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Rita Lee Jones (; born 31 December 1947) is a Brazilian rock singer, composer and writer. She is a former member of the Brazilian band Os Mutantes and is a popular figure in Brazilian entertainment, where she is also known for being an animal rights activist and a vegan. She has sold more than 60 million albums worldwide. Her autobiography ''Rita Lee: Uma Autobiografia'' was the best-selling non-fiction book of 2017 in Brazil.


Early life and education

Rita Lee was born in São Paulo, Brazil, to an American father, Charles Fenley Jones, a dentist descended from the Confederates, and Romilda Padula, a Brazilian mother of Italian ancestry and a pianist. Rita studied classical piano with the renowned pianist
Magdalena Tagliaferro Magdalena Maria Yvonne Tagliaferro (19 January 18939 September 1986) was a Brazilian-born pianist of French parentage. Magdalena Tagliaferro was born in Petrópolis, Brazil. Her father, who had studied piano with Raoul Pugno in Paris, was a voic ...
. In place of the traditional adolescent debut ball, she asked to receive a drum set. She was educated in a French-language school and became fluent in Spanish, French, and Italian, as well as her native Portuguese and the English that her parents spoke at home. She went to college, with the popular actress Regina Duarte as one of her classmates, but she soon left to pursue her musical career.


Career

In 1966, Lee formed the band Os Mutantes with
Arnaldo Baptista Arnaldo Dias Baptista (, born July 6, 1948) is a Brazilian rock musician and composer. Biography Born to pianist, Clarisse Leite, and poet, César Dias Baptista, Baptista studied classical piano from 1955 to 1959, double bass from 1962 to 1 ...
and Sérgio Dias. The band released five albums between 1968 and 1972. In that time, Lee had also released her first two solo works, although these records were produced with fellow members of Os Mutantes. When the band reformed in 2006, she refused to join, calling the reunion an attempt to "earn cash to pay for geriatry". Lee formed a band with two other friends, excelling at vocals so much that they backed stars such as Tony Campelo, Jet Blacks, Demetrius, and Prini Lopez, when they met the brothers Arnaldo and Sérgio Dias Baptista. Adopting the name O'Seis (a pun with "the six" and the Brazilian caipira way of saying "you all"), they recorded the single "O Suicida," which was never released. When the rest of the band left for college, only three of them remained. Picking the name Os Mutantes, they backed Nana Caymmi on her then-husband's composition "Bom Dia" ( Gilberto Gil). When Gil met them, he immediately knew Os Mutantes were on the same track as the Baianos, and the band worked extensively with the members of the Tropicalia collective over the next two years, becoming an integral part of the movement. Gil Invited them to accompany him at TV Record's 1967 III Festival da MPB, where they performed Gil's "Domingo no Parque" with the addition of Rogério Duprat conducting an orchestra with his revolutionary arrangements. Gil's friend Caetano Veloso also performed with a rock group (São Paulo band Beat Boys), and although the novelty of electric instruments and the general irreverence of the mixing of western pop and strange orchestral sounds irritated some in the festival audience, both performances ultimately won approval, with Gil coming second and Veloso taking fourth place. Within a year, however, the nascent Tropicalia movement would face strident opposition from both the military junta that ruled Brazil at the time, and from Brazil's student left, who regarded the Tropicalistas' dalliance with Western pop as a sell-out. Soon after, Os Mutantes recorded their single "O Relógio". In 1968, Os Mutantes performed on the album/manifesto ''
Tropicália ou Panis et Circensis Tropicália (), also known as Tropicalismo (), was a Brazilian artistic movement that arose in the late 1960s. It was characterized by the amalgamation of Brazilian genres—notably the union of the popular and the avant-garde, as well as the m ...
'' (Philips), with Nara Leão, Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Gal Costa, and Tom Zé. This was also when they recorded their first LP, '' Os Mutantes'', and they also backed Gilerto Gil on his second self-titled solo album. In September 1968, Os Mutantes backed Caetano Veloso during his two notorious performances in TV Globo's Third International Song Festival in Rio. The ensemble was met with howls of disapproval from leftist students in the audience at their first-round appearance, due to their challenging psychedelic music, as well as Veloso's lurid costume, and his sexually provocative stage moves. The confrontation climaxed in the second round of the competition on 15 September, when Veloso performed his newly-written psychedelic protest song "É Proibido Proibir" ("It is Forbidden to Forbid"). Left-wing students in the audience (who were strongly opposed to the Tropicalismo experiment) loudly abused, booed and jeered the performers, and pelted the stage with fruit, vegetables and paper balls. A large group in audience showed their disapproval by turning their backs to the stage, prompting Lee and her bandmates to turn their backs on the audience, and Veloso responded angrily to the heckling, haranguing the students at length for their conservatism. The group also performed their "Caminhante Noturno", which won seventh place. In the same year, they participated at the IV FMPB with their "Dom Quixote" and, by Lee and Tom Zé, "2001". At the end of this year, they performed with the Baianos at the Sucata nightclub, Rio, and recorded their second album, also self-titled. In 1969, following the arrests of Gil and Veloso, Os Mutantes went to Europe, playing at Cannes, France, at the MIDEM, and in Lisbon, Portugal. Then, they returned to Brazil and presented the show O Planeta dos Mutantes, the first multi-media experiment in Brazil. With bassist Liminha and drummer Dinho, they participated in the V FIC with "Ando Meio Desligado" (Arnaldo and Rita). In 1970, Lee recorded her solo album, ''
Build Up ''Build Up'' is the solo debut by Rita Lee, originally released in 1970 during her time with Os Mutantes. Despite the moderate success of the single "José (Joseph)", the album failed to captivate listeners in Brazil. All Music Guide entry/ref> ...
'', produced by Arnaldo Baptista. Soon after, they had a stint at the Olympia in Paris. In that period, during their somewhat frequent tours in Europe, they recorded an LP that was never fully released, ''Tecnicolor'', with the exception of some tracks included on 1971's ''Jardim Elétrico''. The LP, ''
A Divina Comédia ou Ando Meio Desligado ''A Divina Comédia ou Ando Meio Desligado'' () is the third album by the Brazilian rock band Os Mutantes. The album was originally released in 1970 (see 1970 in music) and reissued in 1999 on Omplatten Records and again in 2006 by Omplatten's (an ...
'', is from that year and ''
Jardim Elétrico ''Jardim Elétrico'' () is the fourth album by the Brazilian Tropicália/ psychedelic rock band Os Mutantes. The album was originally released in 1971 (see 1971 in music) on Polydor Records. The title in English means ''Electric Garden''. Five o ...
'' (Polydor) from the next. In 1972, Lee recorded another solo album backed by Os Mutantes, '' Hoje É o Primeiro Dia do Resto da Sua Vida'' (Philips). After releasing the '' Mutantes e Seus Cometas no País do Baurets'', Lee was ejected from the group by Arnaldo. Following a period of depression, during which she became locked up in her home, she decided to abandon her career, but, at the same time, she was writing the material that would make her famous as a solo artist.


Going solo

Following her removal from Os Mutantes in late 1972, Lee started a solo career. She was initially part of a female duo with singer Lúcia Turnbull called Cilibrinas do Éden, and after a short time the duo met Lisergia, a band that would eventually become Lee's backing band with the name of Tutti Frutti. In 1974, the band recorded their first album ''Atrás do Porto Tem Uma Cidade'' (''There is a City Behind the Harbor'') that brought some great songs such as "Mamãe Natureza", "Menino Bonito", and "Pé de Meia". In 1975, she recorded the album ''Fruto Proibido'' with the band. The album was praised by critics, sold more than 200,000 copies – a record to Brazilian rock and roll singers at the time – and Lee was given the title "Queen of Rock". In 2007, the Brazilian edition of '' Rolling Stone'' magazine ranked this album as the 16th-best Brazilian album of all time in its " 100 Best List". The producer was Andy Mills, producer of Alice Cooper and then Lee's boyfriend. In the late 1970s, Lee started a partnership with her husband, Roberto de Carvalho, and many subsequent albums were credited to the duo Lee/Carvalho. In the late 1970s, Lee was mentioned in the Caetano Veloso song, "Sampa". In 1976, pregnant for the first time, she was arrested for possession of marijuana and condemned to one year of house imprisonment, when she composed with Paulo Coelho the single "Arrombou a Festa", which sold 200,000 copies. She continued to perform, under special judge permits. Soon after, she recorded the single "Doce de Pimenta" with singer Elis Regina, and recorded and toured with Gilberto Gil in the show/album ''Refestança''. In 1978, she released '' Babilônia'', her fourth and last album with the band Tutti Frutti. The last work came after disagreements between members of the band. The guitarist Luis Carlini left the band, taking the name Tutti Frutti with him. Rita and the rest of the band finished the tour under the name Rita Lee & Cães e Gatos. Lee started recording with her husband, Roberto de Carvalho. The couple wrote hits such as "Mania de Você" (1979), "Lança Perfume" (1980), "Saúde" (1981), "Flagra" (1982), and "On the Rocks" (1983).


Personal life

Lee was married to Mutante Arnaldo Baptista from 1968 to 1972. In 1976, MPB singer Ney Matogrosso introduced her to guitarist Roberto de Carvalho, whom she married, and they had three children:
Beto Lee Roberto Lee de Carvalho (São Paulo, 21 March 1977), more commonly known as Beto Lee, is a Brazilian singer-songwriter and guitarist, currently a session member of Titãs. He has also co-founded Galaxy and has released two solo albums, one of the ...
, João Lee, and Antônio. She has been married to Carvalho ever since and refers to him as her "boyfriend".


Other activities

Aside from her musical career, Lee had a humor program called ''Radio Amador'' on Brazilian radio for nine months in 1986. That same year, Lee wrote three children's books and appeared in Brazilian movies and TV shows. In 1990, she started her own talk show, called ''TvLeeZão'' (a play on "televisão", the Portuguese word for television), on MTV Brasil. From 2002 to 2004, she hosted the Brazilian cable TV talk show ''Saia Justa''. In 2005, her husband and she started a new talk show, called ''Madame Lee''. She also made a brief cameo in the 2002 film ''
Durval Discos ''Durval Discos'' is a 2002 Brazilian film by Anna Muylaert shot in Pinheiros (district of São Paulo), Pinheiros, a borough of São Paulo. The film is noticeable for its soundtrack made up of 1970s Brazilian music that reflects the protagonist's ...
''. In 2008–09, she performed a new show called ''Pic Nic Tour''. In 2010, she performed another new show called ''Etc...Tour'', revisiting some forgotten songs from her long career. In 2011, she began to produce and record two new albums. The first one has new unreleased songs, and the second one is called ''Bossa'n Movies'' where she continues the project started with ''Bossa'n Roll'' in 1991 and ''Bossa'n Beatles'' (''Aqui, ali, em qualquer lugar''). In 2011, she contributed the track "Pistis Sophia" to the
Red Hot Organization Red Hot Organization (RHO) is a not-for-profit, 501(c) 3, international organization dedicated to fighting AIDS through pop culture. Since its inception in 1989, over 400 artists, producers and directors have contributed to over 15 compilati ...
's most recent charitable album, '' Red Hot+Rio 2.'' The album was a follow-up to the 1996 '' Red Hot + Rio.'' Proceeds from the sales were donated to raise awareness and money to fight AIDS and related other health and social issues.


Discography


With Os Mutantes

*1968: '' Tropicália: ou Panis et Circenses'' ( Philips, 1968. Collective album with Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso, Tom Zé, Nara Leão and Gal Costa) *1968: '' Os Mutantes'' ( Polydor, 1968) *1969: '' Mutantes'' ( Polydor, 1969) *1970: ''
A Divina Comédia ou Ando Meio Desligado ''A Divina Comédia ou Ando Meio Desligado'' () is the third album by the Brazilian rock band Os Mutantes. The album was originally released in 1970 (see 1970 in music) and reissued in 1999 on Omplatten Records and again in 2006 by Omplatten's (an ...
'' ( Polydor, 1970) *1971: ''
Jardim Elétrico ''Jardim Elétrico'' () is the fourth album by the Brazilian Tropicália/ psychedelic rock band Os Mutantes. The album was originally released in 1971 (see 1971 in music) on Polydor Records. The title in English means ''Electric Garden''. Five o ...
'' ( Polydor, 1971) *1971: ''
Tecnicolor ''Tecnicolor'' would have been the fourth album by the Brazilian band Os Mutantes. The album was intended to be their introduction in the English-speaking world and included English versions of songs from the albums '' Os Mutantes'' and ''A Div ...
'' (abandoned, released 29 years later) ( Universal, 2000) *1972: '' Mutantes e Seus Cometas no País do Baurets'' ( Polydor, 1972)


With Tutti Frutti

*1974: ''Atrás do Porto Tem uma Cidade'' *1975: ''Fruto Proibido'' *1976: ''Entradas e Bandeiras'' *1978: '' Babilônia''


Solo albums

*1970: ''
Build Up ''Build Up'' is the solo debut by Rita Lee, originally released in 1970 during her time with Os Mutantes. Despite the moderate success of the single "José (Joseph)", the album failed to captivate listeners in Brazil. All Music Guide entry/ref> ...
'' *1972: '' Hoje É o Primero Dia do Resto da Sua Vida'' (Cláudio César Dias Baptista talking and playing "zabumba") *1979: '' Rita Lee'' *1980: ''Rita Lee'' *1981: ''Saúde'' *1982: ''Rita Lee e Roberto de Carvalho'' *1983: '' Baila Conmigo'' (in Castilian) *1983: ''Bombom'' *1984: ''Rita Hits'' (two medleys remixed compilation) *1985: ''Rita e Roberto'' *1987: ''
Flerte Fatal ''Flerte Fatal'' (in English: "Fatal Flirtation") is an album by Brazilian singer Rita Lee in partnership with her husband Roberto de Carvalho, released in 1987, the album features hits like "Pega Rapaz", "Bwana" and "Flerte Fatal" Track listin ...
'' *1988: ''Zona Zen'' *1989: ''
Dias Melhores Virão ''Better Days Ahead'' ( pt, Dias Melhores Virão) is a 1989 Brazilian comedy-drama film directed by Carlos Diegues. Plot The staff of a dubbing studio celebrates the announcement of a Brazilian dubbing of an acclaimed show called ''The Mary Shad ...
'' (soundtrack) *1990: ''Rita Lee e Roberto de Carvalho'' *1993: ''
Todas as Mulheres do Mundo ''Todas as Mulheres do Mundo'' is an album by Brazilian singer Rita Lee, released in 1993 through Som Livre. Track listing References Rita Lee albums 1993 albums {{Brazil-album-stub ...
'' *1997: ''
Santa Rita de Sampa ''Santa Rita de Sampa'' is an album released by Brazilian singer Rita Lee, on September 4, 1997 by Universal Music. This album marked the return of Rita Lee, after a while recovering from a domestic accident. Track listing References Rit ...
'' *2000: ''
3001 3001 may refer to: * 3001, the post code of Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Austra ...
'' *2000: '' Rita ReLEEda'' (remixes) *2001: '' Aqui, Ali, Em Qualquer Lugar'' (aka ''Bossa'n Beatles'') *2003: '' Balacobaco'' *2012: ''Reza''


Live albums

*1975: ''Hollywood Rock'' (with Erasmo Carlos, Peso & Raul Seixas) *1977: ''Refestança'' (with Gilberto Gil) *1991: ''Rita Lee em Bossa 'n' Roll'' *1995: ''A Marca Da Zorra'' *1998: ''Acústico MTV'' ('' MTV Unplugged'') *2004: ''MTV Ao Vivo'' (''MTV Live'') *2009: ''Multishow Ao Vivo Rita Lee''


Singles/EPs

*1976: ''Lá Vou Eu'' (EP) *1977: ''Arrombou a Festa'' (Single) *1980: "Lanca Perfume" *1983: ''Desculpe o Auê / Yoko Ono'' (Single in Spanish) *2002: ''Rita Lee Novelas''


Spoken albums

*1989: ''Pedro e o Lobo'' (spoken album as narrator to '' Peter and the Wolf'') *1996: ''Tutu, O Menino Indio'' (spoken album as narrator)


Tributes

*1996: ''Eles Cantam Rita Lee'' (Various Artists) *1996: ''Love, Lee Rita'' (by Ná Ozzetti) *2007: ''Pirataria-Rita Lee por Crikka Amorim'' (by Crikka Amorim) *2015: ''Prisioneira do Amor'' (by Andreia Dias) *2015: ''Rock Your Babies: Rita Lee'' (by Rock Your Babies) *2017: ''Baby, Baby'' (by Lulu Santos) *2020: ''Rita Lee: Eleectronica'' (by Jon Alkalay)


DVDs

*1998: ''Acústico MTV'' (Live) ('' MTV Unplugged'') *2004: ''MTV Ao Vivo'' (''MTV Live'') *2006: ''Grandes Nomes: Rita Lee Jones'' (Original TV Special From 1980) *2007: ''Biograffiti'' (Box Set 3 DVDs) *2009: ''Multishow Ao Vivo Rita Lee''


Books

*2013: ''Storynhas'' *2016: ''Rita Lee: Uma Autobiografia'' *2017: ''Dropz '' *2018: ''favoRita '' *2019: Amiga Ursa – Uma história triste, mas com final feliz


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Rita 1947 births Living people Women rock singers Música Popular Brasileira singers Brazilian people of Italian descent Brazilian people of American descent Singers from São Paulo Brazilian rock musicians Brazilian mezzo-sopranos Brazilian women composers Brazilian composers Tropicalia singers Latin Grammy Award winners Brazilian rock singers 21st-century Brazilian women singers 21st-century Brazilian singers Women in Latin music Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winners Os Mutantes members