Lô Borges


Salomão Borges Filho, known professionally as Lô Borges, was a Brazilian singer-songwriter and guitarist.
Lô Borges was one of the founders of Clube da Esquina, a group of musicians that originated in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. He co-authored with Milton Nascimento the album Clube da Esquina in 1972, which was a milestone in Brazilian popular music. Among his most famous compositions are "Paisagem da Janela", "Para Lennon e McCartney", "Clube da Esquina No. 2", "Trem de Doido", and "O Trem Azul".
He is considered one of the most influential composers of Brazilian music, having been recorded by Tom Jobim, Elis Regina, Milton Nascimento, Flávio Venturini, Beto Guedes, Nenhum de Nós, Ira!, 14 Bis, Skank, Nando Reis, and Elba Ramalho, among others.

Early life

Borges was born on 10 January 1952 in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. In the 1960s, he gathered with other boys at the crossroads of Divinópolis street and Paraisópolis street in the neighborhood of Belo Horizonte's Santa Tereza to converse, play music, sing, and talk about the Beatles, MPB, and jazz. On this corner was the residence of Maricota and Salomão Borges and their 11 children, of whom Lô was the sixth.

Career

At 18 years old, Borges, had already shaved his head to serve in the Brazilian Army in Belo Horizonte. It was Milton Nascimento who took Borges from the corner in Santa Tereza, where he played violão endlessly. The two already had two collaborations – "Clube da Esquina" and "Para Lennon e McCartney", recorded on the album Milton in 1970 – when the composer, 10 years his senior, came to Borges, then underage, to invite him to live in Rio de Janeiro and share an album. After monthly apartment changes, they moved into in a paradisiacal house in Piratininga, Niterói.
The record label Odeon recognized the power of Borges while listening to the songs he had composed – "O Trem Azul", "Tudo que Você Podia Ser", and "Um Girassol da Cor do seu Cabelo" in particular – and did not think twice in offering him a solo debut the same year. His famous self-titled album, known as "disco do tênis", was his first solo work, called this because of the pair of Adidas tennis shoes on the cover. When he finished the record, he left Rio and momentarily abandoned his career. He went by bus to Porto Alegre, where he spent ten days, and after rode in a truck to Arembepe, Bahia, where he turned into a hippie for a few months, until returning to Belo Horizonte.
Borges only appeared again in 1978 in the double album Clube da Esquina 2, no longer being co-protagonist like he was on the record in 1972. In 1979, he finally released his second solo album, A Via Láctea, with songs like Equatorial and Vento de maio.
In the '80s and '90s, the production of the composer decreased, with four records in total. The change in rhythm came when he approached 50 years old, around the time of Y2K.
With the success of the song "Dois Rios", a collaboration with Samuel Rosa and Nando Reis released by the group Skank in 2003, Borges began to make a name for himself in the market once again.
In 2007, Borges was granted an interview at the, titled "", in which he remembered his childhood and his first experience with music. He also recounted meeting Milton Nascimento and the creation of Clube da Esquina.
In 2016, with Samuel Rosa, he released a live CD/DVD with their collaborations.

Death

Borges died on 2 November 2025 at the age of 73, after spending over three weeks in the ICU due to medication poisoning.

Influence

In 2018, Alex Turner, from Arctic Monkeys, cited Borges' Aos Barões in a list of songs that inspired the album Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino. Borges was very happy about the mention, but was not that familiar with the band's music. He decided to listen to Turner's discography, which he enjoyed, with Tranquility Base being his favourite album.

Discography

Studio albums
  • Clube da Esquina
  • Lô Borges
  • A Via-Láctea
  • Os Borges
  • Nuvem Cigana
  • Sonho Real
  • Meu Filme
  • Feira Moderna
  • Um Dia e Meio
  • Bhanda
  • Harmonia
  • Horizonte Vertical
  • Rio da Lua
  • Dínamo
  • Muito Além do Fim
  • Chama Viva
  • Não Me Espere na Estação
  • Tobogã
  • Céu de Giz
Live albums
  • Solo
  • Intimidade
  • Ao vivo no Cine Theatro Brasil
  • ''Tênis + Clube: Ao vivo no Circo Voador''