Rita Lee
Rita Lee Jones, now Rita Lee Jones Carvalho, known simply as Rita Lee, (born on December 31, 1947) is a Brazilian rock singer and composer. Lee continues to be a popular figure in Brazilian entertainment.
Rita Lee was born in São Paulo, Brazil, to an American father and a mother of Italian ancestry. She was educated in a French language school and became fluent in Spanish, French and Italian, as well as her native Portuguese and the Enlish that her parents spoke at home. [1]
In 1966 Lee formed the band Os Mutantes with Arnaldo Baptista and Sérgio Dias. The band released five albums between 1968 and 1972 before Lee left Mutantes to start a solo career that would lead her to release many albums on her own.[2]
Rita Lee was married to fellow Mutante Arnaldo Baptista from 1971 to 1972. In 1976 fellow MPB singer Ney Matogrosso introduced her to Roberto de Carvalho, whom she married in 1977.
Besides her musical career, Rita Lee had a humor program called Radio Amador on Brazilian radio for nine months in 1986. That same year Lee wrote three childrens books in 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. From 2002 to 2004 she hosted the Brazilian cable TV talk show Saia Justa. In 2005 she and her husband started a new talk show, called Madame Lee.
Rita Lee is also the namesake of Brazilian MPB singing star Maria Rita, daughter of friend Elis Regina.
Discography
Albums with Os Mutantes
- 1968: Tropicália: ou Panis et Circenses (1968 compilation with Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso, Tom Zé, Nara Leão and Gal Costa)
- 1968: Os Mutantes LP (Polydor, 1968)
- 1969: Mutantes LP (Polydor, 1969)
- 1970: A Divina Comédia ou Ando Meio Desligado LP (Polydor, 1970)
- 1971: Jardim Elétrico LP (Polydor, 1971)
- 1972: Mutantes e Seus Cometas no País do Baurets LP (Polydor, 1972)
- 2000: Tecnicolor (recorded in 1970) CD (Universal, 2000)
As a solo artist
- Build Up (1970)
- Hoje é o Primero Dia do Resto de Sua Vida (1972)
- Atrás do Porto Tem Uma Cidade (1974)
- Fruto Proibido (1975)
- Entradas e Bandeiras (1976)
- Refestança (Live) (1977) (with Gilberto Gil)
- Babilônia (1978)
- Rita Lee (1979)
- Rita Lee (1980)
- Saúde (1981)
- Rita Lee e Roberto de Carvalho (1982)
- Baila Conmigo (In Spanish) (1983)
- Bombom (1983)
- Rita Hits (1984)
- Rita e Roberto (1985)
- Flerte Fatal (1987)
- Zona Zen (1988)
- Pedro e o Lobo (1989)
- Dias Melhores Virão (Soundtrack) (1989)
- Rita Lee e Roberto de Carvalho (1990)
- Rita Lee em Bossa 'n' Roll (Live) (1991)
- Rita Lee (1993)
- A Marca Da Zorra (Live) (1995)
- Santa Rita De Sampa (1997)
- Acústico MTV (Live) (MTV Unplugged) (1998)
- 3001 (2000)
- Aqui, Ali, Em Qualquer Lugar (2001)
- Bossa 'n' Beatles (In English) (2002)
- Balacobaco (2003)
- MTV Ao Vivo (MTV Live) (2004)
Trivia
- Went to college with Regina Duarte
- Is an animal rights activist and a vegetarian.
- Known as The Grandmother of Rock in Brazil.
- Mentioned in the Caetano Veloso song Sampa.
- Referred to the Os Mutantes reunion in 2006 (which she refused to join) as an attempt of the two remaining members to "earn cash to pay for geriatry"
- Is rumoured to be distantly related to the American singer Rickie Lee Jones
- Made a brief cameo in the 2002 film Durval Discos.
References
- ^ Official web site Bio
- ^ Biografia, Clique Music {{pt icon}]
- ^ [1]