Beth Carvalho


Elizabeth Santos Leal de Carvalho was a Brazilian samba singer, guitarist, cavaquinist and composer.
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Biography

Carvalho was raised in a middle-class family in Rio de Janeiro's South Zone. Her father, João Francisco Leal de Carvalho, was a lawyer. She grew up influenced by different types of music. Her father used to take her to samba school rehearsals, and her mother was a lover of classical music who encouraged her to become a ballerina. She started playing the guitar as a teenager, and got involved with the emerging Bossa Nova movement, winning a nationwide song contest on TV at the age of 19.
Following a 1967 album, "Muito Na Onda," with the project 'Conjunto 3D,' Carvalho did her first solo record, 1968's "Andança", and carried the song of the same name to victory in a larger festival, which brought her to prominence. Although she started her career with Bossa Nova, that was an ephemeral phase which lasted less than one year. Beth started dedicating herself entirely to samba just as her fame began, working with legendary composers such as Nelson Sargento.
Carvalho is a very important artist in the history of samba, as she celebrated and brought the spotlight to the work of legendary composers such as Cartola, Nelson Cavaquinho & Guilherme de Brito when they weren't receiving the attention they deserved. Almost all of her records have songs by these composers, among other legendary sambistas such as Nelson Sargento and the Old Guard of Portela. Her samba school was Mangueira, but that didn't stop her from recording dozens of songs from composers of Portela, the other great traditional samba school in Rio.
Later, in the late 1970s and early 80s, Beth helped bring to the public the work of other rising pagode artists from Cacique de Ramos, such as Almir Guineto, Jorge Aragão and the Fundo de Quintal group. Then, in 1983, she introduced Zeca Pagodinho who would become the major samba name of the 90s. Carvalho always tried to bring underrated composers the recognition they deserve, and she is regarded as madrinha do samba. She was a driving force in the modernization of samba in the 80s, and at the same time rejected commercial pop trends in samba arrangements, preserving tradition.
In the 1990s, Beth's popularity wasn't the strongest, but she was always popular. She recorded an album dedicated to the samba from São Paulo, rejecting the famous axiom that "São Paulo is the grave of samba". In 1998 she recorded an album dedicated entirely to the pagode classics, Pérolas do Pagode.
In the new millennium, Beth worked more than ever, releasing CDs and DVDs. With a career that spanned 40 years, she was a historical figure in Brazilian culture, and recognized as the female sambista with the most substantial opus in Brazil, without diminishing other stars as Clara Nunes and Daniela Mercury.
Carvalho died at 72 of sepsis. Her death was mourned by many of fellow Brazilian musicians. Former president Dilma Rousseff, said that Carvalho leaves, "an important legacy of identification with the causes and struggles of the people".
Beth Carvalho is depicted in the 2022 documentary film Andança - Os encontros e as memórias de Beth Carvalho, directed by Pedro Bronz.

Trivia

Discography

Beth Carvalho – 40 anos de Carreira – Ao Vivo no Theatro Municipal – Vol.1 – Andança/Sony – BMG – 2006Beth Carvalho – 40 anos de Carreira – Ao Vivo no Theatro Municipal – Vol.2 – Andança/Sony – BMG – 2006Beth Carvalho – 40 anos de Carreira – Ao Vivo no Theatro Municipal – Andança/Sony – BMG – 2006Beth Carvalho – A Madrinha do Samba – Ao Vivo – Indie – 2004Beth Carvalho – A Madrinha do Samba – Ao Vivo – Indie – 2004Beth Carvalho Canta Cartola – BMG – 2003Nome Sagrado – Beth Carvalho Canta Nelson Cavaquinho – Jam Music – 2001Pagode de Mesa Ao Vivo 2 – Universal Music – 2000Pagode de Mesa Ao Vivo – Universal Music – 1999Pérolas do Pagode – Globo / Polydor – 1998Brasileira da Gema – Polygram – 1996Beth Carvalho Canta o Samba de São Paulo – Velas – 1993Pérolas – 25 Anos de Samba – Som Livre – 1992Ao Vivo no Olympia – Som Livre – 1991Intérprete – Polygram – 1991Saudades da Guanabara – Polygram – 1989Alma do Brasil – Polygram – 1988Beth Carvalho Ao Vivo – RCA – 1987Beth – RCA – 1986Das Bençãos Que Virão Com os Novos Amanhãs – RCA – 1985Coração Feliz – RCA – 1984Suor no Rosto – RCA – 1983Traço de União – RCA – 1982Na fonte – RCA – 1981Sentimento Brasileiro – RCA – 1980Beth Carvalho no Pagode – RCA – 1979De Pé No Chão – RCA – 1978Nos Botequins da Vida – RCA – 1977Mundo Melhor – RCA – 1976Pandeiro e Viola – Tapecar – 1975Pra Seu Governo – Tapecar – 1974Canto Por Um Novo Dia – Tapecar – 1973Andança – Odeon – 1969