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 Os Mutantes (meaning '' the mutants''; ) are an influential Brazilian rock band that were linked with the Tropicália movement, a dissident musical movement during the Brazilian dictatorship of the late 1960s. The band is considered to be one ...

and is a popular figure in Brazilian entertainment, where she is also known for being an

animal rights Animal rights is the philosophy according to which many or all Animal consciousness, sentient animals have moral worth that is independent of their Utilitarianism, utility for humans, and that their most basic interests—such as avoiding s ...

activist and a

vegan Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal product—particularly in diet—and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. An individual who follows the diet or philosophy is known as 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 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 Ga ...

, 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. 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 Regina Blois Duarte (born 5 February 1947) is a Brazilian actress who briefly served as Special Secretary of Culture, a cabinet position in President Jair Bolsonaro's federal administration, from March to May 2020. Political activities Her effo ...

as one of her classmates, but she soon left to pursue her musical career.

Career

In 1966, Lee formed the band

with Arnaldo Baptista and

Sérgio Dias Sérgio Dias Baptista (born December 1, 1950) is a Brazilian rock musician, composer and guitar player. Twice a Latin Grammy nominee, he is best known for his work with the band Os Mutantes and has been the only consistent member of the band, ...

. 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 A Caipira () is an ethnic group native to Paulistânia, cultural area in Brazil, the term "''caipira''", of origin in the Paulista General language, probably influenced by the terms "''kai'pira''", "''ka'apir''", "''ka'a pora''" or "''kopira'' ...

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 Nana Caymmi (b. Dinahir Tostes Caymmi, April 29, 1941) is a Brazilian singer. Caymmi was born in Rio de Janeiro, the daughter of Dorival Caymmi and Stella Maris. Her first appearance on record was on her father's album ''Acalanto''. She married ...

on her then-husband's composition "Bom Dia" (

Gilberto Gil Gilberto Passos Gil Moreira (; born 26 June 1942), is a Brazilian singer-songwriter and politician, known for both his musical innovation and political activism. From 2003 to 2008, he served as Brazil's Minister of Culture in the administration ...

). 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'' (Philips), with

Nara Leão Nara Lofego Leão (; January 19, 1942 – June 7, 1989) was a Brazilian bossa nova and MPB (popular Brazilian music) singer and occasional actress. Her husband was Carlos Diegues, director and writer of '' Bye Bye Brasil''. Life Leão was bor ...

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 ...

, Gilberto Gil,

Gal Costa Gal Maria da Graça Costa Penna Burgos (born Maria da Graça Costa Penna Burgos; 26 September 1945 – 9 November 2022), known professionally as Gal Costa (), was a Brazilian singer of popular music. She was one of the main figures of the tro ...

, and

Tom Zé Antônio José Santana Martins (born 11 October 1936), known professionally as Tom Zé (), is a Brazilian singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and composer who was influential in the Tropicália movement of 1960s Brazil. After the peak of ...

. This was also when they recorded their first LP, ''

'', 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 Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

. 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'', is from that year and '' Jardim Elétrico'' (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 Tutti frutti (from Italian ''tutti i frutti'', "all fruits"; also hyphenated tutti-frutti) is a colorful confectionery containing various chopped and usually candied fruits, or an artificial or natural flavouring simulating the combined flavou ...

. 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 ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' 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 Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier, February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer whose career spans over five decades. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusions, including pyrotechnics, guillot ...

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

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 Paulo Coelho de Souza (, ; born 24 August 1947) is a Brazilian lyricist and novelist and a member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters since 2002. His novel ''The Alchemist'' became an international best-seller and he has published 28 more book ...

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 Elis Regina Carvalho Costa (March 17, 1945 – January 19, 2002), known professionally as Elis Regina (), was a Brazilian singer of MPB and jazz music. She is also the mother of the singers Maria Rita and Pedro Mariano. She became national ...

, 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 Ney de Souza Pereira (born 1 August 1941), known professionally as Ney Matogrosso (), is a Brazilian singer who is distinguished for his uncommon countertenor voice. He was ranked by ''Rolling Stone'' as the third greatest Latin American singer ...

introduced her to guitarist Roberto de Carvalho, whom she married, and they had three children: Beto Lee, 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 MTV Brasil was a Brazilian over-the-air television network owned by Grupo Abril focused on the youth. The network was launched on 20 October 1990, as the first specialty television network to broadcast over-the-air, becoming the local version ...

. 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''. 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's most recent charitable album, '' Red Hot+Rio 2.'' The album was a follow-up to the 1996 ''

Red Hot + Rio ''Red Hot + Rio'' is a compilation album produced by Béco Dranoff and Paul Heck as part of the Red Hot AIDS Benefit Series intended to promote AIDS awareness. This installment is a contemporary tribute to the bossa nova sound, especially the mus ...

.'' 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 Koninklijke Philips N.V. (), commonly shortened to Philips, is a Dutch multinational conglomerate corporation that was founded in Eindhoven in 1891. Since 1997, it has been mostly headquartered in Amsterdam, though the Benelux headquarters i ...

, 1968. Collective album with

and

) *1968: ''

'' (

Polydor Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States ...

, 1968) *1969: ''

Mutantes Os Mutantes (meaning '' the mutants''; ) are an influential Brazilian Rock music, rock band that were linked with the Tropicalismo, Tropicália movement, a dissident musical movement during the Brazilian dictatorship of the late 1960s. The band ...

'' (

, 1969) *1970: '' A Divina Comédia ou Ando Meio Desligado'' (

, 1970) *1971: '' Jardim Elétrico'' (

, 1971) *1971: '' Tecnicolor'' (abandoned, released 29 years later) (

Universal Universal is the adjective for universe. Universal may also refer to: Companies * NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company ** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of NBCUniversal ** Universal TV, a ...

, 2000) *1972: '' Mutantes e Seus Cometas no País do Baurets'' (

, 1972)

With Tutti Frutti

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

Solo albums

*1970: ''

'' *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'' *1988: ''Zona Zen'' *1989: '' Dias Melhores Virão'' (soundtrack) *1990: ''Rita Lee e Roberto de Carvalho'' *1993: '' Todas as Mulheres do Mundo'' *1997: '' Santa Rita de Sampa'' *2000: '' 3001'' *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

) *1991: ''Rita Lee em Bossa 'n' Roll'' *1995: ''A Marca Da Zorra'' *1998: ''Acústico MTV'' (''

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 ...

'') *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 ''Peter and the Wolf'' ( rus, Петя и Bолк, r="Pétya i volk", p=ˈpʲetʲə i volk, links=no) Op. 67, a "symphonic fairy tale for children", is a musical composition written by Sergei Prokofiev in 1936. The narrator tells a children's s ...

'') *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) (''

'') *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