Elis Regina was a Brazilian singer considered by many to be one of the greatest voices and performers in the history of the country. Nicknamed Pimentinha, Furacão and Baixinha, Elis Regina worked with great composers of Brazilian music, such as Belchior and Gilberto Gil, giving life to great classics, such as "How our parents", "The drunk and the tightrope walker" and "Hello, hello Martian". The singer died at the age of 36, on January 19, 1982, as a result of an overdose of alcohol and cocaine.
Read too: Gal Costa — one of the great icons of Brazilian popular music
Origin of Elis Regina
Elis Regina de Carvalho Costa was born on March 17, 1945, in Porto Alegre. She was the daughter of Ercy Carvalho and Romeu de Oliveira Costa. She started singing as a teenager, at the age of 12.
Her first performance was on Farroupilha radio, on the Clube do Guri program.. From then on, she was asked to perform frequently on the show, with other children.
Elis Regina's musical career
Still in her teens, at the age of 16, Elis Regina
went to Rio de Janeiro, where he recorded his first LP, the Long live Brotolândia, on the Continental label, in 1961.After that, she even recorded two more LPs for the label, but it was around her 20s that Elis Regina began to achieve fame. In 1964, the singer was already performing on the Rio–São Paulo axis and decided to move permanently to Rio.
She changed record labels, joined Phillips and worked at TV Rio, presenting the program Noite de Gala. The singer did not spend much time in the capital of Rio de Janeiro, and, in 1965, moved to São Paulo, where he performed at the famous Brazilian Music Festival.
At the festival, Elis Regina sang the song “Arrastão”, composed by Edu Lobo and Vinicius de Moraes. The song sung by her won the festival, and Elis Regina won the award for best interpreter. The festival, the song and the award were decisive for the career of all the artists involved, especially for the singer.
As late as 1965, Elis Regina started performing on the program O Fino da Bossa, with Jair Rodrigues, with whom she released three albums.
![Elis Regina singing alongside Jair Rodrigues, another important Brazilian singer. [2]](/f/4123fb154e448e94afd41fd5f25c6cfb.jpg)
In the same period, Elis Regina became uncomfortable with Jovem Guarda, a musical movement that was on the rise at the time and that brought names like Robertos Carlos and Erasmo Carlos. The reason for the nuisance is the fact that the program has become strong competition and has become quite successful on TV.
Elis Regina was known not only for her great vocal range but also for the versatility of her voice and outstanding interpretation.. She performed songs in different genres, such as bossa nova, rock, jazz and, of course, MPB. One of her hallmarks on stage was to extend her arms while singing, also interpreting the songs with her body.
Throughout her career, Elis Regina collaborated with several Brazilian composers, among them Tom Jobim, Ivan Lins, Belchior and Vinicius de Moraes. On the self-titled album Elis, for example, she collaborated with two young composers of the time: Milton Nascimento and Gilberto Gil. Among the main songs of the singer are:
Waters of March - (1972)
Madeleine (1971)
Like Our Fathers (1976)
Fascination (1978)
The Drunk and the Equilibrist (1979)
Hello, Hello Marciano (1980)
Mary Mary (1980)
Upa, Neguinho (1966)
Some of the successful LP's and albums are as follows:
Elis and Tom (1974)
Elis (1977)
fake shiny (1976)
time cross (1978)
See too: Chico Buarque — another big name in Brazilian popular music
Elis Regina and her relationship with politics
Elis Regina's political stance was also one of her trademarks. The singer was a strong critic of the military regime that devastated Brazil between 1964 and 1985.
politicized, the singer spoke in interviews, television and, of course, in music. Among the great interpretations of Elis that denounced the military dictatorship are: “Like our parents” (1976) and “The drunk and the tightrope walker” (1979).
Personal life of Elis Regina
Elis Regina related mainly to people involved with the world of music, as is common with artists, due to their common lifestyle, and had three children. She dated artist Edu Lobo, with whom she collaborated on several songs. In 1964, she began her relationship with music producer Solano Ribeiro, to whom she became engaged, but the troubled relationship came to an end. In 1967, she married composer Ronaldo Bôscoli, from whom she separated in 1972.
With Bôscoli, Elis had her first child, João Marcelo Bôscoli. She married again, this time with pianist César Camargo, with whom she had two more children, musicians Maria Rita and Pedro Mariano.
Curiosities about Elis Regina
Elis Regina's nickname Pimentinha was not by chance. The singer had a strong personality and positioning outside and inside the stage, which did not please everyone.
Not afraid of enmities, Elis had a dislike for singer Rita Lee. Behind the scenes, it was known that she didn't like the guitars and the sound produced by Mutantes and Rita. However, in 1976, when Rita Lee was arrested while pregnant, Elis Regina was the first and only person to come forward and visit the singer. In addition, he demanded better treatment for Rita, as well as food and her release. After that, both became personal and stage friends. In music, they collaborated on the song “Doce de pepper” and on “Alô, alô marciano”, composition by Rita Lee and Roberto de Carvalho. In private life, Elis Regina named her daughter, Maria Rita, in honor of Rita Lee.
Bôscoli, Elis Regina's first husband, had already had a relationship with two other great singers of the time: Nara Leão and Maysa Matarazzo. The fact served as gossip and enmity between the singers for a long time.
Death of Elis Regina
Elis Regina died on the morning of January 19, 1982. Minutes before passing away, the singer called her boyfriend, Samuel Mac Dowell, and even in the call her voice was fading, until she didn't answer him anymore. He went to the singer's apartment, where he found her unconscious. The medical report indicated accidental overdose of alcohol and cocaine as the cause of death of the singer. Elis Regina was veiled on the stage of Teatro Bandeirantes. About 15,000 fans followed the ceremony.
image credits
[1] Rubenilson23 / Wikimedia Commons (reproduction)
[2] National Archives / Wikimedia Commons (reproduction)
[3] National Archives / Wikimedia Commons (reproduction)
[4] CNT News Agency / Wikimedia Commons (reproduction)
By Miguel Souza
Journalist
