Rita Lee: Patroness of Freedom
Over the past few weeks, many newspapers worldwide have reported Rita Lee's death. Countless headlines refer to her as "Brazil's Queen of Rock," "Tropicalia Pioneer," or "Os Mutantes Founder." None of these descriptions are false, but she was more than that. Her legacy extends beyond her 40 discographies.
Behind every successful woman, there is a tribe of others who held her back. Rita Lee's musicality was influenced by her own mother, who played the piano. This hobby eventually led Rita Lee to take classes with none other than Magdalene Tagliaferro, a renowned Brazilian classical musician.
Her youth and career development coincided during the 1960s in Brazil, a time when a military dictatorship imposed censorship, repression, and violence from 1964 to 1985. However, the "years of lead" did not slow down the cultural revolution. Many Brazilians, like Rita Lee, were influenced by the British invasion and counterculture. This rebellious behaviour, defying authorities, and transgressive attitude had been part of her persona since adolescence.
Her first bands were Tulio Trio, where she served as a backing vocalist, paying tribute to Ray Charles. She also played drums in Teenage Singers, her school band. The latter caught the attention of renowned Brazilian singers of the early 1960s, Prini Lopez (a tribute singer to American artist Trini Lopez) and Tony Campelo (brother and co-worker of Celly Campelo). This eventually led to Teenage Singers contributing as backing vocals on a few albums by Prini Lopez and Tony Campelo.
During 1964-1965, Teenage Singers met the Baptista brothers, who were part of a band called Wooden Faces and were also their rivals. Over time, they joined forces and became the Six Sided Rockers. The Continental, a traditional and pioneering Brazilian record label, suggested that they change their name to something in Portuguese to connect better with the audience. This led to the band being renamed O’Seis.
As time went on, the band was reduced to a trio, initially called Os Bruxos. Known for their extravagant performances, derisive lyrics, and their use of alternative effects and techniques, they were ahead of their time, utilizing equipment that hadn't even arrived in Brazil yet. They made their debut on the television show "O Pequeno Mundo de Ronnie Von," who was a rising star at the time. Ronnie Von was inspired by a sci-fi book he had read, which led to him baptizing the band with a new name, Os Mutantes. The day of their debut on the mentioned TV show is also known as the start of psychedelic rock in Brazil—a style of rock music that became popular in the late 1960s and was often composed under the influence of hallucinogenic drugs.
Many considered Os Mutantes the Brazilian equivalent of The Beatles. The original lineup consisted of Rita Lee, Arnaldo Batista, and Sergio Dias. However, over time, the band's members changed, and after Rita Lee's departure, they transitioned into a progressive rock band. But before these changes, the original trio maintained the uniqueness they had as Os Bruxos—extravagant performances, humorous aesthetics and lyrics, costumes, and alternative techniques. They were pioneers in blending Brazilian rhythms with foreign rock influences. Their sound attracted the attention and praise of other big names in the music industry, such as Sean Lennon and Kurt Cobain, who even left a note for one of the band members during Nirvana's brief tour in Brazil in 1993.
Os Mutantes were invited to provide backing vocals for "Bom Dia" by Nana Caymmi, an exceptional singer with an incredible musical voice and the daughter of none other than Dorival Caymmi, another revered Brazilian artist. The song was originally composed by Gilberto Gil, another highly respected Brazilian singer, who invited Os Mutantes to join him in performing "Domingo no Parque" at the Festival de Música Popular Brasileira de 1967. This event marked a musical truce between Brazilian rock and MPB (Brazilian Popular Music). Earlier that year, specifically in July, there had been a march against electric guitars, opposing the influence of foreign music on Brazilian songs and calling for the preservation of Brazilian musical identity.
On the same day as Gilberto Gil and Os Mutantes' performance, the festival became the starting point of Tropicália. This movement blended foreign genres with national instruments and rhythms. It was influenced by counterculture and served as a mark of resistance against the military dictatorship through its critical lyrics. However, many artists associated with the movement were subsequently arrested and exiled, leading to its eventual decline.
After various disagreements among its members, Rita Lee left the band in 1972. She then went to London in the 1970s, which had a profound impact on her. When she was part of Os Mutantes, she embraced a feminine hippie persona. However, after her visit to Britain, she became influenced by glam rock, specifically David Bowie and Mick Jagger. Her famous persona adopted Bowie's iconic androgynous style and a distinctive red fringe hairstyle, which became part of her identity. She became a queer icon and a female vanguard, as will be mentioned in the following paragraph.
Back in Brazil, she formed the duo Cilibrinas do Éden with Lucinha Turnbull, who is renowned as the country's first female guitarist. Their style combined Brazilian rock and folk music. They eventually met the band Lisergia and together formed Tutti Frutti. Rita Lee remained a member until 1976 when she embarked on her solo career.
In many interviews and in her autobiography, Rita Lee discussed how the music industry, especially the rock genre, was a male-dominated and highly sexist environment. However, she aimed to prove them wrong and paved the way for many female rockers in the country. She was one of the first female musicians involved in song writing, musical arrangements, and playing the electric guitar.
It's important not to forget that she was arrested under the military dictatorship while pregnant with her first child. This was an attempt by the military to assert their power and subdue the youth. Rita Lee, who came from a traditional Brazilian family that initially supported the coup d'état, became an example of the contradictions within the society. The military arrested her on false drug possession charges. However, in her autobiography, she admitted that during her pregnancy, she remained sober and did not use drugs. Elis Regina, another iconic Brazilian singer, played a crucial role in setting her free, as she witnessed the poor prison conditions that could have led to a spontaneous abortion.
Rita Lee was ahead of her time, advocating for freedom of speech, particularly in the post-military dictatorship era. Her songs touched upon taboos within the conservative society of the time, addressing topics such as female sexuality and pleasure, menopause, and menstruation. She paid homage to national feminist icons such as Pagu and made references to repressed queer culture and homosexuality.
Her rock and roll attitude prevailed, challenging the status quo, even though her songs encompassed a mixture of various genres. She never denied her use of drugs, including both illicit substances and alcohol. Eventually, this led to dependence and the need for rehabilitation. Her iconic performance and cover of "É Proibido Fumar" with Gilberto Gil, in which they advocated for marijuana legalization, became one of the causes she publicly fought for.
Lastly, Rita Lee became an icon for multiple generations, not only among the youth of the 1960s or her legion of female fans. She also made a name for herself in the world of Brazilian soap opera soundtracks. Additionally, she won the hearts of younger generations through her children's books and music. Furthermore, she gained a global fan base, attracting listeners from countries like France and even catching the attention of King Charles, as reported in a 1988 headline in the Daily Mirror.
Rita Lee was also an iconic figure offstage. She became a vegetarian, an environmentalist, and an advocate for animal rights during a time when these political stances were not popular in Brazil. Moreover, after announcing her retirement from live performances, she decided to embrace her natural aging process and stopped dyeing her hair. She accepted her grey hair and chose not to undergo plastic surgery. In 2016, she published her autobiography, where she revealed more taboos from her life, including experiences of abortion and childhood abuse.
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