Dick Farney

Dick Farney stood out as a vocalist, instrumentalist, and composer whose decisive influence on Brazilian popular music stemmed from his integration of jazz harmonies and stylistic approaches. He became the first performer ever to record “Tenderly,” a song that later achieved international success in Nat “King” Cole’s version. Farney scored Brazilian hits that foreshadowed bossa nova, among them “Copacabana” and the duet “Teresa da Praia” with Lúcio Alves. His film appearances included Somos Dois (1950, directed by Milton Rodrigues), Carnaval Atlântida (1952, directed by José Carlos Burle), and Perdidos de Amor (1953, directed by Eurides Ramos). The son of a pianist and female singer, Farney trained as a classical pianist and vocalist during his teens and performed pieces by Manuel de Falla on Rádio Mayrink Veiga at age fourteen. Equally captivated by North American pop and jazz, he joined the Swing Maníacos as pianist alongside his brother, drummer Cyl Farney. Farney made his first public singing appearance in 1937 on Rádio Cruzeiro do Sul in Rio de Janeiro. At Rádio Mayrink Veiga he hosted his own program, Dick Farney, Sua Voz e Seu Piano. From 1941 to 1944 he served as crooner for Orquestra de Carlos Machado at Cassino da Urca. His debut recording as a singer took place in 1944 with the Ferreira Filho orchestra on “The Music Stopped” (Rodgers/Hart). Two years later came his first solo release, the samba-canção “Copacabana” (João de Barro/Alberto Ribeiro), which became one of his signature works. Still in 1946 he traveled to the United States to perform with Cole, Bill Evans, and David Brubeck. The following year brought another extended visit that included a two-month engagement on NBC radio plus live shows in Hollywood, Chicago, and San Francisco. During that period Farney introduced “Tenderly” (Walter Gross) on Majestic Records. In Brazil he enjoyed success with “Marina” (Dorival Caymmi), “Um Cantinho e Você” (José Maria de Abreu/Jair Amorim), and “Nick Bar” (Garoto/José Vasconcelos). In 1949 Farney toured Argentina and Uruguay. Early in the 1950s he scored further hits with “Uma Loira” (Hervê Cordovil), “Alguém Como Tu” (José Maria de Abreu/Jair Amorim), “Sem Esse Céu,” and “Ranchinho de Palha” (both by Luís Bonfá). In 1954 he formed Dick Farney e Seu Conjunto, in which he played piano. That year also marked the beginning of a new phase through his collaboration with Tom Jobim that signaled the arrival of bossa nova; “Teresa da Praia” (Tom Jobim/Billy Blanco) became a major hit in the joint interpretation by Farney and Lúcio Alves, a recording intended to dispel any perceived rivalry between the two singers. Farney participated in Sinfonia do Rio de Janeiro (Tom Jobim/Billy Blanco) and assembled a jazz quartet with drummer Rubinho, bassist Xu Viana, and saxophonist Casé; the group performed at the Municipal Theater of Rio de Janeiro and recorded an LP. In 1957 Farney moved to the United States for a year-long engagement in New York, NY, afterward touring Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and the Caribbean. In 1959 he hosted his own show on TV Record (São Paulo), and in 1965 he co-hosted the Dick e Betty 17 program on TV Globo (Rio de Janeiro) with Betty Faria. Also in 1965 Farney released an album on Elenco that included “Você,” another of his major successes. In 1971 he formed a trio with bassist Sabá (Sebastião Oliveira da Paz) and drummer Toninho (Antônio Pinheiro Filho) that performed at Flag’s nightclub. Farney continued to record and appear regularly; his final release was the live album Dick Farney Ao Vivo (1986).