1937

Born and raised in a favela (slum or shantytown) in Rio de Janeiro, daughter of a washerwoman, Elza Soares got married at 12 and had a baby at 13. During that period, Soares took part in a singing contest presented by the renowned Brazilian musician Ary Barroso, and received the highest marks. In the late 50s, she spent one year touring Argentina with Mercedes Batista. Elza Soares became popular with her first single "Se Acaso Você Chegasse" (Lupicínio Rodrigues/ F. Martins), on which she introduced the scat “à la" Louis Armstrong, adding a bit of jazz to samba. Soares moved to São Paulo, where she performed at theaters and nightclubs. Her husky voice became her trademark. After finishing her second LP, "Bossa Negra", Elza went to Chile to represent Brazil in the 1962 World Cup. There, she met her future husband, the soccer icon Mané Garrincha. Some of her hits from the 60’s include "Sambou, Sambou" (J. Melo/ J. Donato), "Mulata Assanhada" (Ataulfo Alves), "Devagar com a Louça" (Haroldo Barbosa/ Luiz Reis), among others. In 1970, on a trip to Italy, she recorded "Que Maravilha" (Jorge Ben) and "Máscara Negra" (Zé Kéti). Her performance of the songs "Maria-vai-com-as-outras" (Vinícius/ Toquinho) and "Saltei de Banda" (Zé Rodrix/ Luiz C. Sá) also became quite popular. Elza Soares’ outgoing and over-the-edge style fascinated audiences in Brazil and abroad. In the 70’s, she toured the U.S. and Europe. During that same decade, she recorded "Salve a Mocidade" and "Malandro". In the 80’s, Elza fell into oblivion until being invited by Caetano Veloso to record with him the song "Língua" (Caetano Veloso). She then recorded two LPs, in 1985 and 1988. At that time, Soares spent some time in the U.S. and in the mid-nineties she made a comeback, participating in several shows, mainly in Rio de Janeiro. In the 90s, the singer finally released two more CDs: "Trajetória" (‘97) and "Carioca da Gema" (recorded live in ‘99). In 2000, she was awarded "Best Singer of the Millenium " by the BBC in London, where she played a concert with Gal Costa, Chico Buarque, Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso and Virgínia Rodrigues. Still in 2000, she played a series of avant-garde music concerts directed by José Miguel Wisnik in Rio de Janeiro. In 1997 she launched her biography, "Cantando para Não Enlouquecer", written by José Louzeiro.