Barão Vermelho () is a Brazilian rock band. Formed in 1981 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 ...

, it was originally led by songwriting duo

Cazuza Agenor de Miranda Araújo Neto, better known as Cazuza (; April 4, 1958 – July 7, 1990), was a Brazilian singer and songwriter, born in Rio de Janeiro. Along with Raul Seixas, Renato Russo and Os Mutantes, Cazuza, both while fronting Barão Ver ...

(singer) and

Roberto Frejat Roberto Frejat (born May 21, 1962) is a musician, composer, singer and co-founder of the band Barão Vermelho. Frejat, who was born in Rio de Janeiro, is considered one of the most important people in the Brazilian Rock scene. He co-founded the ...

(guitarist), who assumed the vocals after Cazuza's departure in

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...

. Frejat left the band in

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...

and was replaced by Rodrigo Suricato. They are considered one of the most influential bands in Brazilian rock.

History

Formation

The band, named after

Snoopy Snoopy is an anthropomorphic beagle in the comic strip ''Peanuts'' by Charles M. Schulz. He can also be found in all of the ''Peanuts'' films and television specials. Since his debut on October 4, 1950, Snoopy has become one of the most recog ...

's "Red Baron" strips, began in 1981, in

, as a literal garage band, when Maurício Barros and Guto Goffi, both studying at Imaculada Conceição High School, got together to play

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ...

and

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically dr ...

at the former's parents' house.

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 themsel ...

and

bassist A bassist (also known as a bass player or bass guitarist) is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass (upright bass, contrabass, wood bass), bass guitar (electric bass, acoustic bass), synthbass, keyboard bass or a low b ...

Dé Palmeira joined them, and the band began to look for a singer. One candidate was singer and guitarist

Léo Jaime Leonardo "Léo" Jaime (born April 23, 1960) is a Brazilian singer-songwriter, guitarist, actor and writer, famous for being one of the founding members of the rockabilly band João Penca e Seus Miquinhos Amestrados. Biography Léo Jaime was bo ...

from

Goiás Goiás () is a Brazilian state located in the Center-West region. Goiás borders the Federal District and the states of (from north clockwise) Tocantins, Bahia, Minas Gerais, Mato Grosso do Sul and Mato Grosso. The state capital is Goiâ ...

, who was turned down by the band, because they considered his vocal style "too soft" for their taste.Dapieve, Arthur (2000), p. 66 Jaime suggested one of his colleagues at acting class, Agenor Miranda Araújo Neto, more commonly known as

, and noted that he was "the son of João Araújo" - a reference that the ''barões'' missed, only later learning that João Araújo was an executive at Som Livre, one of Brazil's largest record companies.

showed them some lyrics that he had already written, and Barão Vermelho, which had been a cover band until then, began writing their own songs. They recorded their first album, ''Barão Vermelho'' by Som Livre in only two days in

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C ...

. The album included songs such as "Bilhetinho Azul", "Ponto Fraco" and "Down em Mim." They played in a few concerts in

and

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 GaW ...

and returned to the studio for a month to record their second album, ''Barão Vermelho 2'', which was released in 1983 and which includes the song "Pro Dia Nascer Feliz".

Gaining recognition

Despite having released two albums the radios refused to play their songs. Barão only gained recognition after

Caetano Veloso Caetano Emanuel Viana Teles Veloso (; born 7 August 1942) is a Brazilian composer, singer, guitarist, writer, and political activist. Veloso first became known for his participation in the Brazilian musical movement Tropicalismo, which encomp ...

called Cazuza the greatest poet of his generation and played a cover of "Todo Amor Que Houver Nessa Vida", and Ney Matogrosso recorded "Pro Dia Nascer Feliz". As a result, they were invited to write the

soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrac ...

for a film called "Bete Balanço" in

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

, spreading their fame across the country. This same year they released their third album, ''Maior Abandonado'', which includes the song "Bete Balanço". This album sold more than 100 thousand copies in only 6 months. In

January January is the first month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars and is also the first of seven months to have a length of 31 days. The first day of the month is known as New Year's Day. It is, on average, the coldest month of the ...

, Barão Vermelho played at Rock in Rio.

Cazuza leaves

Cazuza had already expressed his desire to pursue a solo career, and had Frejat's support as long as he did not leave the band. However, after some fights, Cazuza left the band for good, taking with him a few songs for his first solo album. Frejat took over as singer and in

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal en ...

the band released their fourth album, ''Declare Guerra''. Though famous artists like

Renato Russo Renato Russo (born Renato Manfredini, Jr., March 27, 1960 – October 11, 1996) was a Brazilian singer and songwriter. He was the lead singer of the alternative rock band Legião Urbana. A Brazilian film depicting his life and career was rele ...

and

Arnaldo Antunes Arnaldo Antunes (, born Arnaldo Augusto Nora Antunes Filho, September 2, 1960) is a Brazilian musician, writer, and composer. He was a member of the rock band Titãs, which he co-founded in 1982 and left ten years later. After 1992, he embarked o ...

helped compose the album, it did not receive much promotion. In 1987 they released their fifth album, ''Rock'n Geral''. The album received good reviews, but sold poorly, selling less than 15 thousand copies. This same year Mauricio left the band and Peninha entered as a percussionist and Magalhães as guitarist. Barros would return as a guest musician in many Barão albums.

Back on the Charts

In 1988 the band released their sixth album, ''Carnaval'', which mixed hard rock with romantic lyrics. The album was a huge success on the radio, guaranteeing Barão Vermelho the opportunity to open for

Rod Stewart Sir Roderick David Stewart (born 10 January 1945) is a British rock and pop singer and songwriter. Born and raised in London, he is of Scottish and English ancestry. With his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart is among the best-selling ...

in Brazil. The following year, with their popularity high, they released their seventh album, ''Barão ao Vivo'', and this same year Som Livre released the collection, ''Melhores Momentos: Cazuza & Barão Vermelho''. The album included rare and previously unreleased tracks such as "Eclipse Oculto" and "Eu Queria Ter Uma Bomba". In

1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of humanity on Earth, astrophysicis ...

bassist, Dé, left the band after continuous fights, and Dadi entered in his place. This same year, Barão recorded and released ''Na Calada da Noite'', showing their acoustic side. This album included the song "O Poeta está Vivo" – an allusion to Cazuza, who died a few months earlier due to complications caused by the

AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual ma ...

virus. In

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phi ...

the band was chosen by the public and critics of ''Bizz'' magazine as the best Brazilian band of the year, and recorded an

MTV Unplugged ''MTV Unplugged'' is an American television series on MTV showcasing musical artists usually playing acoustic instruments. The show aired regularly from 1989 to 1999 and less frequently from 2000 to 2009, when it was usually billed as ''MTV Un ...

. In this same year, keyboardist Maurício Barros returned to the band. The following year they were named the best band of

Hollywood Rock Hollywood Rock was a music festival which took place in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, from 1988 to 1996, featuring both Brazilian and international acts. The festival was sponsored and organised by the Souza Cruz tobacco company, owne ...

. In

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment building in Amsterdam after two of its engin ...

the band released the albums ''Supermercados da Vida'', which includes the hit "Pedra Flor e Espinho" and in

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which sank in the Baltic Sea; Nels ...

they released ''Carne Crua'', with the single "Meus Bons Amigos" before Dadi left, being replaced by Rodrigo Santos. In

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake str ...

, the band opened for

in the Brazilian Voodoo Lounge shows, and in the following year released an album of covers, ''Álbum'', with the most successful song being a version of

Bezerra da Silva José Bezerra da Silva (February 23, 1927 in Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil – January 17, 2005 in Rio de Janeiro) was a Brazilian samba musician of the partido alto style. Biography Bezerra da Silva played zabumba as a child and sang coco in Rec ...

's "Malandragem Dá Um Tempo". In 1998, Barão released ''Puro Êxtase'', a

techno Techno is a Music genre, genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally music production, produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempo often varying between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central Drum beat, rhythm is typ ...

-influenced album that became their most successful in the decade, led by the

electronica Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that started in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mostly used to ...

"Puro Extase" and the ballad "Por Você". In

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...

they recorded an album for MTV Brasil, ''Balada MTV: Barão Vermelho''. The band entered a hiatus in the early 2000s, so Frejat could focused in his solo career. The band came back to release another album, titled ''Barão Vermelho'', in

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight ...

. The following year saw the release ''MTV ao Vivo: Barão Vermelho'', which includes "Codinome Beija-Flor" a Cazuza song, in which they sampled clips from this song's official music video, so to simulate a duet. In

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple Inc., Apple's first iPhone (1st generation), iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakis ...

the band entered another hiatus.

Discography

Studio albums

* (1982) '' Barão Vermelho'' * (1983) '' Barão Vermelho 2'' * (1984) '' Maior Abandonado'' * (1986) '' Declare Guerra'' * (1987) '' Rock'n Geral'' * (1988) ''

Carnaval Carnival is a Catholic Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (or Pre-Lent). Carnival ty ...

'' * (1990) ''Na Calada da Noite'' * (1992) ''Supermercados da Vida'' * (1994) ''Carne Crua'' * (1996) ''Álbum'' * (1998) ''Puro Êxtase'' * (2004) ''Barão Vermelho'' * (2019) ''Viva''

Live albums

* (1989) ''Barão ao Vivo'' * (1992) ''Barão Vermelho ao Vivo'' (recorded in 1985) * (1997) ''Barão Vermelho ao Vivo + Remixes'' * (1999) ''Balada MTV: Barão Vermelho'' * (2005) ''MTV ao Vivo: Barão Vermelho'' * (2022) ''Barão 40''

Video albums

* (1999) ''Balada MTV: Barão Vermelho'' * (2005) ''MTV ao Vivo: Barão Vermelho'' * (2006) ''MTV Barão Vermelho (1991-2005)'' (

box set A box set or (its original name) boxed set is a set of items (for example, a compilation of books, musical recordings, films or television programs) traditionally packaged in a box and offered for sale as a single unit. Music Artists and bands ...

with 3 DVDs) * (2007) ''Rock in Rio 1985'' (recorded in 1985) * (2022) ''Barão 40''

Members

Current members

* Guto Goffi:

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair of matching drumsticks ...

(since 1981),

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...

(1981-1989; since 2013) * Maurício Barros: keyboards,

backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are ...

(1981-1987; since 1991), occasional lead vocals (since 2017) * Fernando Magalhães: rhythm and lead guitar, backing vocals (since 1989) * Rodrigo Suricato:

lead vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of the ...

, lead and rhythm guitar (since 2017) * Márcio Alencar:

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

, backing vocals (since 2017)

Former members

* Sérgio Serra: rhythm and lead guitar (1981-1982) *

: lead vocals (1981-1985, deceased in 1990) * Dé Palmeira: bass guitar, backing vocals (1981-1989) *

: lead and rhythm guitar (1981-2017), backing vocals (1981-1985), lead vocals (1985-2017) * Dadi Carvalho: bass (1989-1992) * Peninha: percussion (1989-2016, his death) * Rodrigo Santos: bass, backing vocals (1992-2017), occasional lead vocals (2017)

Timeline

ImageSize = width:900 height:auto barincrement:16 PlotArea = left:110 bottom:60 top:10 right:20 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = yyyy Period = from:1981 till:2019 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Legend = orientation:horizontal position:bottom ScaleMajor = increment:2 start:1981 ScaleMinor = unit:year increment:1 start:1981 Colors = id:Vocals value:red legend:Vocals id:Guitar value:green legend:Guitars id:Bass value:blue legend:Bass id:Keyboard value:purple legend:Keyboards id:Drums value:orange legend:Drums id:Percussion value:claret legend:Percussion id:Studio value:black legend:Studio_albums LineData = at:1982 color:studio layer:back at:1983 color:studio layer:back at:1984 color:studio layer:back at:1986 color:studio layer:back at:1987 color:studio layer:back at:1988 color:studio layer:back at:1990 color:studio layer:back at:1992 color:studio layer:back at:1994 color:studio layer:back at:1996 color:studio layer:back at:1998 color:studio layer:back at:2004 color:studio layer:back at:2019 color:studio layer:back BarData = bar:Cazuza text:"Cazuza" bar:Suricato text:"Rodrigo Suricato" bar:Frejat text:"Roberto Frejat" bar:Sergio text:"Sergio Serra" bar:Fernando text:" Fernando Magalhães" bar:Mauricio text:"Maurício Barros" bar:De text:"Dé Palmeira" bar:Dadi text:"Dadi Carvalho" bar:Rodrigo text:"Rodrigo Santos" bar:Márcio text:"Márcio Alencar" bar:Guto text:"Guto Goffi" bar:Peninha text:"Peninha" PlotData= width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(11,-4) bar:Cazuza from:1981 till:1985 color:Vocals bar:Suricato from:2017 till:end color:Vocals bar:Suricato from:2017 till:end color:Guitar width:3 bar:Frejat from:1981 till:1989 color:Guitar bar:Frejat from:1985 till:1989 color:Vocals width:3 bar:Frejat from:1989 till:2007 color:Vocals bar:Frejat from:1989 till:2007 color:Guitar width:3 bar:Frejat from:2012 till:2013 color:Vocals bar:Frejat from:2012 till:2013 color:Guitar width:3 bar:Sergio from:1981 till:1982 color:Guitar bar:Fernando from:1989 till:2007 color:Guitar bar:Fernando from:2012 till:2013 color:Guitar bar:Fernando from:2017 till:end color:Guitar bar:Mauricio from:1981 till:1987 color:Keyboard bar:Mauricio from:1991 till:2007 color:Keyboard bar:Mauricio from:2012 till:2013 color:Keyboard bar:Mauricio from:2017 till:end color:Keyboard bar:Mauricio from:2017 till:end color:Vocals width:3 bar:De from:1981 till:1989 color:Bass bar:Dadi from:1989 till:1992 color:Bass bar:Rodrigo from:1992 till:2007 color:Bass bar:Rodrigo from:2012 till:2013 color:Bass bar:Rodrigo from:2017 till:2017 color:Bass bar:Rodrigo from:2017 till:2017 color:Vocals width:3 bar:Márcio from:2017 till:end color:Bass bar:Guto from:1981 till:2007 color:Drums bar:Guto from:1981 till:1989 color:Percussion width:3 bar:Guto from:2012 till:2013 color:Drums bar:Guto from:2017 till:end color:Drums bar:Guto from:2017 till:end color:Percussion width:3 bar:Peninha from:1989 till:2007 color:Percussion bar:Peninha from:2012 till:2013 color:Percussion

Notes

References

*(2000) ''BRock - O Rock Brasileiro dos Anos 80''

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barao Vermelho Musical groups established in 1981 Musical groups from Rio de Janeiro (city) Brazilian rock music groups 1981 establishments in Brazil