Ney Matogrosso

Instantly recognizable for his distinctive countertenor vocal range and his flamboyant stage presence, Brazilian singer-songwriter Ney Matogrosso jumped to fame in the early 70s as the frontman for glam rock Secos & Molhados. Born Ney de Souza Pereira on August 1, 1941, he enlisted in the military at the age of 17 but then opted to pursue a career in music, first singing in a vocal quartet and then joining the group Secos & Molhados in 1971. Spearheaded by Ney Matogrosso, the band went on to become one of Brazil’s biggest rock acts of the decade, releasing two eponymous albums before splitting up in 1974. He then embarked on a highly successful solo career with the albums Água do Céu-Pássaro (1975), Bandido (1976), Pecado (1977), Feitiço (1978), and Seu Tipo (1979), all of which enjoyed great popularity in his native Brazil. During the second half of the 80s, Ney Matogrosso abandoned his stage antics and decided to focus on his voice, as evident by his exploration of the MPB songbook on O Pescador de Pérolas (1986), which featured songs by Cartola, Dorival Caymmi, Bororó, and Ary Barroso. The following decade found the singer touring with guitarist Raphael Rabello, with whom he recorded the album À Flor da Pele in 1990, and paying tribute to legendary singer-songwriters such as Ângela Maria, Chico Buarque, Tom Jobim, and Heitor Villa-Lobos. In 2014, Ney Matogrosso received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Latin Grammy Awards. Subsequently, the singer continued to pay homage to Brazilian music on the EP Nu Com a Minha Música (2021), whose Caetano Veloso-penned title track entered the Top 100 in Brazil.

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