Maria Bethânia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Maria Bethânia | |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Maria Bethânia Vianna Telles Veloso |
| Born | 18 June 1946 Santo Amaro da Purificação, Brazil |
| Origin | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Voice type(s) | Contralto |
| Years active | 1960s–present |
| Website | http://www.mariabethania.com.br/ |
Maria Bethânia Vianna Telles Veloso (born 18 June 1946 in Santo Amaro da Purificação, Brazil), better known as Maria Bethânia, is a singer and sister of Caetano Veloso. She started her career in Rio de Janeiro in 1964 with the show "Opinião" ("Opinion"). Due to its popularity, and the popularity of her 1965 single "Carcará", the singer became a star in Brazil, with performances all over the country. She has released over 30 albums to date.
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[edit] Biography
In her childhood, Bethânia had aspirations to become an actress. However, her mother was a musician, so music was prevalent in the Veloso household.[1] Though Bethânia was born in Santo Amaro da Purifição, her family moved to Salvador, Bahia when she was 13 years old. The move allowed her to experience the bohemian, intellectual circles of the city as well as to visit theaters. When she was 16, her brother Caetano Veloso invited her to sing in a film for which he was producing the soundtrack, but she refused. However, the film's director, Álvaro Guimarães, liked her voice and invited the young musician to perform in a 1963 performance of a Nélson Rodrigues musical. She began performing again with her brother, as well as Gilberto Gil, Gal Costa, and Tom Zé, at the opening of the Vila Vehla Theater in the next year.[1] During one of these performances, the bossa nova musician Nara Leão offered her an opportunity to take her place in a series of performances titled "Opinião".[2] She released her first single, a protest song named "Carcará", in 1965, the same year as her brother released his first recording.[3]
After releasing "Carcará" Bethânia returned from Rio de Janeiro, where she had gone to attend college, to Bahia. This was to only be a brief visit, as around that time she was performing at nightclubs and other venues throughout Brazil. This song also got her an offer from an RCA Records representative to record for the company. However Bethânia continually changed record labels throughout the 1970s. In 1973 Bethânia released Drama, Luz Da Noite, in which she performed traditional Brazilian songs, as well as incorporating literary elements.[4] In 1977 Bethânia went on tour and released an gold-certified album, both with the name of Pássaro da Manhã. She released Álibi a year later which was also gold-certified with over a million copies sold.[1] Around the end of the 1970s, Bethânia became more artistically conservative, moving away from the Tropicalismo music her frequent collaborators, including Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil, had been playing.[3] During the 1980s and '90s Bethânia continued to record and perform, with 1993's As Canções Que Cocê Fez Para Mim becoming the year's most successful album in Brazil.[1]
[edit] Works
Discography
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[edit] References
- ^ a b c d Neder, Alvaro. Biography. allmusic. All Media Guide. Retrieved on 2008-03-28.
- ^ Maria Bethânia. AllBrazilianMusic. CliqueMusic Editora. Retrieved on 2008-03-28.
- ^ a b MiNiMuM, Benjamin. Maria Bethânia (French). Mondomix. Retrieved on 2008-03-28.
- ^ Leitão, Egídio (March 1997). Maria Bethânia: Âmbar. Luna Kafé. Retrieved on 2008-03-29.
[edit] External links
- (Portuguese) Official site
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Veloso, Maria Bethânia Vianna Telles |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Bethânia, Maria |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Singer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | June 18, 1946 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Santo Amaro da Purificação, Bahia, Brazil |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
