Alcione

Alcione's discography includes nineteen gold certifications and two platinum awards, while her live performances have taken her across the former U.S.S.R., Cabo Verde, Puerto Rico, Iran, the U.S., Japan, Portugal, Mexico, Switzerland, Argentina, and Chile. Standout successes from her catalog encompass "Não Deixe o Samba Morrer" (Edson/Aluísio), "Gostoso Veneno" (Wilson Moreira/Nei Lopes), "Sufoco" (Chico da Silva/Venâncio), "Garoto Maroto" (Marcos Paiva/Franco), "Rio Antigo" (Nonato Buzar/Chico Anísio), and "Nem Morta" (Michael Sullivan/Paulo Massadas). As the daughter of the conductor of the Military Police band of Maranhão—who also introduced her to the traditions of the bumba-meu-boi—she began clarinet studies at age thirteen. At twenty she relocated to Rio de Janeiro RJ, where she took a position at TV Excelsior, then spent four months performing in Argentina and Chile. After returning to Brazil she made her home in São Paulo, appearing in nightclubs as a singer and trumpet player while also working in television. Europe became her base for a two-year tour that began in 1970. Her first Brazilian single appeared in 1972; Mexico followed with a performance in 1973 and Portugal with one in 1974. The 1975 release of her debut LP, A Voz do Samba, introduced the tracks "O Surdo" (Totonho/Paulinho Resende) and "Não Deixe o Samba Morrer" (Edson/Aluísio), earning her initial gold record. Two years later the album Alerta Geral supplied both the title for a two-year TV Globo program she hosted and the samba-enredo theme adopted by the Unidos da Ponte school in 1994.