Carmélia Alves

Carmélia Alves (February 14, 1923 – November 3, 2012) was a Brazilian singer known as "Queen of Baião," as she was one of the country's best known baião performers. Baião is a folk rhythm popular in Northeast Brazil.

Alves began her career at the Hotel Copacabana in Rio de Janeiro, where she performed covers of hits by Carmen Miranda. However, she devoted her career to baião. Her friend, baião and accordionist Luiz Gonzaga, influenced her decision to pursue the music of Northeast Brazil.

Alves' late husband of fifty years was singer, Jimmy Lester, who died in 1998. They had no children. Alves and Lester performed together throughout the world, including Argentina, Germany and Mexico. She opened a branch of her recording company in Buenos Aires due to the success of her career in Argentina.

Alves formed a group of professional singers from the 1950s in 2000.

Alves died from cancer at the Jacarepagua Hospital in Rio de Janeiro on November 3, 2012, at the age of 89. She had been in the hospital for one month.

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