Alvarenga E Ranchinho

The Brazilian duo Alvarenga e Ranchinho ranked among the country’s most beloved acts. They cultivated a caipira hillbilly persona and specialized in musical and comedic satire aimed at politics and social customs. Their partnership lasted from its formation in 1933 until Alvarenga’s death in 1978. Among their major successes was the 1940 recording “História de Uma Caveira.” The 1944 track “Ê... São Paulo” later acquired anthem status among longtime paulistanos. In 1950 the pair completed a month-long engagement at Lisbon’s Cassino Estoril. Their version of the march “Cordão Japonês” achieved strong sales in 1952. Over the course of their career the duo appeared in more than thirty films.

Ranchinho later recalled that the act originated in May 1933 inside a circus in Santos, São Paulo. They gradually built an audience through performances in rural circuses and on radio broadcasts. Their decisive opportunity arrived when Capitão Furtado secured them a role in Vitorio Capellaro’s 1935 film Fazendo Fita. That same year their carnival marchinha “Sai, Feia” took first prize in São Paulo’s annual contest and was recorded by Raul Torres. After relocating to Rio de Janeiro, the duo collaborated on the melody for Furtado’s “Itália e Abissínia,” receiving co-authorship credit and appearing on the 1936 release alongside the trio’s own “Liga das Nações.” Also in 1936 they debuted at Rio’s Casa de Caboclo, joined Rádio Tupi’s roster, hosted their own program A Trinca do Bom Humor, and performed in Buenos Aires. The following year they were engaged by the prestigious Cassino da Urca, remaining there until Brazil’s 1946 presidential decree outlawed gambling. It was at the Urca that the pair honed their political satire. Their 1938 marchinha “Seu Condutor,” written with Herivelto Martins, became one of Carnival’s biggest hits that year. They reworked the 1907 lundu “História de um Soldado,” originally recorded by Eduardo das Neves, adding new stanzas and retitling it “O Soldado que Perdeu a Parada,” a pointed critique of President Getúlio Vargas’s administration. Those satirical numbers led to four brief arrests, most lasting only overnight. In 1939 Vargas’s daughter Alzirinha Vargas invited the duo to perform at her father’s birthday celebration on April 19 at the Palácio do Catete. As a populist leader, Getúlio recognized the value of such humor for his public image and, after listening to every song and joke directed at himself, granted them unrestricted permission to continue. Other officials, including São Paulo mayor Adhemar de Barros, similarly requested satirical treatment. The pair nevertheless encountered difficulties with Presidents Dutra and Jânio Quadros.

Ranchinho’s bohemian habits frequently caused him to vanish, leaving Alvarenga to meet professional obligations alone. On such occasions Alvarenga enlisted substitute partners. For two months he performed with his brother Delamare de Abreu; in 1965 he teamed with Homero de Souza Campos. The second partnership endured thirteen years until Alvarenga’s own death.