Marlene, at 80, Still Singing Different

Vitória Bonaiutti de Martino was born in São Paulo 80 years ago today. In
1940, she made her professional debut on Rádio Tupi and adopted the stage name
Marlene in honor of Marlene Dietrich.

She moved to Rio de Janeiro and began appearing in a string of radio stations and casinos, becoming the star of the Golden Room at the Copacabana Palace Hotel.

In 1948 Marlene started singing in César de Alencar’s program, at that time the most popular variety radio show in Brazil. It was César who appended to her the slogan “Ela que canta e samba diferente.”


Although her main rival, Emilinha Borba, was César’s established star, Marlene won the Rainha do Rádio competition in 1949, propelled by the promotion machine of Companhia Antarctica Paulista, which used Marlene in the launch of its guaraná Caçula.


Following this manufactured triumph, Marlene got her own Rádio Nacional program and a regular slot in the popular Manuel Barcelos show, where she was the star until Rádio Nacional was closed.



Mortal rivals: Marlene hides Emilinha Borba’s face on César
de Alencar’s show, Rádio Nacional


Marlene has been professionally active over six decades and continues to make appearances to this day.


Her fan club is likewise active. The singer’s most recent CD, Estrela da Vida, was launched in 1998.

Estrela da Vida

Vou, não sei como porque nunca sei como vou
ainda tenho de abrir meus caminhos
encontrar exatamente aonde ir
descobrir minha estrada

Arrependimentos, eu? Nenhum,
faria tudo igualzinho.
Erros e acertos, tudo outra vez
Para ir em frente, outra vez.

Voltar í  barriga da minha mãe
Deixar os diabinhos saí­rem.
Artista no sangue, na veia no palco,
Santa e profana em qualquer papel
Estar no palco é tão gostoso,
í‰ como fazer amor…

Vou não sei como, porque nunca sei como vou
Ninguém percebe esta angústia
Estou todos os dias começando, buscando, buscando…

Estrela da vida, da noite, do palco,
Cantar a alegria, a dor e a esperança
Na boca do povo, dias de folia
Na boca do palco, ser só uma cantora,
Ser só uma pessoa,
Cumprir meu destino,
Que o artista é muito só…

Marlene’s words, compiled by José Carlos Asbeg and set to music by Paulo Baiano.

You can read more about Brazilian music and culture at Daniella Thompson on Brazil here: http://daniv.blogspot.com 

Tags:

You May Also Like

Rio Carnaval Parade Celebrating the Amazon Indians Leaves Big Farm Livid

Rio’s Carnaval festivities were threatened this year by a spat pitting a well-known parade ...

Brazilian Sound, Well Beyond Bossa Nova

Brazil is a country rich in music, and there are various different rhythms that ...

Chico Lives

  For long considered a patrimony of Brazilian music, Francisco Buarque de Hollanda, better ...

U.S.A. Calendar Thursday 1

THURSDAY 1 BEVERLY HILLS 10:30 PM – Kátia Moraes at Bokaos (310) 659-1200 BERKELEY, ...

For a Time, Brazil’s Samba Was a Weapon Against the Dictatorship

As the world gets into the Carnaval spirit, we look at how Brazilian music ...

Brazilian singer Elza Soares was often referred to as the Brazilian Tina Turner

Elza Soares: Brazil’s Voice of the Millennium Goes Silent

Elza Soares, one of the most revered singers in Brazilian samba music, died at ...

Reggae from the Badlands

Brazilian pop has traditionally been a product of mauricinhos, young people from upper-middle class ...

Crude Mamonas

They are rude, crass, provocative, pornophonic, sometimes funny, almost always infuriating. The Mamonas Assassinas ...

Plain João – The Man Who Invented Bossa Nova

He’s been called O Rei da Bossa, O Mito, Il Maestro Supremo, and O ...

Brazilian singer Gal Costa

The Brazilian Songs You Must Have on Your Ipod and Desert Island

Years ago I used to listen to a BBC radio programme called "Desert Island ...