Beat Boys

In the mid-1960s Argentinean musicians formed the Beat Boys in São Paulo as a vocal and instrumental rock ensemble. The group became a pivotal reference during the rise of Tropicália by delivering the rock drive Caetano Veloso sought for his subversive appearance at the III Festival de Música Popular Brasileira/FMPB. Staged at the Paramount Theater on TV Record in São Paulo in 1967, the event included their interpretation of the Caetano Veloso composition “Alegria, Alegria,” which sparked fierce audience hostility. That reaction rippled through public debate and sharpened the split between nationalists and transnationalists, especially over electric guitar use. The same festival edition introduced rock into a Brazilian popular-music setting for the first time. Os Mutantes appeared as the only other rock band, backing Gilberto Gil on “Domingo no Parque.” The Beat Boys also joined Caetano Veloso for the studio recording of “Alegria, Alegria.” In 1968 they issued their own album, Beat Boys.