Clara Nunes
| Clara Nunes | |
|---|---|
Clara photographed for her second album, Você passa eu acho graça (1968).
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Clara Francisca Gonçalves |
| Also known as | Guerreira (Warrior) |
| Born |
August 12, 1942 Paraopeba, Brazil |
| Died | April 2, 1983 (aged 40) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
| Genres | Samba, MPB |
| Years active | 1960 – 1983 |
Clara Nunes (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈklaɾɐ ˈnunis], August 12, 1942 – April 2, 1983) was a Brazilian samba and MPB singer, regarded as one of the greatest of her generation. She became the first female singer in Brazil to sell over 100,000 copies, and her achievements in the samba genre earned her the title of "Queen of Samba".
She had enormous success with samba songs written by composers such as Nelson Cavaquinho, Paulinho da Viola and Chico Buarque, in addition to songs devoted to orishas and Portela, her favorite samba school. Among her hits, recorded in 16 solo albums, are "Você passa, eu acho graça" (1968), "Ê baiana" (1971), "Conto de areia" (1974), "O mar serenou" (1975), "Coração leviano" (1977), "Na linha do mar" (1979), "Morena de Angola" (1980), and "Nação" (1982). At the peak of her career, Nunes would sell more than a million copies of each album she released.
Nunes was also a researcher of the rhythms and folklore of Brazilian popular music, and traveled several times to Africa to search for the roots of black music. Familiar to Afro-Brazilian dances and traditions, she converted to Umbanda in her later life. On April 2, 1983, she died at age 40 after suffering from anaphylaxis during a surgery to treat varicose veins. Even today she remains one of the most popular singers in Brazil.
Clara Francisca Gonçalves was born on August 12, 1942, in Cedro, Paraopeba, Minas Gerais, where she lived until the age of 16. She was the youngest child of Manuel Pereira de Araújo, and Amélia Gonçalves Nunes. Her father was a joiner in the Cedro & Cachoeira textile mill, and was known in the town as Mané Serrador. He was also a violeiro and a participant in the local Festival of the Three Kings. Manuel died on 1944, and soon after, the young Clara would also lose her mother. Orphaned, she would be raised by her older sister Dindinha (Maria Gonçalves) and brother José (known as Zé Chilau). At that time, Clara attended catechism classes in the Church of the Eucharistic Crusade. There, she also sang litanies in Latin in the church choir.
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