Gal Costa, Maria Bethânia, Vandre -

Brazilian singer of popular music. Born: September 26, 1945 in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. Died: November 9, 2022. Gal Costa was born on September 26, 1945 on Barra, one of the most traditional neighbourhoods of Salvador, to Mariah Costa Penna (d. 1993) and Arnaldo Burgos (d. 1960). During her pregnancy, Mariah spent hours concentrated listening to classical music, as in a ritual, with the intention that her child would become interested in music. Gal never met her father, who died when she was 15 years old. When she was 10, Gal befriended sisters Sandra and Andréia Gadelha, future wives 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 lasted until her death. Costa debuted her professional career on the night of August 22, 1964 on the concert Nós, por exemplo, 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, 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 the footsteps of Bethânia, whose concert, Opinião, had become a huge hit on the town. Costa's first professional recording happened on Bethânia's debut album, released in 1965. It was the duet "Sol Negro

• galcosta.com.br
• pt.wikipedia.org
• en.wikipedia.org
• imdb.com