Elis Regina: The Greatest Voice of Brazil

For many Brazilians, no one ever sang their music better than Elis Regina — "Pimentinha," the Little Pepper, whose voice and fire defined an entire era of Brazilian song.^[1]

From Porto Alegre to national fame

Born on 17 March 1945 in Porto Alegre, Elis began singing as a child on the radio show Clube de Guri.^[1] She became a national sensation in 1965, performing "Arrastão" at a televised song festival and hosting the influential program O Fino da Bossa; her album Dois na Bossa, with Jair Rodrigues, became the first Brazilian record to sell more than a million copies.^[1]

A defining interpreter

Elis was the supreme interpreter of her generation's songwriters, giving definitive voice to songs by Tom Jobim, Ivan Lins, Milton Nascimento, and others.^[1] Her 1974 album Elis & Tom, recorded with Jobim, is regarded as a masterpiece, and her version of Águas de Março is iconic.^[1] In 1979 she recorded "O Bêbado e a Equilibrista," which became an anthem of the movement to end the military dictatorship.^[1]

Why it matters

Known for her fiery temperament and her courage in confronting the regime, Elis Regina was voted the best female voice in Brazilian music by Rolling Stone Brazil.^[1] Her sudden death in 1982, at just thirty-six, stunned the nation; she remains, with singers like Elza Soares, one of the most revered women in the history of Brazilian music.^[2]