Rita Lee

Infobox musical artist
Name = Rita Lee


Img_capt = Rita Lee Jones
Background = solo_singer
Birth_name = Rita Lee Jones
Alias = "A Rainha do Rock" (Queen of Rock)
Born = Birth date and age|1947|12|31
Origin = São Paulo, Brazil
Genre = Rock, MPB, Pop, Disco, Latin, Tropicalia
Occupation = Singer, songwriter, actress, author, TV host
Years_active = 1966 – present
Label = Polydor Records
Philips Records
Som Livre
EMI
Universal Music
Abril Music
Associated_acts = Os Mutantes, Gilberto Gil, Ronnie Von, Caetano Veloso, Tutti Frutti, Elis Regina, Roberto de Carvalho
Spouse = Roberto de Carvalho
URL = [http://www.ritalee.com.br Official website]

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, where she is also known for being an animal rights activist and a vegetarian.

Early life and career

Rita Lee was born in São Paulo, Brazil, to a North American father, a dentist, 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 English that her parents spoke at home. [ritalee.com.br. Biographaphy (Portuguese). http://www.ritalee.com.br/biografia.html] She went to college, where she was a colleague of the popular actress Regina Duarte, but soon left to pursue her musical career.

In 1966 Lee formed the band Os Mutantes with the brothers Arnaldo Baptista and Sérgio Dias. The band released five albums between 1968 and 1972. In that time, Lee had also released her first two solo works, although these records were produced with fellow members of Os Mutantes. When the band reformed in 2006, she refused to join and called it as an attempt of the two remaining members to "earn cash to pay for geriatry". [Marcelo Feitosa. Rita Lee critica a volta dos Mutantes (Portuguese). http://houseofprog.wordpress.com/2006/07/14/rita-lee-critica-a-volta-dos-mutantes]

Going solo

In late 1972, Rita Lee was fired from Os Mutantes (or she decided to leave the band, according to guitarist Sérgio Dias) and started a solo career. Initially assembling a female duo with singer Lúcia Turnbull called "Cilibrinas do Éden", after a short time the duo gave birth to the band "Tutti Frutti", which eventually became Lee's backing band. In the late 1970s, Lee started a partnership with her husband, Roberto de Carvalho, and many subsequent albums were credited to the duo Lee/Carvalho. [Clique Music. Biografia (Portuguese). http://cliquemusic.uol.com.br/artistas/rita-lee.asp] In the late 70s, Lee was mentioned in the Caetano Veloso song "Sampa".

Personal life

Rita Lee was married to fellow Mutante Arnaldo Baptista from 1971 to 1972. In 1976 fellow MPB singer Ney Matogrosso introduced her to guitarist Roberto de Carvalho, whom she later married. Lee has three sons with Carvalho, including guitar player Beto Lee, a member of her band. Rita Lee is also the namesake of Brazilian MPB singing star Maria Rita, daughter of friend Elis Regina.

Other activities

Aside from 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 children's books 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". She also made a brief cameo in the 2002 film Durval Discos.

Discography

With Os Mutantes

*1968: "" (Philips, 1968. Collective album with Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso, Tom Zé, Nara Leão and Gal Costa)
*1968: "Os Mutantes" (Polydor, 1968)
*1969: "Mutantes" (Polydor, 1969)
*1970: "A Divina Comédia ou Ando Meio Desligado" (Polydor, 1970)
*1971: "Jardim Elétrico" (Polydor, 1971)
*1972: "Mutantes e Seus Cometas no País do Baurets" (Polydor, 1972)
*2000: "Tecnicolor" (recorded in 1970) (Universal, 2000)

As a solo artist

tudio Albums

*1970: "Build Up"
*1972: "Hoje é o Primero Dia do Resto de Sua Vida"
*1974: "Atrás do Porto Tem Uma Cidade"
*1975: "Fruto Proibido"
*1976: "Entradas e Bandeiras"
*1978: "Babilônia"
*1979: "Rita Lee" (Mania de Você)
*1980: "Rita Lee" (Lança Perfume)
*1981: "Saúde"
*1982: "Rita Lee e Roberto de Carvalho" (Flagra)
*1983: "Baila Conmigo" (in Spanish)
*1983: "Bombom"
*1984: "Rita Hits" (two medleys remixed compilation)
*1985: "Rita e Roberto" (Vírus do Amor)
*1987: "Flerte Fatal"
*1988: "Zona Zen"
*1989: "Dias Melhores Virão" (soundtrack)
*1990: "Rita Lee e Roberto de Carvalho" (Perto do Fogo)
*1993: "Rita Lee" (Todas as Mulheres do Mundo)
*1997: "Santa Rita De Sampa"
*2000: "3001"
*2000: "Rita ReLEEda" (remixes)
*2001: "Aqui, Ali, Em Qualquer Lugar" (aka "Bossa'n Beatles")
*2003: "Balacobaco"

Live albums

*1975: "Hollywood Rock" (with Erasmo Carlos, Peso & Raul Seixas)
*1977: "Refestança" (with Gilberto Gil)
*1991: "Rita Lee em Bossa 'n' Roll"
*1995: "A Marca Da Zorra"
*1998: "Acústico MTV" ("MTV Unplugged")
*2004: "MTV Ao Vivo" ("MTV Live")

ingles/EPs

*1976: "Lá Vou Eu" (EP)
*1977: "Arrombou a Festa" (Single)
*1983: "Desculpe o Auê / Yoko Ono" (Single in Spanish)

poken albums

*1989: "Pedro e o Lobo" (spoken album as narrator to "Peter and the Wolf")
*1996: "Tutu, O Menino Indio" (spoken album as narrator)

DVDs

*1998: "Acústico MTV" (Live) ("MTV Unplugged")
*2004: "MTV Ao Vivo" ("MTV Live")
*2005: "Grandes Nomes: Rita Lee Jones"
*2007: "Biograffiti" (Box Set 3 DVDs)

References