Astrud Gilberto — the Brazilian singer who popularized bossa nova worldwide with her recording of the song "The Girl from Ipanema" — has died. Gilberto's son, Marcelo, confirmed to The Independent that the artist passed away Monday (June 5), while a cause of death was not disclosed. She was 83.
Born Astrud Evangelina Weinert in 1940, Gilberto recorded 16 studio LPs and two live albums over the course of her career, making her debut as a solo artist with 1965's The Astrud Gilberto Album.
Gilberto's vocal debut came on 1964's Getz/Gilberto, a collaborative by American saxophonist Stan Getz and Brazilian guitarist João Gilberto (Astrud's then-husband) that would go on to become one of the best-selling jazz albums of all time.
Having never sung professionally before, she lent her voice to "Corcovado (Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars)" and the English language recording of "The Girl from Ipanema," translated by Norman Gimbel and originally written by Antônio Carlos Jobim and Vinícius de Moraes.
According to those involved with the recording, Gilberto's appearance on the celebrated album happened entirely by chance. As sound engineer Phil Ramone told JazzWax in 2010, "Astrud was in the control room when [Gimbel] came in with the English lyrics to 'Ipanema.' [Producer Creed Taylor] said he wanted to get the song done right away and looked around the room. Astrud volunteered, saying she could sing in English. Creed said, 'Great.' Astrud wasn't a professional singer, but she was the only victim sitting there that night."
Gilberto's recording of "The Girl from Ipanema" won a Grammy award for Song of the Year — one of five total Grammys that Getz/Gilberto won — and earned her a nomination for Best Vocal Performance by a female. The song was inducted into the Latin Grammy Hall of Fame in 2001, and in 2004, was chosen as one of 50 recordings by the US Library of Congress to be added to the National Recording Registry.
In spite of the accolades, it has been reported that Gilberto received just $120 in session fees for her performance. Additionally, it has been said that saxophonist Getz worked to ensure the artist was never paid her fair share of the royalties, despite boasting about how he had discovered her talent.
"The funny thing is that after my success, stories abound as to Stan Getz or Creed Taylor having 'discovered me,' when in fact, nothing is further from the truth," Gilberto wrote on her website in 1982 [via The Independent]. "I guess it made them look important to have been the one that had the 'wisdom' to recognize potential in my singing. I suppose I should feel flattered by the importance that they lend to this, but I can't help but feel annoyed that they resorted to lying."
"She believed in people and was trusting," Marcelo, who performed and recorded with Gilberto, shared of his mother with The Independent. "They took advantage of her good nature, trust and desire to make music."
In 2002, Gilberto was inducted into the International Latin Music Hall of Fame, upon which she announced an indefinite hiatus from her music career. That same year saw the release of what would be her final studio album, Jungle.
Born Astrud Evangelina Weinert in 1940, Gilberto recorded 16 studio LPs and two live albums over the course of her career, making her debut as a solo artist with 1965's The Astrud Gilberto Album.
Gilberto's vocal debut came on 1964's Getz/Gilberto, a collaborative by American saxophonist Stan Getz and Brazilian guitarist João Gilberto (Astrud's then-husband) that would go on to become one of the best-selling jazz albums of all time.
Having never sung professionally before, she lent her voice to "Corcovado (Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars)" and the English language recording of "The Girl from Ipanema," translated by Norman Gimbel and originally written by Antônio Carlos Jobim and Vinícius de Moraes.
According to those involved with the recording, Gilberto's appearance on the celebrated album happened entirely by chance. As sound engineer Phil Ramone told JazzWax in 2010, "Astrud was in the control room when [Gimbel] came in with the English lyrics to 'Ipanema.' [Producer Creed Taylor] said he wanted to get the song done right away and looked around the room. Astrud volunteered, saying she could sing in English. Creed said, 'Great.' Astrud wasn't a professional singer, but she was the only victim sitting there that night."
Gilberto's recording of "The Girl from Ipanema" won a Grammy award for Song of the Year — one of five total Grammys that Getz/Gilberto won — and earned her a nomination for Best Vocal Performance by a female. The song was inducted into the Latin Grammy Hall of Fame in 2001, and in 2004, was chosen as one of 50 recordings by the US Library of Congress to be added to the National Recording Registry.
In spite of the accolades, it has been reported that Gilberto received just $120 in session fees for her performance. Additionally, it has been said that saxophonist Getz worked to ensure the artist was never paid her fair share of the royalties, despite boasting about how he had discovered her talent.
"The funny thing is that after my success, stories abound as to Stan Getz or Creed Taylor having 'discovered me,' when in fact, nothing is further from the truth," Gilberto wrote on her website in 1982 [via The Independent]. "I guess it made them look important to have been the one that had the 'wisdom' to recognize potential in my singing. I suppose I should feel flattered by the importance that they lend to this, but I can't help but feel annoyed that they resorted to lying."
"She believed in people and was trusting," Marcelo, who performed and recorded with Gilberto, shared of his mother with The Independent. "They took advantage of her good nature, trust and desire to make music."
In 2002, Gilberto was inducted into the International Latin Music Hall of Fame, upon which she announced an indefinite hiatus from her music career. That same year saw the release of what would be her final studio album, Jungle.
