Rádio Táxi is a

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, ear ...

band from

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, who had a string of

hit single A hit song, also known as a hit record, hit single or simply a hit, is a recorded song or instrumental that becomes broadly popular or well-known. Although ''hit song'' means any widely played or big-selling song, the specific term ''hit record' ...

s in the early/mid 80s. The band was formed in 1981 by guitarist Wander Taffo, drummer Gel Fernandes, bassist Lee Marcucci and singer/keyboardist Willie de Oliveira, all ex-members of

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

's backing band,

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 flavour ...

. Their self-titled first album, released in 1982 featured the hits "''Coisas de Casal''" (written by Rita Lee with her husband Roberto de Carvalho as a gift to the band), "''Dentro do Coração (Põe Devagar)''" and "''Garota Dourada''". The band's popularity skyrocketed with the release of their second album, ''"Rádio Táxi 2"'', and the first single out of the album, ''"Eva"'', a

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Port ...

version of a song by Italian singer

Umberto Tozzi Umberto Antonio Tozzi (; born 4 March 1952) is an Italian pop and rock singer and composer. Over the course of his career, he has sold over 70 million records in different languages internationally, and his biggest international hits are: "Stel ...

. Willie de Oliveira left the band shortly after recording the second album and was replaced by Maurício Gasperini. With Gasperini now handling vocals and keyboards, they released the albums ''"6:56"'' (1985) and ''"Matriz"'' (1986), featuring the hits ''"Um Amor de Verão"'' and ''"Você se Esconde"''. The band split up in 1987, and all members went back to their successful careers as session musicians. Wander Taffo released 3 solo albums and opened a music school in São Paulo, following the successful format of the American

Musicians Institute Musicians Institute (MI) is a private for-profit music school in Los Angeles, California. MI students can earn Certificates and – with transfer of coursework taken at Los Angeles City College – Associate of Arts Degrees, as well as Bachel ...

. In 1993, drummer Gel Fernandes and bassist Lee Marcucci revived the band, with Marcinho Eiras on guitars. Despite extensive touring and positive feedback from fans, the new Rádio Táxi soon disbanded without releasing any new material. The reunion of the successful mid-80s lineup happened in 2000, when Brazilian singer and pianist

Guilherme Arantes Guilherme Arantes () is a Brazilian singer-songwriter and pianist. He is Steinway Artist. As a teenager, he was a member of the band Os Polissonantes, which also featured Brazilian actor Kadu Moliterno on bass guitar. In 1969, Arantes started ...

invited Taffo, Marcucci and Fernandes to play with him on a live album. After touring with Arantes, they began working on new Rádio Táxi material with Gasperini and released a live album and DVD, featuring all the old hits alongside the new material. Guitarist Wander Taffo died in Brazil on May 14, 2008, of a cardiorespiratory arrest

Discography

* Rádio Táxi (1982) * Rádio Táxi 2 (1983) * 6:56 (1985) * Matriz (1986) * Ao Vivo (2006)

External links

Official Rádio Táxi websiteEM&T, Wander Taffo's music school
{{DEFAULTSORT:Radio Taxi Brazilian rock music groups Musical groups established in 1981 Musical groups from São Paulo Musical groups disestablished in 1987 Musical groups reestablished in 1993 Musical groups disestablished in 2008 1981 establishments in Brazil 1987 disestablishments in Brazil 1993 establishments in Brazil 2008 disestablishments in Brazil