Os Vips

The brothers Ronald Luís Antonucci and Márcio Antônio Antonucci had each pursued separate singing careers before uniting as a vocal duo in 1964. That same year they cut their own number “Tonight” for the anthology Reino da Juventude. Their subsequent single “Emoção” sold 35,000 copies and solidified their standing. Ranked among the leading vocal acts of the Jovem Guarda, they scored repeated successes with material written expressly for them by Roberto Carlos and Erasmo Carlos, including “É Preciso Saber Viver,” “Faça Alguma Coisa Pelo Nosso Amor,” “Emoção,” “Largo Tudo e Venho Te Buscar,” and “A Volta.” The last of these tracks held the second-most-requested position on the national hit parade for two weeks, outranking the Rolling Stones’ “Satisfaction” and the Beatles’ “Day Tripper,” before climbing to number one and earning the Chico Viola award in 1966. During this era the pair appeared frequently on the movement’s flagship television programs—Jovem Guarda, Novos Nove Show, and Excelsior A Go Go—and were granted their own series, Linha de Frente. They also featured in Mozael Silva’s film Abraça-me Forte alongside Wanderley Cardoso and Rosemary. In the 1970s the duo adopted the name Márcio e Ronaldo and disbanded in 1976, after which Márcio turned to phonographic production and oversaw several hit collections credited to Os Motokas, a pseudonym for Roupa Nova. When interest in Jovem Guarda resurfaced during the 1990s, the brothers rejoined forces; the following year they released the live album “A Volta,” which moved 300,000 units, and resumed live performances. In 1995 Márcio conceived and produced five Polygram CDs compiling Jovem Guarda successes performed largely by the original artists; the set sold 500,000 copies and supported a nationwide tour that extended through 1996.