Elza Soares

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Lore & Background

Elza Soares was born on 23 June 1930 in Padre Miguel, Rio de Janeiro. Her father Avelino Gomes was a factory worker and guitarist, and her mother Rosária Maria da Conceição was a washerwoman. She was born in the Moça Bonita, a favela in the Padre Miguel neighborhood. When she was 12, she was forced by her father to marry Lourdes Antônio Soares, and within a year gave birth to her first child, João Carlos. When she needed money for medicine for her son, she participated in a vocal contest presented by Ary Barroso at Rádio Tupi. After her husband became ill with tuberculosis, she began working at the Veritas soap factory. At twenty-one she was a widow, left alone to raise her children: four boys and one girl. When she was thirty-two she had a relationship with football player Garrincha. She was vilified by Brazilian society, with many accusing her of breaking up his marriage. She was shouted at in the street, received death threats, and her house was pelted with eggs and tomatoes. On 13 April 1969 her mother died in a car accident. Garrincha, Soares, and her daughter Sara were also injured. Garrincha was driving drunk on Presidente Dutra highway when a truck merged into the lane. Dona Rosário was thrown from the vehicle and killed. In 1970, regime agents machine-gunned her house in the Jardim Botânico neighborhood. Inside were Garrincha and their children. The living room was destroyed. She and Garrincha fled to Italy, where they were received by Chico Buarque de Hollanda also in exile. On 11 January 1986, her son died when he was 9 years old in a car accident. It had been raining and the driver lost control of the vehicle. The door opened and the boy was thrown into the Imbariê River. Soares was disconsolate and considered ending her own life. She left Brazil and toured Europe and the United States. After many years of searching for her long lost daughter, they were reunited after Soares returned to Brazil. On 26 July 2015 Soares lost her fifth son, Gerson, when he was 59 years old. He died of complications of a urinary tract infection. Soares had six children: João Carlos, Gerson, Gilson, Dilma, Sara, and Garrincha. She died at her residence in Rio de Janeiro, on 20 January 2022, at the age of 91.

Reader's Guide

Elza Soares is significant as a pioneering samba singer who introduced scat singing to samba on her first single 'Se Acaso Você Chegasse', adding a bit of jazz to samba, though she said she did not know American music at the time. Her husky voice became her trademark. In 1999, she was named Singer of the Millennium along with Tina Turner by BBC Radio. In 2000, she performed a concert in London with Gal Costa, Chico Buarque, Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso, and Virgínia Rodrigues. Her album A Mulher do Fim do Mundo (2015) won the award for Best Album in pop/rock/reggae/hip-hop/funk and was nominated for Best Album of Brazilian Popular Music and Best Song in Portuguese at the 17th Latin Grammy Awards. Her album Deus É Mulher was ranked as the 2nd best Brazilian album of 2018 by the Brazilian edition of Rolling Stone magazine. She also performed at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, where she sang 'O Canto de Ossanha' by Baden Powell and Vinicius de Moraes. Soares's legacy lies in her musical innovation, her resilience in the face of personal tragedy and political oppression, and her role as a symbol of Afro-Brazilian culture and women's strength in Brazilian music.

Did You Know?

• In 1970, regime agents machine-gunned her house in the Jardim Botânico neighborhood while her partner Garrincha and their children were inside; the living room where the young children were was destroyed.
• She introduced scat singing to samba on her first single 'Se Acaso Você Chegasse', though she said she did not know American music at the time.
• Her mother died in a 1969 car accident when Garrincha was driving drunk; Soares, Garrincha, and her daughter Sara were also injured.
• In 1986, her 9-year-old son died after being thrown from a car into the Imbariê River during a rainstorm.
• Her album A Mulher do Fim do Mundo (2015) won the Latin Grammy for Best Album in pop/rock/reggae/hip-hop/funk.