Rita Lee | Artist
Rita Lee Jones was a Brazilian rock singer, composer, and writer born 1947 in São Paulo, Brazil. She was a member of the Brazilian band Os Mutantes and a popular figure in Brazilian entertainment as a soloist. She was also known for being an animal rights activist and a vegan. She sold more than 55 million records worldwide. Lee 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. She went to college but she soon left to pursue her musical career. In 1966, Lee formed the psychedelic pop band Os Mutantes with Arnaldo Baptista and Sérgio Dias. The band released five albums between 1968 and 1972. In that time, Lee also released her first two solo works, although these records were produced with fellow members of Os Mutantes. After Os Mutantes she was initially part of a female duo then teamed up with the band Lisergia, which eventually become Lee's backing band with the name Tutti Frutti. In 1974, the band recorded their first album Atrás do Porto Tem Uma Cidade (There is a City Behind the Harbor) that became a popular hit. Her second album, 1975's Fruto Proibido was praised by critics and sold more than 200,000 copies – a record for Brazilian rock and roll singers at the time. Lee was given the title "Queen of Rock" and Brazilian Rolling Stone magazine ranked her album as the 16th-best Brazilian album of all time. The producer was Andy Mills, producer of Alice Cooper and then Lee's boyfriend. 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. Her 1979 album Rita Lee, which was much more disco influenced, contained the song "Mania de Você," which became her biggest hit, only to be outdone by another eponymous album the following year which had the song "Lança Perfume." At this point she had achieved international stardom with even Prince (now King) Charles recognising her as his favourite singer. With 23 studio albums to her credit, some standouts include Build Up (1970), Hoje é o primeiro dia do resto da sua vida (1972), Fruto proibido (1975), Rita Lee [Mania de você] (1979) and Rita Lee (1980). Aside from her musical career, Lee had a humour program called Radio Amador on Brazilian radio plus she wrote three children's books and appeared in Brazilian movies and TV shows. Her autobiography Rita Lee: Uma Autobiografia was the best-selling non-fiction book of 2017 in Brazil. As a footnote, ever keen on music, in place of being given the traditional adolescent debutante ball, Lee instead opting to be gifted a drum set from her parents.
Artist Website: ritalee.com.br
Featured Albums: Rita Lee
Related Artists: Os Mutantes, Tutti Frutti, Roberto de Carvalho
