Leandro e Leonardo

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Leandro e Leonardo were a Brazilian sertanejo duo. The two brothers, Leandro (born Luís José Costa, b. Oct. 15, 1961) and Leonardo (Emival Eterno Costa, b. July 25, 1963), were from Goianápolis.

[edit] History

The brothers were raised in a poor family in Brazil, and worked on their parents' farm as well as in odd jobs. Emival convinced his brother to move to the city, and the two learned to play songs by Chitãozinho & Xororó, Roberto Carlos, and The Beatles, playing locally in a group called Os Dominantes. After moving to Brasilia, where they lived with their uncle Ze (who also arranged gigs for them), they began performing as Leandro & Leonardo, the name of twins recently born in the city.

After a few years of local and regional performances, they were offered spots on local television stations, and their first album came out in 1983. However, it wasn't until 1989 that they began to hit big on the Brazilian charts, with their Vol. 3 release. The group became superstars in the early 1990s, selling several million copies of their albums and obtaining a weekly show on Brazilian television.

In April 1998, Leandro was diagnosed with lung cancer and died two months later, on June 23. Leonardo continues to record as a solo artist.