she faked a birth certificate in order to sing in night clubs (such as the famous bossa nova nightclub Beco das Garrafas), hiding in the bathroom during police raids. By 1962 she had received two major awards: Queen of the Disco Club (1961) and Best Singer of the Year (1962). In 1965 she shot to national fame almost overnight when she performed Edu Lobo and Vinicuis de Moraes’s "Arrastão" at the first Brazilian Popular Music Festival televised by Excelsior TV. Her attractive clothes and trademark performance style of moving her hands and rotating her arms in the air for emphasis as she sang was integral to the impact of her performance (hELIScopter is one unforgettable description).
Elis was an early champion of the composers of her generation of both bossa and the nascent Tropicalia movement. Her 1966 album "Elis", included the first recording of the song "Canção do Sal", by Milton Nascimento. She went on to record the early songs of Ivan Lins ("Madalena"), Tavito/ Zé Rodrix ("Casa no Campo") and Belchior ("Como Nossos Pais"). By being the first to record the songs of Gilberto Gil, Miton Nascimento, Joâo Bosco, Aldir Blanc, Renato Teixeira, Fátima Guedes she helped bring their music to mainstream audiences.
In the mid-1960s with Jair Rodrigues she did a number of concerts called ‘Dois na bossa’ at São Paolo’s Paramount Theatre which captured the imagination of the time. Their success led to three albums together and one of the most important Brazilian Music TV shows, O Fino da Bossa, aired in 1965. O Fino da Bossa was responsible for launching musicians and hit songs, such as "Canto de Ossanha" (Baden Powell/ Vinícius de Moraes), "Louvação" (Gilberto Gil/ Torquato Neto) and "Lunik 9" (Gil). Its impact consolidated the beginnings of the nascent tropicalia movement and propelled both Regina and Rodrigues to permanent national popularity.
In 1975 she worked for sixteen months at São Paolo’s Bandeirantes Theatre in the autobiographical show, Falso brillante. From then onwards she was regarded as a huge star. Renowned for her perfectionism as well as being both candid and stubborn (being 'her own woman’ the music industry, very much a man’s world) Regina was a consummate professional. Mistress of the 'first take' when recording, she demanded the most of herself and those she worked with. For the relentless way she drove herself and members of her band she was nicknamed ‘Pinmentinha’ (Little Pepper).
She had what has been described as a stormy life. She was married to her first husband Ronaldo Bôscoli for six years bearing a son João Marcelo. During this time however she fell in love with César Camargo Mariano with whom she was working on ‘Elis and Tom’, an album recorded in the United States with key bossa nova composer Tom Jobim, which many regard as her finest and which is certainly one of her most popular (tracks of which are featured on this compilation). With Mariano she was to have two children, Pedro and Maria Rita. Both of her sons have become musicians.
In 1969, her international career took off when she toured the main European and Latin American cities. In 1979 she took part in the Montreux Jazz Festival, in Switzerland and recorded one of her hits, "O Bêbado e a Equilibrista", by Aldir Blanc and João Bosco. These two musicians wrote many hit songs for her, including "Mestre-sala dos Mares" and "Dois pra Lá, Dois pra Cá". Some of her unforgettable interpretations include "Upa, Neguinho" (Edu Lobo/ G. Guarnieri), "Águas de Março" (Tom Jobim), , "Folhas Secas" (Nelson Cavaquinho/ Guilherme de Brito) and "Romaria" (Renato Teixeira).
Regina’s voice sculpted the soul out of each and every song she sang. Shortly before her death she confessed, “I am someone who adores life.” Her voice lives on: she remains an icon in Brazil, remembered with great affection by legions of fans.
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