Audio By Carbonatix
The Beach Boys are celebrating their 50th anniversary. But a year before Brian Wilson, his brothers, and a cousin embarked on their Surfin’ Safari, Roberto Carlos was already redefining South American music.
For more than half a century, the affable singer has recorded original music and cover songs in his native Portuguese as well as Spanish, Italian, and English. He has sold more records than Justin Bieber, and he has endlessly toured the globe. But this Saturday, Carlos is spending the night in Miami.
He released his first record, 1961’s Louco por Você, in Brazil. Heavily influenced by 1950s rock ‘n’ roll, the young singer steered away from traditional Brazilian music, opting for a more youthful sound driven by catchy lyrics and even catchier melodies. In 1965, Carlos’s record Jovem Guarda knocked the Beatles’ Help! out of the top spot on the Brazilian charts. And as album sales skyrocketed, the singer took his talent abroad, touring North America and Europe.
By 1970, Carlos had already released ten albums and achieved international superstardom. But he kept going, producing at least one album a year through 2008. He’s now on tour promoting 2011’s Projeto Emoções em Jerusalém, a live album and DVD.
