Marinês: The Queen of Xaxado

In a genre long ruled by men with accordions, one woman's voice broke through — Marinês, the "Rainha do Xaxado" and the first great lady of forró.^[1]

A daughter of the sertão

Born Inês Caetano de Oliveira in November 1934 in São Vicente Férrer, in the agreste of Pernambuco, she was the daughter of a former cangaceiro from Lampião's band and grew up in Campina Grande, Paraíba — a city often called the capital of forró.^[1] To enter a radio talent contest without her disapproving father knowing, she invented a stage name; the announcer ran "Maria Inês" together as "Marinês," and it stuck.^[1]

Queen of Xaxado

Marinês became the first woman to make forró her own, opening shows for Luiz Gonzaga — the King of Baião and author of "Asa Branca" — who, enchanted by her voice, crowned her the "Queen of Xaxado."^[1] Her 1957 debut LP Vamos Xaxar yielded the smash xote "Peba na Pimenta" and the baião "Pisa na Fulô," and across her career she recorded more than thirty albums.^[2]

Why it matters

By claiming a place on the forró stage, Marinês opened the door for every woman who followed in Northeastern music.^[2] When she died in Recife in 2007, Brazil mourned not just a beloved singer but a pioneer — the queen who proved forró belonged to women too.^[1]