Rita Lee is a singer and songwriter born in São Paulo and known as the “queen of music”. rock Brazilian". Defender of women's rights, she was one of the first to play guitar on stage. Owner of straight hair, with bangs and dyed red, the artist participated in the group Os Mutantes, in the 1960s and 1970s, becoming famous nationally.
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Summary about Rita Lee
Rita Lee Jones de Carvalho, known as Rita Lee, was born in São Paulo capital, on December 31, 1947.
Rita Lee dropped out of the Social Communication course at USP to dedicate herself to music.
She participated in the psychedelic rock group Os Mutantes between the 1960s and 1970s.
She was one of the first women to play guitar on stage.
Her irreverence made her known as the queen of Brazilian rock.
She participated in the group Os Mutantes before pursuing a solo career.
Rita Lee is a composer and performer of great musical successes, such as “Erva Poisonosa”, “Lança Perfume” and “Amor e Sex”.
In 2012, the singer retired from the stage due to health problems, and, in 2021, she revealed to be treating a lung cancer.
Rita Lee's childhood and youth
Rita Lee Jones de Carvalho was born on December 31, 1947, in the city of São Paulo (SP). And the younger daughter by Romilda Padula and Charles Fenley Jones, of Italian and American descent respectively. The singer she has two sisters: Mary and Virginia. Both also have the surname Lee, which, although not officially their father's, was adopted by him to honor a general.
In her childhood and adolescence, the artist's family she was middle class. She lived in the São Paulo neighborhood Vila Mariana, where she claimed to have lived great moments. The artist studied at one of the traditional schools in São Paulo, the Liceu Pasteur. Rita Lee is multilingual and she fluently speaks languages like English, Italian, Spanish and French.
As a child, Rita Lee took piano lessons, but it was in her teens that she really got interested in music. Also at this time she began to compose her first songs. Like many young people in the 1960s, Rita Lee I liked rock bands international like The Beatles and Rolling Stones. She also admired Brazilian singers like Cauby Peixoto and João Gilberto, one of the creators of the musical style. Bbone nmy ass.
The singer even enrolled in the Social Communication course at the University of São Paulo (USP), but left the institution to dedicate himself to music. Considered one of the main Brazilian rock singers, Rita Lee is known for the iconic image of her straight hair, with bangs and dyed red.
Rita Lee's Family Life
O Rita Lee's first husband was Arnaldo Baptista, his musical partner in the group Os Mutantes. They were married in 1971 and separated a few years later. In 1976, Rita Lee moved in with guitarist and future musical partner Roberto de Carvalho. They only got married civilly in 1996 and are still together today.
Rita Lee he has three children: João, Antônio and Beto. The latter is also a guitarist. The singer also has two grandchildren: Izabella and Arthur.
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Rita Lee's Music Career
Rita Lee stands out in Brazilian music not only for being one of the greatest singers and composers, but also for having made her presence felt by being one of the first women to play guitar on stage. Her irreverence, attitude and posture made her known as the queen of Brazilian rock.
→ Participation in the group Os Mutantes
Rita Lee participated in the psychedelic rock musical group Os Mutantes between 1966 and 1972. The band started its activities by fitting into the movement Tropicália, whose leaders were Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil.
Os Mutantes were influenced by groups such as The Beatles and singer and guitarist Jimi Hendrix. They sang songs in English, and also the group liked to singin Portuguese is value the Brazilian culture. Therefore, Os Mutantes are considered a pioneering band in musical hybridity. The group participated in several television programs in the 1960's. He released his first eponymous album in 1968. One of the band's main songs is called Panis et Circenses.
In 1970, Os Mutantes released the album The Divine Comedy or I'm a little off, definitely considered a progressive rock album. Rita Lee's last album in the group was Mutants and Their Comets in the Country of the Baurets, from 1972. Research points out that Rita Lee, in fact, was asked to leave the bandbecause of musical disagreements. As Arnaldo Baptista stated: “I sent Rita away from Os Mutantes”.
→ Tutti Frutti band and solo career
After leaving Os Mutantes, Rita Lee formed, in 1973, another band with friends called Tutti Frutti. In this group, the artist sang and played guitar, piano, harmonica and synthesizer. It was in the 1970s that Rita released several of her musical successes, consolidating itself as the queen of brazilian rock.
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Rita Lee top songs
Rita Lee composed and performs several songs from the genres of rock and Brazilian Popular Music (MPB). See below their main compositions:
launches perfume
Black sheep
Bubble bath
sweet vampire
dance with me
sorry for the uê
poisonous weed
Love and sex
Now you're just missing
This rock enrow guy
Gardens of Babylon
mania for you
Come closer
Victim
Rita Lee currently
The singer é adept of veganism. She has strong opinions and tends to express them well in her interviews. She is an advocate of animals and women's rights. Her too likes to express himself through his social networks.
the artist she decided to retire from the stage in 2012, announcing that she was in poor health. At the time, the singer even stated on a social network: “I retire from concerts, but never from music”. Nonetheless, a year later, she even participated in concerts, such as the one held in celebration of the 459th anniversary of the city of São Paulo.
In 2021, the singer revealed that she was with cancer lung. She underwent treatment and, the following year, announced that she was cured. Rita Lee still lives in São Paulo.
image credits
[1] Alexandre Cardoso/Wikimedia Commons
[2] National Archives/Wikimedia Commons
[3] National Archives/Wikimedia Commons
By Silvia Tancredi
Journalist
