Gal Costa

Gal Costa (born Maria da Graça Costa Penna Burgos on 26 September 1945) is a Brazilian singer of popular music.

This name uses Portuguese naming customs: the first or maternal family name is Costa and the second or paternal family name is Penna Burgos.
Gal Costa
Gal Costa
Background information
Birth nameMaria da Graça Costa Penna Burgos
Born (1945-09-26) 26 September 1945
Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
GenresMPB, Tropicália, psychedelic rock, bossa nova, pop
Occupation(s)Singer
Years active1965–present
Labels
Associated actsCaetano Veloso
Websitewww.galcosta.com.br

Early life

Gal Costa was born on September 26, 1945, in the city of Salvador, the capital of the state of Bahia, Brazil. Her mother, Mariah Costa Penna (deceased 1993) spent hours listening to classical music during her pregnancy in hopes that Gal would be interested in music. Gal's father, Arnaldo Burgos (deceased 1960), died when Gal was 15 years old and the two would never meet.

At the age of 10, Gal befriended sisters, Sandra and Andréia Gadelha, the future spouses of singer-songwriters Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso, respectively. At 14, she first listened to João Gilberto's "Chega de Saudade" on the radio and became interested in Bossa Nova. She then went on to work as a clerk on Salvador's main record store to get closer to music. At 18, she was introduced to Caetano Veloso by Andréa Gadelha, engaging with him in a deep friendship that still lasts.

Career

Costa debuted her professional career on the night of August 22, 1964 at the concert Nós, por exemplo (We, For Example), where she performed alongside Veloso, Gil, Maria Bethânia and Tom Zé, among others. The concert inaugurated the Vila Velha Theatre in her hometown. During the same year, she also performed in Nova Bossa Velha, Velha Bossa Nova (New Old Wave, Old New Wave), at the same place and with the same singing partners. She then left Salvador to live in the house of her cousin Nívea in Rio de Janeiro, following in the footsteps of Bethânia, whose concert Opinião (Opinion) had become a huge hit there.

Costa's first professional recording happened on Bethânia's debut album, released in 1965. It was the duet "Sol Negro" (Black Sun) written by Bethânia's brother, Caetano Veloso. She then released her first singles through RCA Records, "Eu vim da Bahia", written by Gil, and "Sim, foi você", written by Veloso. The following year Costa met Gilberto personally and participated in TV Rio's 1st International Music Festival performing "Minha Senhora", written by Gil and Torquato Neto. It failed to captivate the Festival's audience.

Gal Costa, 1969. National Archives of Brazil.

Costa's first album Domingo was released in 1967 through Philips Records. It was also Veloso's debut. Costa stayed on the label, which later became PolyGram, until 1983. One song released from this album, "Coração Vagabundo", became a huge hit. The same year, Costa also performed two songs on the 2nd International Music Festival, which was then hosted by Rede Globo. They were "Bom Dia", written by Gil and Nana Caymmi, and "Dadá Maria", written by Renato Teixeira. The latter was performed with Sílvio César at the Festival and with Teixeira on the recording.

In 1968, Costa became a part of the tropicália movement. She recorded four songs on Tropicália: ou Panis et Circenses. They were "Mamãe coragem", written by Veloso and Torquato Neto, "Parque industrial", by Tom Zé, "Enquanto seu lobo não vem", by Veloso, and "Baby", also by Veloso. The latter became Costa's first nationwide solo hit, becoming a classic of Brazilian popular music. The same year, she participated in the 3rd International Music Festival, performing "Gabriela Mais Bela", written by Roberto and Erasmo Carlos. In November, she participated on Rede Record's 4th Music Festival, performing the song "Divino Maravilhoso", by Gil and Veloso. The song also became a nationwide hit and a classic song of popular music.

In 1969, Costa released her eponymous solo debut album, which included "Baby" and "Divino Maravilhoso". The album is considered a Tropicalismo classic, balanced between Brazilian stylizations and North American psychedelic influences. It also featured Costa's third and fourth solo hits, Jorge Ben Jor's "Que pena (Ele já não gosta mais de mim)" and Veloso's "Não identificado", respectively. In the same year, she recorded her second solo album, titled Gal, and featuring the hits "Meu nome é Gal", by Roberto and Erasmo Carlos, and "Cinema Olympia", by Veloso. The album served as the basis for the repertoire of the concert Gal!

Her next album, Legal, was not as far from the mainstream as its predecessor, and a live album the following year again balanced smooth Brazilian sounds with heavy rock. In 1973, the cover of Costa's album Índia was censored[1] — it focuses on her red bikini bottom. Costa has recorded songs composed by a number of Brazil's most popular songwriters such as Tom Jobim, Ben and Erasmo Carlos. In 1982 the single "Festa Do Interior" from the double album Fantasia became her biggest ever hit, going multi-platinum by the end of the year. Costa appeared in the 1995 film The Mandarin (O Mandarim) as the singer Carmen Miranda. She has recorded songs in Portuguese, Spanish and English.

Discography

Studio albums
  • 1965: Maria da Graça (EP)
  • 1967: Domingo (with Caetano Veloso)
  • 1969: Gal Costa
  • 1969: Gal
  • 1970: Legal
  • 1971: -Fa-Tal- Gal a Todo Vapor
  • 1973: Índia
  • 1974: Cantar
  • 1975: Gal Canta Caymmi
  • 1977: Caras e Bocas
  • 1978: Água Viva
  • 1979: Gal Tropical
  • 1980: Aquarela do Brasil
  • 1981: Fantasia
  • 1982: Minha Voz
  • 1983: Baby Gal
  • 1983: Trilha Sonora do Filme 'Gabriela'
  • 1984: Profana
  • 1985: Bem Bom
  • 1987: Lua de Mel Como o Diabo Gosta
  • 1990: Plural
  • 1992: Gal
  • 1994: O Sorriso do Gato de Alice
  • 1995: Mina D'Água do Meu Canto
  • 1998: Aquele Frevo Axé
  • 2001: Gal de Tantos Amores
  • 2002: Gal Bossa Tropical
  • 2004: Todas as Coisas e Eu
  • 2005: Hoje [2]
  • 2011: Recanto
  • 2015: "Estratosférica"
  • 2018: "A Pele do Futuro"
Gal Costa, 1971.

Live albums

Singles
  • 1968: "Baby"
  • 1969: "Que Pena (Ela Já Não Gosta Mais De Mim)"
  • 1970: "Meu Nome É Gal"
  • 1970: "London, London"

Filmography

Selected filmography
Year Film Role Notes
1995 O Mandarim Carmen Miranda
2017 O Nome Dela é Gal Biography docu-series produced by HBO Latin America

Bibliography
  • De Stefano, Gildo, Il popolo del samba, La vicenda e i protagonisti della storia della musica popolare brasiliana, Preface by Chico Buarque de Hollanda, Introduction by Gianni Minà, RAI-ERI, Rome 2005, ISBN 8839713484
  • De Stefano, Gildo, Saudade Bossa Nova: musiche, contaminazioni e ritmi del Brasile, Preface by Chico Buarque, Introduction by Gianni Minà, Logisma Editore, Firenze 2017, ISBN 978-88-97530-88-6
gollark: I can't say no to cellular automata!
gollark: No, it just becomes a crazy tactical thing.
gollark: Actually, maybe fewest votes but you have to have... over 0.1% of the population?
gollark: No.
gollark: (you have to have at least 1 vote to be considered, though)

References
  1. cover of Gal Costa's album Índia
  2. Billboard - 21 Oct 2006 - Page 68 "Camargo Mariano's production output for the year was slim: He is entered only for Gal Costa's "Hoje," an album that hasn't been released in the United States."
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