Elza da Conceição Soares (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Gomes; 23 June 1930 – 20 January 2022), known professionally as Elza Soares (), was a Brazilian

samba Samba () is a broad term for many of the rhythms that compose the better known Brazilian music genres that originated in the Afro-Brazilians, Afro Brazilian communities of Bahia in the late 19th century and early 20th century, It is a name or ...

singer. In 1999, she was named Singer of the Millennium along with

Tina Turner Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939 – May 24, 2023) was a singer, songwriter, actress, and author. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", her vocal prowess, raspy voice, and electrifyin ...

BBC Radio BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927. The service provides national radio stations cove ...

. Elza was deemed dangerous by the

Military dictatorship in Brazil The military dictatorship in Brazil (), occasionally referred to as the Fifth Brazilian Republic, was established on 1 April 1964, after a 1964 Brazilian coup d'état, coup d'état by the Brazilian Armed Forces, with support from the United Stat ...

(1964–1985), and in 1970 her house in the Jardim Botânico neighborhood, in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

, was machine-gunned by regime agents. Inside were her partner

Garrincha Manuel Francisco dos Santos (28 October 1933 – 20 January 1983), nicknamed Mané Garrincha, best known as simply Garrincha (, "little bird"), was a Brazilian professional association football, footballer who played as a Midfielder#Winger, righ ...

and their children. The living room, where the young children were, was destroyed by the blasts. She and Garrincha had to flee to Italy, where they were received by Chico Buarque de Hollanda also in exile.

Biography

Elza Gomes da Conceição was born on 23 June 1930 in Padre Miguel, Rio de Janeiro. Her father Avelino Gomes was a factory worker and guitarist, and her mother Rosária Maria da Conceição was a washerwoman. She was born in the Moça Bonita, a

favela Favela () is an umbrella name for several types of impoverished neighborhoods in Brazil. The term, which means slum or ghetto, was first used in the Slum of Providência in the center of Rio de Janeiro in the late 19th century, which was b ...

in the Padre Miguel neighborhood of

. During her childhood, Soares played on the streets, spun wooden tops, flew kites, and fought with boys. Despite poverty and having to carry buckets of water on her head, she had a happy childhood. When she was 12, she was forced by her father to marry Lourdes Antônio Soares, also known as Alaúrdes, and within a year later gave birth to her first child, João Carlos. Soares liked to sing, and when she needed money for medicine for her son, she participated in a vocal contest presented by Ary Barroso at Rádio Tupi. She was given money for participating and was then able to buy the medicine. When she was fifteen, she gave birth to her second child, who died. After her husband became ill with

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

, she began working at the Veritas soap factory in the Engenho de Dentro neighborhood of

. At twenty-one she was a widow, left alone to raise her children: four boys and one girl. She dreamed of becoming a singer. When she was thirty-two she had a relationship with football player

. She was vilified by Brazilian society, with many accusing her of breaking up his marriage. She was shouted at in the street, received death threats, and her house was pelted with eggs and tomatoes. On 13 April 1969 her mother died in a car accident. Garrincha, Soares, and her daughter Sara were also injured in this accident. Garrincha was driving drunk on Presidente Dutra highway when a truck merged into the lane. Everyone in the car was hurt, and Dona Rosário was thrown from the vehicle and killed. Soares and Garrincha remained married for sixteen years (1968–1982). Garrincha's friends did not accept Soares as his wife, instead calling her a "witch." Soares tried to curb her husband's dependence on alcohol by visiting bars and pleading with them not to serve her husband. The couple had one child, a boy, born in 1976. He was named after his father, Manuel Francisco dos Santos, and received the nickname Garrincha Jr. In 1983 Garrincha died of

cirrhosis Cirrhosis, also known as liver cirrhosis or hepatic cirrhosis, chronic liver failure or chronic hepatic failure and end-stage liver disease, is a chronic condition of the liver in which the normal functioning tissue, or parenchyma, is replaced ...

, which devastated Soares, though they were already separated. On 11 January 1986, her son died when he was 9 years old in a car accident as he was coming back from visiting his father's hometown,

Magé Magé () is a List of municipalities in Rio de Janeiro, municipality located in the States of Brazil, Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro (state), Rio de Janeiro. ''Magepe-Mirim'' () was established in 1566 by Portuguese colonists. It is considered ...

. It had been raining and the driver lost control of the vehicle. The door opened and the boy was thrown into the Imbariê River. Soares was disconsolate and considered ending her own life. She left Brazil and toured Europe and the United States. After many years of searching for her long lost daughter, they were reunited after Soares returned to Brazil. On 26 July 2015 Soares lost her fifth son, Gerson, when he was 59 years old. He died of complications of a

urinary tract infection A urinary tract infection (UTI) is an infection that affects a part of the urinary tract. Lower urinary tract infections may involve the bladder (cystitis) or urethra (urethritis) while upper urinary tract infections affect the kidney (pyel ...

. Soares had six children: João Carlos, Gerson, Gilson, Dilma, Sara, and Garrincha. She died at her residence in Rio de Janeiro, on 20 January 2022, at the age of 91.

Career

In 1958, Soares spent eight months touring Argentina with Mercedes Batista. She became popular with her first single "Se Acaso Você Chegasse", on which she introduced scat singing ''à la''

Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...

, adding a bit of

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

to samba, however, Elza said that she did not know American music at the time. She moved to

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

, where she performed at theaters and night clubs. Her husky voice became her trademark. After finishing her second album, ''A Bossa Negra'', she went to Chile to represent Brazil in the

1962 FIFA World Cup The 1962 FIFA World Cup was the 7th edition of the FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football championship for senior men's national teams. It was held from 30 May to 17 June 1962 in Chile. The qualification rounds took place between ...

and met

From 1967 to 1969, Soares recorded three albums with the record label Odeon, partnering with singer Miltinho. The albums were titled ''Elza, Miltinho e Samba (Volumes 1–3)''. The songs in these albums were mostly in the

potpourri Potpourri ( ) is a mixture of dried, naturally fragrant plant materials used to provide a gentle natural scent, commonly in residential settings. It is often placed in a decorative bowl. Etymology The word "potpourri" comes into English from ...

style with duets. The albums were produced by Milton Miranda and Hermínio Bello de Carvalho and re-released on CD in 2003 by EMI-Odeon. In the 1970s, she toured the U.S. and Europe. In 2000, she was named Best Singer of the Millennium by the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

in London, where she performed a concert with

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 Música popular brasileira, popular music. Twelve-times Bra ...

Chico Buarque Francisco Buarque de Hollanda (born 19 June 1944), popularly known simply as Chico Buarque (), is a Brazilian singer-songwriter, guitarist, composer, playwright, writer, and poet. He is best known for his music, which often includes social, econom ...

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 Ministry of Culture (Brazil), Minister of ...

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 Tropicália, which encompas ...

, and Virgínia Rodrigues. During the same year, she played a series of avant-garde concerts directed by José Miguel Wisnik in Rio de Janeiro. Soares scored a number of hits in Brazil throughout her career, including "Se Acaso Você Chegasse" (1960), "Boato" (1961), "Cadeira Vazia" (1961), "Só Danço Samba" (1963), "Mulata Assanhada" (1965), and "Aquarela Brasileira" (1974). ''Elza Pede Passagem'' produced no major hit singles but it was considered representative of the samba-soul of the early 1970s. In 2002, her album ''Do Cóccix Até O Pescoço'' album earned a Grammy nomination. The album was recorded with Caetano Veloso, Chico Buarque,

Carlinhos Brown Antônio Carlos Santos de Freitas, known professionally as Carlinhos Brown (Brazilian Portuguese: /kaʁˈlĩɲus bɾaw̃, -iɲuʃ/, 23 November 1962), is a Brazilian singer, percussionist, and record producer from Salvador, Bahia. His musica ...

, and

Jorge Ben Jor Jorge Duílio Lima Menezes (born March 22, 1939) is a Brazilian popular musician, performing under the stage name Jorge Ben Jor since the 1980s, though commonly known by his former stage name Jorge Ben (). Performing in a samba style that also ...

. In 2004, Soares released ''Vivo Feliz'' with the single, "Rio de Janeiro", a homage to her city of birth. While not as successful in sales as her previous release, the album carried on the theme of mixing samba and bossa nova with modern electronic music and effects. The album included collaborations with

Nando Reis Nando Reis (, born José Fernando Gomes dos Reis; January 12, 1963) is a Brazilian musician and producer, best known as the former bassist and one of the lead singers of Brazilian rock band Titãs and for his successful solo career, with his own ...

, Fred 04 (former leader of

mangue beat The mangue bit or manguebeat movement is a cultural movement created circa 1991 in the city of Recife in Northeast Brazil in reaction to the cultural and economic stagnation of the city. The movement largely focuses on music, but it has its own fa ...

band

Mundo Livre S/A Mundo Livre S/A is a Brazilian mangue bit band, formed in 1984 in Recife, Pernambuco. It is also one of the founders of that musical style, which became popular in the 1990s. Fred Zero Quatro, the band's singer, was one of the authors of Carang ...

), and Zé Keti. In 2007, she was invited to sing ''

a cappella Music performed a cappella ( , , ; ), less commonly spelled acapella in English, is music performed by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Rena ...

'' the

Brazilian National Anthem The "Brazilian National Anthem" () was composed by Francisco Manuel da Silva in 1831 and had been given at least two sets of unofficial lyrics before a 1922 decree by president Epitácio Pessoa gave the anthem its definitive, official lyrics ...

at the opening ceremony of the

2007 Pan American Games The 2007 Pan American Games, officially known as the XV Pan American Games () and commonly known as Rio 2007, were a major Americas, continental multi-sport event that took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from July 13 to 29, 2007. A total of ...

. Soares joined

Jair Rodrigues Jair Rodrigues de Oliveira (February 6, 1939 – May 8, 2014) was a Brazilian musician and singer. He is the father of Luciana Mello and Jair Oliveira, who also followed in his footsteps and became musicians. Biography Born in Igarapava, Rodr ...

and

Seu Jorge Jorge Mário da Silva, more commonly known by his stage name Seu Jorge (Seu, Portuguese for "Your"; born June 8, 1970; ), is a Brazilian musical artist, songwriter, and actor. He is considered by many a renewer of Brazilian pop samba. Seu Jorg ...

for ''Sambistas'' (2009). In 2016, ''A Mulher do Fim do Mundo'' was released internationally with the translated title ''Woman at the End of the World''. She also performed at the opening ceremony of the

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a Multi-s ...

in Rio de Janeiro, where she sang "O Canto de Ossanha" by Baden Powell and

Vinicius de Moraes Marcus Vinícius da Cruz e Mello Moraes (19 October 1913 – 9 July 1980), better known as Vinícius de Moraes () and nicknamed "O Poetinha" ("The Little Poet"), was a Brazilian poet, diplomat, lyricist, essayist, musician, singer, and playwrig ...

. Her album '' A Mulher do Fim do Mundo'' was released in 2015. It was praised by critics as one of the best MPB albums of the past years. She won the award for Best Album in pop/rock/reggae/hip-hop/funk. This album was also nominated for Best Album of Brazilian Popular Music and Best Song in Portuguese at the 17th edition of the

Latin Grammy Award The Latin Grammy Awards (stylized as Latin GRAMMYs) are awards presented by the Latin Recording Academy to recognize outstanding achievement in the Latin music industry. The Latin Grammy honors works recorded in Spanish or Portuguese from any ...

s. Her album ''Deus É Mulher'' was ranked as the 2nd best Brazilian album of 2018 by 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. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' magazine and among the 25 best Brazilian albums of the first half of 2018 by the

São Paulo Association of Art Critics SAO or Sao may refer to: Places * Sao civilisation, in Middle Africa from 6th century BC to 16th century AD * Sao, a town in Boussé Department, Burkina Faso * Serb Autonomous Regions (''Srpska autonomna oblast'', SAO), during the breakup of ...

. The follow-up ''Planet Fome'' was considered one of the 25 best Brazilian albums of the second half of 2019 by the

. For this album, she planned a cover of "Comida", by

Titãs Titãs (, Portuguese for Titans) are a Brazilian Rock music, rock band from São Paulo. Though they primarily are classified as a rock band, the band have also experimented with genres such as New wave music, new wave, punk rock, ska, grunge, M� ...

featuring the then current members of the band (

Branco Mello Branco Mello (; born Claudio Corrêa de Mello Júnior on March 16, 1962) is a Brazilian musician and actor, best known as the vocalist and bassist of Brazilian rock band Titãs. He has also played small but significant roles in films. Childho ...

Sérgio Britto Sérgio de Britto Álvares Affonso (; born September 18, 1959), known as Sérgio Britto, is a Brazilian musician. He is a member of the rock band Titãs, for which he contributes lead vocals, keyboards and, more recently, bass guitar. He has als ...

and

Tony Bellotto Antonio Carlos Liberalli Bellotto (; born 30 June 1960) is a Brazilian musician, best known as the lead guitarist of the rock band Titãs. He has also written and released several books. Childhood Bellotto spent his childhood in the city of A ...

), but she ended up choosing to save the song for later and it was released in October 2020 to mark the album's first anniversary and to celebrate its nomination for the

Discography

* ''Se Acaso Você Chegasse'' (Odeon, 1960) * ''A Bossa Negra'' (Odeon, 1961/Universal 2003) * ''O Samba é Elza Soares'' (Odeon, 1961) * ''Sambossa'' (Odeon, 1963) * ''Na Roda do Samba'' (Odeon, 1964) * ''Um Show de Elza'' (Odeon, 1965) * ''Com A Bola Branca'' (Odeon, 1966) * ''O Máximo em Samba'' (Odeon, 1967) * ''Elza, Miltinho e Samba'' (Odeon, 1967) * ''Elza, Miltinho e Samba Vol.2'' (Odeon, 1968) * ''Elza Soares e Wilson das Neves'' (Odeon, 1968) * ''Elza, Carnaval & Samba'' (Odeon, 1969) * ''Elza, Miltinho e Samba Vol.3'' (Odeon, 1969) * ''Samba & Mais Sambas'' (Odeon, 1969) * ''Elza Pede Passagem'' (Odeon, 1972/EMI, 2004) * ''Sangue, Suor e Raça'' (Odeon, 1972) * ''Aquarela Brasileira'' (Odeon, 1973) * ''Elza Soares'' (Tapecar, 1974) * ''Nos Braços do Samba'' (Tapecar, 1974) * ''Lição De Vida'' (Tapecar, 1976) * ''Pilão + Raça = Elza'' (Tapecar, 1977) * ''Senhora da Terra'' (CBS, 1979) * ''Elza Negra, Negra Elza'' (CBS, 1980) * ''Somos Todos Iguais'' (Som Livre, 1985) * ''Voltei'' (RGE, 1988) * ''Trajetória'' (Universal Music, 1997) * ''Carioca da Gema'' (1999) * ''Do Cóccix Até O Pescoço'' (Maianga/Tratore, 2002) * ''Vivo Feliz'' (Tratore, 2004) * ''Beba-Me'' (Biscoito Fino, 2007) * '' A Mulher do Fim do Mundo'' (Circus, 2015) * ''Elza Canta e Chora Lupi'' (2016) * ''Deus é Mulher'' (Deckdisc, 2018) * ''Planeta Fome'' (Deckdisc, 2019) * ''Elza Soares & João de Aquino'' (Deckdisc, 2021) * ''No tempo da intolerância'' (Deck, 2023)

References

Discography

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Soares, Elza 1930 births 2022 deaths 20th-century Brazilian women singers 20th-century Brazilian singers 21st-century Brazilian women singers 21st-century Brazilian singers Afro-Brazilian women singers Brazilian bossa nova singers Música Popular Brasileira singers Singers from Rio de Janeiro (city) Samba musicians Latin Grammy Award winners Women in Latin music Portuguese-language singers of Brazil Multishow Brazilian Music Award winners

Biography

Career

Discography

See also

References

External links