» Roots & Influences «

Updated: 10-Oct-99

  • Aretha Franklin
  • Astrud Gilberto
  • David Bowie
  • Elton John
  • Queen
  • Stevie Wonder



    • Genres: Jazz
    Styles: Bossa Nova, Brazil, Brazilian Jazz    		 Astrud Gilberto
    ... (born 1940 in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil) is a limited but strangely memorable singer known mostly for her very first recording. At the famous 1963 collaboration between Stan Getz, Antonio Carlos Jobim and her then-husband Joao Gilberto, Astrud was spontaneously asked to sing the English lyrics to "The Girl from Ipanema" even though she was a housewife and not a professional singer. Her cool-toned voice fit the song perfectly and, after it became a giant hit, she unwittingly became a celebrity. Gilberto recorded with Stan Getz again in 1964 and made a series of albums for Verve during 1965-69. Although lightning did not strike again, the easy-listening encounters with string orchestras sold well. Astrud Gilberto has continued singing on a part-time basis, and it is doubtful if she has performed anywhere in the past 33 years without having to sing "The Girl from Ipanema."
    by Scott Yanow, All-Music Guide

    ... see also Desafinado, the 1996 duet with George Michael.

    » MOVE ON «
    Tribute ~ Special ~ MENU