Brazilian singer, guitarist, concertist and composer born in Valença, in the interior of the State of Rio de Janeiro, a one of the most important female names in Brazilian popular music and considered one of the instrumental matrices of Bossa New. As a child, she became interested in the guitar, watching her brother Roberto's regional band rehearsals. Encouraged by this brother, she began to study the guitar alone, listening to radio music and, at age 12, with impressive technique, she was already playing on the city's radio and livening up parties and dances in the region.
She went to live in Rio de Janeiro (1963), leaving her studies to dedicate herself exclusively to her career as an instrumentalist. She was discovered by journalist Sergio Porto, who introduced her to Baden Powell and Aloysio de Oliveira, at the Au Bon Gourmet nightclub. She made an impact when she appeared, thanks to the strength of her touch and the quality of her performances. Already with the famous codename, created by Sérgio Porto, thanks to his hometown. She started playing at the Bottle's nightclub, where she stayed for eight months, and recorded her first album, Introducing Rosinha de Valença (1963), for Elenco, Aloysio's record label. She stood out as an excellent instrumentalist, appearing in television programs such as O Fino da Bossa, alongside Baden Powell, master of her style on the instrument. Her performance with Baden was fundamental for the instrumental direction that bossa nova came to develop.
She traveled (1964) with Sergio Mendes and toured the United States with the group Brasil 65, and recorded two albums. She then went to Europe as a soloist in a group formed by Itamaraty to present Brazilian popular music abroad, performing in 24 European countries. After successive trips and presentations in the USSR, Israel, Switzerland, Italy, Portugal and countries Africans, he returned to Brazil (1970) and engaged in movements for the valorization of instrumental music Brazilian. She then worked with Martinho da Vila, participating in his next four LPs and performing new tours abroad.
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Back (1974), she organized a band that had various formations and had the participation of artists such as pianist João Donato, flutist Copinha and singers Ivone Lara and Miúcha. For his performance, he won an award from the Ordem dos Músicos do Brasil. In the following years she performed in several shows, alongside her band or alone, and accompanying artists. She has recorded more than a dozen LPs, released in Brazil, USA, Germany and France, in various brands, including RCA, Odeon, Forma, Pacific Jazz and Barclay. Unfortunately, a cardiac arrest caused her brain damage, left her in a vegetative state (1992) and was taken back to Valença. Two years after falling into a coma, a group of artists performed a benefit concert at Canecão to help defray the guitarist's medical expenses.
Since then, several tribute shows have been organized by friends and family to help pay for the treatment. The first eight years of the coma were spent at the home of her older sister, Marijó, and after her death, she was taken care of by another sister, Maria das Graças, in a humble neighborhood in Valença. After 12 years in a state of coma, one of the most outstanding instrumentalists of Bossa Nova was admitted to Hospital Escola Luiz Giosef Jannuzzi, where he died the following day, in June (2004), aged 62, of respiratory failure, in his hometown, Valença, in the south of Brazil. State. Her body was buried in the Riachuelo cemetery, in the center of Valença.
One of the outstanding moments in his recordings was Violões em Dois Estilos, recorded with W. Blanco, on Som Livre (1980), with a very eclectic repertoire, with tracks such as Porto das Flores (by him), Asa Branca (L. Gonzaga - H. Teixeira), Morena of the sea (D. Caymmi), Ponteio (W. Blanco), Minuet and Prelude No. 13 (J. S. Bach).
Source: Biographies - Academic Unit of Civil Engineering / UFCG
Order R - Biography - Brazil School
