Rita Lee was a singer and songwriter born in São Paulo and known as the “queen of Brazilian rock”. Defender of women’s rights, she was one of the first to play guitar on stage. Owner of straight hair, with bangs and dyed red, the artist participated in the group Os Mutantes, in the 1960s and 1970s, becoming famous nationally.
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Summary about Rita Lee
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Rita Lee Jones de Carvalho, known as Rita Lee, was born in São Paulo on December 31, 1947.
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Rita Lee dropped out of the Social Communication course at USP to dedicate herself to music.
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He participated in the psychedelic rock group Os Mutantes between the 1960s and 1970s.
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She was one of the first women to play guitar on stage.
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Her irreverence made her known as the queen of Brazilian rock.
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He participated in the group Os Mutantes before pursuing a solo career.
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Rita Lee was a composer and performer of great musical successes, such as “Erva Poisonosa”, “Lança Perfume” and “Amor e Sex”.
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In 2012, the singer retired from the stage due to health problems, and, in 2021, she revealed that she was treating lung cancer.
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Rita Lee died on the night of May 8, 2023 at her home.
Life of Rita Lee
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Rita Lee’s childhood and youth
Rita Lee Jones de Carvalho was born on December 31, 1947, in the city of São Paulo (SP). And the younger daughter by Romilda Padula and Charles Fenley Jones, of Italian and American descent respectively. The singer has two sisters: Mary and Virginia. Both also have the surname Lee, which, although not officially their father’s, was adopted by him to honor a general.
In her childhood and adolescence, the artist’s family was middle class. She lived in the São Paulo neighborhood Vila Mariana, where she claimed to have lived great moments. The artist studied at one of the traditional schools in São Paulo, the Liceu Pasteur. Rita Lee is multilingual and speaks fluently languages such as English, Italian, Spanish and French.
Don’t stop now… There’s more after the publicity 😉
As a child, Rita Lee took piano lessons, but It was in my teens that I really started to have an interest in music.. Also at this time he began to compose his first songs. Like many young people in the 1960s, Rita Lee I liked rock bands international like The Beatles and Rolling Stones. He also admired Brazilian singers like Cauby Peixoto and João Gilberto, one of the creators of the bossa nova musical style.
The singer even enrolled in the Social Communication course at the University of São Paulo (USP), but left the institution to dedicate himself to music. Considered one of the main Brazilian rock singers, Rita Lee was known for the iconic image of her straight hair, with bangs and dyed red.
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Rita Lee’s Family Life
From her youth, Rita Lee was considered a revolutionary.
O Rita Lee’s first husband was Arnaldo Baptista, his musical partner in the group Os Mutantes. They were married in 1971 and separated a few years later. In 1976, Rita Lee moved in with guitarist and future musical partner Roberto de Carvalho. They only got married civilly in 1996 and remained together until her death in May 2023.
Rita Lee he had three children: João, Antônio and Beto. The latter is also a guitarist. The singer also had two grandchildren: Izabella and Arthur.
the singer was adept of veganism. She had strong opinions and used to express them well in her interviews. She was an advocate for animals and women’s rights. Her too he liked to express himself through his social networks.
the artist decided to retire from the stage in 2012, announcing that he was having health problems. At the time, the singer even stated on a social network: “I retire from concerts, but never from music”. Nonetheless, a year later, he even participated in concertssuch as the one held in celebration of the 459th anniversary of the city of São Paulo.
In 2021, the singer revealed that she had lung cancer. She underwent treatment and, the following year, announced that she was cured.
Since the beginning of 2023, the singer felt weak and was hospitalized at the end of February. She left the hospital in early March. On the night of May 8, 2023, Rita Lee died at her home in São Paulo, alongside her family.
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Rita Lee’s work
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Rita Lee’s Music Career
Rita Lee stood out in Brazilian music not only for being one of the greatest singers and composers, but also for having made her presence felt by being one of the first women to play guitar on stage. Her irreverence, attitude and posture made her known as the queen of Brazilian rock.
→ Participation in the group Os Mutantes
Rita Lee was the muse of the group Os Mutantes
Rita Lee participated in the psychedelic rock musical group Os Mutantes between 1966 and 1972. The band began its activities by fitting into the Tropicália movement, whose leaders were Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil.
Os Mutantes were influenced by groups such as The Beatles and singer and guitarist Jimi Hendrix. They sang songs in English, and also the group liked to sing in Portuguese is value Brazilian culture. Therefore, Os Mutantes are considered a pioneering band in musical hybridity. The group participated in several television programs in the 1960s. They released their first self-titled album in 1968. One of the band’s main songs is called Panis et Circenses.
In 1970, Os Mutantes released the album The Divine Comedy or I’m a little off, definitely considered a progressive rock album. Rita Lee’s last album in the group was Mutants and Their Comets in the Country of the Baurets1972. Research shows that Rita Lee, in fact, was asked to leave the band because of musical disagreements. As Arnaldo Baptista stated: “I sent Rita away from Os Mutantes”.
→ Tutti Frutti band and solo career
After leaving Os Mutantes, Rita Lee formed, in 1973, another band with friends called Tutti Frutti. In this group, the artist sang and played guitar, piano, harmonica and synthesizer. It was in the 1970s that Rita released several of her musical successes, consolidating itself as the queen of brazilian rock.
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Rita Lee top songs
Rita Lee composed and performed several songs from the genres of rock and Brazilian Popular Music (MPB). See below her main compositions:
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launches perfume
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Black sheep
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Bubble bath
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sweet vampire
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dance with me
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sorry for the uê
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poisonous weed
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Love and sex
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Now you’re just missing
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This rock enrow guy
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Gardens of Babylon
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mania for you
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Come closer
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Victim
image credits
Alexandre Cardoso/Wikimedia Commons
National Archives/Wikimedia Commons
National Archives/Wikimedia Commons
By Silvia Tancredi
Journalist