Elizabeth Santos Leal de Carvalho (May 5, 1946 – April 30, 2019), known professionally as Beth Carvalho, was a Brazilian
samba
Samba (), also known as samba urbano carioca (''urban Carioca samba'') or simply samba carioca (''Carioca samba''), is a Brazilian music genre that originated in the Afro-Brazilian communities of Rio de Janeiro in the early 20th century. Havin ...
singer,
guitarist
A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselv ...
,
cavaquinist and composer.
Biography
Carvalho was raised in a middle-class family in
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...
's
South Zone. Her father, João Francisco Leal de Carvalho, was a lawyer. She grew up influenced by different types of music. Her father used to take her to samba school rehearsals, and her mother was a lover of classical music who encouraged her to become a ballerina. She started playing the guitar as a teenager, and got involved with the emerging
Bossa Nova
Bossa nova () is a style of samba developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is mainly characterized by a "different beat" that altered the harmonies with the introduction of unconventional chords and an innovativ ...
movement, winning a nationwide song contest on TV at the age of 19.
Following a 1967 album, "Muito Na Onda," with the project 'Conjunto 3D,' Carvalho did her first solo record, 1968's "Andança", and carried the song of the same name to victory in a larger festival, which brought her to prominence. Although she started her career with Bossa Nova, that was an ephemeral phase which lasted less than one year. Beth started dedicating herself entirely to
samba
Samba (), also known as samba urbano carioca (''urban Carioca samba'') or simply samba carioca (''Carioca samba''), is a Brazilian music genre that originated in the Afro-Brazilian communities of Rio de Janeiro in the early 20th century. Havin ...
just as her fame began, working with legendary composers such as Nelson Sargento.
Carvalho is a very important artist in the history of samba, as she celebrated and brought the spotlight to the work of legendary composers such as
Cartola
Angenor de Oliveira, known as Cartola (Portuguese for top hat), (; October 11, 1908 – November 30, 1980) was a Brazilian singer, composer and poet considered to be a major figure in the development of samba.
Cartola composed, alone or with p ...
,
Nelson Cavaquinho
Nelson Cavaquinho (October 29, 1911 – February 18, 1986, birth name Nelson Antônio da Silva) was one of the most important singer/composers of samba. He is usually seen as a representative of the tragic aspects of samba thematics, with many son ...
&
Guilherme de Brito
Guilherme de Brito Bollhorst (January 3, 1922 – April 28, 2006), known as Guilherme de Brito, was a Brazilian '' sambista'', singer, songwriter, and painter.
Biography
Guilherme de Brito Bollhorst was born in Vila Isabel, a traditional neighbor ...
when they weren't receiving the attention they deserved. Almost all of her records have songs by these composers, among other legendary ''sambistas'' such as Nelson Sargento and the
Old Guard of Portela. Her samba school was
Mangueira, but that didn't stop her from recording dozens of songs from composers of
Portela Portela or Pórtela may refer to:
People
* Portela (surname)
Places
* Lisbon Portela Airport, the international airport of Lisbon, Portugal
* Residence of Portela, 17th-century country house in Paços de Brandão, Portugal
Civil parishes
* Po ...
, the other great traditional samba school in Rio.
Later, in the late 1970s and early 80s, Beth helped bring to the public the work of other rising
pagode
Pagode () is a Brazilian style of music that originated in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as a subgenre of Samba. Pagode originally meant a celebration with food, music, dance, and party. In 1978, singer Beth Carvalho was introduced to this music, liked ...
artists from Cacique de Ramos, such as
Almir Guineto
Almir de Souza Serra (12 July 1946 – 5 May 2017), better known by his stage name Almir Guineto, was a Brazilian sambista, singer and songwriter and instrumentalist, working in the genres of samba and pagode.
Biography
Guineto was director of t ...
,
Jorge Aragão
Jorge Aragão (, (b. March 1, 1949 in Rio de Janeiro), birth name Jorge Aragão da Cruz) is a Brazilian musician, singer/songwriter, working in the genres of samba and pagode. He is a multi-instrumentalist, and plays the guitar, ''surdo'', ''cava ...
and the
Fundo de Quintal
Grupo Fundo de Quintal or simply Fundo de Quintal (''Backyard Group'', roughly) is a Brazilian Samba band formed in Rio de Janeiro at the end of the 1970s.
History
The founding members of Fundo de Quintal, Almir Guineto (banjo/ cavaco), Bira Pre ...
group. Then, in 1983, she introduced
Zeca Pagodinho
Jessé Gomes da Silva Filho, known professionally as Zeca Pagodinho (, born February 4, 1959), is a Brazilian singer-songwriter working in the genres of samba and pagode.
Biography
Born in the neighborhood of Irajá, Rio de Janeiro, Zeca Pagodin ...
who would become the major samba name of the 90s. Carvalho always tried to bring underrated composers the recognition they deserve, and she is regarded as ''madrinha do samba'' (the godmother of samba). She was a driving force in the modernization of samba in the 80s, and at the same time rejected commercial pop trends in samba arrangements, preserving tradition.
In the 1990s, Beth's popularity wasn't the strongest, but she was always popular. She recorded an album dedicated to the samba from
São Paulo
São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaWC a ...
, rejecting the famous axiom that "São Paulo is the grave of samba". In 1998 she recorded an album dedicated entirely to the
pagode
Pagode () is a Brazilian style of music that originated in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as a subgenre of Samba. Pagode originally meant a celebration with food, music, dance, and party. In 1978, singer Beth Carvalho was introduced to this music, liked ...
classics, ''Pérolas do Pagode'' (Pagode Pearls).
In the new millennium, Beth worked more than ever, releasing CDs and DVDs. With a career that spanned 40 years, she was a historical figure in Brazilian culture, and recognized as the female sambista with the most substantial opus in Brazil, without diminishing other, younger stars such as
Clara Nunes
Clara Nunes (, August 12, 1942 – April 2, 1983) was a Brazilian samba and MPB singer, considered one of the greatest of her generation. She was the first female singer in Brazil to sell over 100,000 copies of a record, and
Daniela Mercury
Daniela Mercury (born Daniela Mercuri de Almeida on July 28, 1965) is a Brazilian singer, songwriter, dancer, producer, actress and television host. In her solo career, Mercury has sold over 20 million records worldwide and had 24 Top 10 single ...
.
Trivia
* Beth was a known supporter of both the
Botafogo
Botafogo (local/standard alternative Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation: ) is a beachfront neighborhood (''bairro'') in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is a mostly upper middle class and small commerce community, and is located between the hills of M ...
and
Clube Atlético Mineiro
Clube Atlético Mineiro (), commonly known as Atlético Mineiro or Atlético, and colloquially as Galo (, "Rooster"), is the largest professional football club based in the city of Belo Horizonte, the capital city of the Brazilian state of Mi ...
football teams
* Beth was one of the main personalities of the samba school
Mangueira
* Beth had a variety of hits in the 1970s, with her 1979 song "Coisinha Do Pai" being one of her biggest hits. The song was inserted into the
Mars Pathfinder
''Mars Pathfinder'' (''MESUR Pathfinder'') is an American robotic spacecraft that landed a base station with a roving probe on Mars in 1997. It consisted of a lander, renamed the Carl Sagan Memorial Station, and a lightweight, wheeled robot ...
.
* Her social music often concerned the poor and the
Indigenous peoples in Brazil
Indigenous peoples in Brazil ( pt, povos indígenas no Brasil) or Indigenous Brazilians ( pt, indígenas brasileiros, links=no) once comprised an estimated 2000 tribes and nations inhabiting what is now the country of Brazil, before European con ...
Discography
* ''Beth Carvalho – 40 anos de Carreira – Ao Vivo no Theatro Municipal – Vol.1 (CD)'' – Andança/Sony – BMG – 2006
* ''Beth Carvalho – 40 anos de Carreira – Ao Vivo no Theatro Municipal – Vol.2 (CD)'' – Andança/Sony – BMG – 2006
* ''Beth Carvalho – 40 anos de Carreira – Ao Vivo no Theatro Municipal (DVD)'' – Andança/Sony – BMG – 2006
* ''Beth Carvalho – A Madrinha do Samba – Ao Vivo (DVD)'' – Indie – 2004
* ''Beth Carvalho – A Madrinha do Samba – Ao Vivo (CD)'' – Indie – 2004
* ''Beth Carvalho Canta Cartola'' – BMG – 2003
* ''Nome Sagrado – Beth Carvalho Canta Nelson Cavaquinho'' – Jam Music – 2001
* ''Pagode de Mesa Ao Vivo 2'' – Universal Music – 2000
* ''Pagode de Mesa Ao Vivo'' – Universal Music – 1999
* ''Pérolas do Pagode'' – Globo / Polydor – 1998
* ''Brasileira da Gema'' – Polygram – 1996
* ''Beth Carvalho Canta o Samba de São Paulo'' – Velas – 1993
* ''Pérolas – 25 Anos de Samba'' – Som Livre – 1992
* ''Ao Vivo no Olympia'' – Som Livre – 1991
* ''Intérprete'' – Polygram – 1991
* ''Saudades da Guanabara'' – Polygram – 1989
* ''Alma do Brasil'' – Polygram – 1988
* ''Beth Carvalho Ao Vivo (Montreux)'' – RCA – 1987
* ''Beth'' – RCA – 1986
* ''Das Bençãos Que Virão Com os Novos Amanhãs'' – RCA – 1985
* ''Coração Feliz'' – RCA – 1984
* ''Suor no Rosto'' – RCA – 1983
* ''Traço de União'' – RCA – 1982
* ''Na fonte'' – RCA – 1981
* ''Sentimento Brasileiro'' – RCA – 1980
* ''Beth Carvalho no Pagode'' – RCA – 1979
* ''De Pé No Chão'' – RCA – 1978
* ''Nos Botequins da Vida'' – RCA – 1977
* ''Mundo Melhor'' – RCA – 1976
* ''Pandeiro e Viola'' – Tapecar – 1975
* ''Pra Seu Governo'' – Tapecar – 1974
* ''Canto Por Um Novo Dia'' – Tapecar – 1973
* ''Andança'' – Odeon – 1969
References
External links
Entrevista 1988 (In Portuguese)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carvalho, Beth
1946 births
2019 deaths
Democratic Labour Party (Brazil) politicians
Samba musicians
Latin Grammy Award winners
Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winners
20th-century Brazilian women singers
20th-century Brazilian singers
21st-century Brazilian women singers
21st-century Brazilian singers
Women in Latin music