In the landscape of Brazilian rock, Rita Lee occupied a pivotal role. After departing from the groundbreaking group Os Mutantes, she launched a solo trajectory that flourished across more than three decades.
Born to an amateur pianist mother, she pursued no formal instruction in music. Instead of a conventional coming-out celebration, she requested a drum kit. Lee assembled a trio with companions who supplied harmonies for artists including Tony Campelo, Jet Blacks, Demetrius, and Prini Lopez. The circle then intersected with brothers Arnaldo and Sérgio Dias Baptista. Under the moniker O'Seis—a wordplay on “the six” and a colloquial Brazilian phrasing—they cut the never-issued single “O Suicida.” When other members departed for university studies, three remained and adopted the name Os Mutantes. They supported Nana Caymmi on Gilberto Gil’s “Bom Dia,” prompting Gil to enlist them for TV Record’s 1967 III FMPB. There they placed second with Gil’s “Domingo no Parque,” augmented by Rogério Duprat’s orchestra and its innovative scoring. The introduction of electric guitars alongside unconventional orchestral textures provoked strong audience disapproval, marking the arrival of the Tropicalia aesthetic amid widespread jeers. They soon issued the single “O Relógio.” In 1968 the collective appeared on the album-manifesto Tropicália ou Panis et Circensis (Philips) with fellow innovators Nara Leão, Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Gal Costa, and Tom Zé, and released their debut LP, Os Mutantes. During repeated European engagements they taped an album that remained unreleased except for selections later included on 1971’s Jardim Elétrico. That same year they joined Veloso for “É Proibido Proibir” on TV Globo’s III FIC and performed their own “Caminhante Noturno,” which finished seventh. In 1969 they entered the IV FMPB with “Dom Quixote” and, alongside Tom Zé, “2001.” They appeared with the Baianos at Rio’s Sucata nightclub and recorded their second self-titled album. European dates followed at MIDEM in Cannes and in Lisbon.
Returning to Brazil in 1970, they staged the multimedia production O Planeta dos Mutantes. Lee also delivered her first solo outing, Build Up, produced by Arnaldo Baptista and leaning toward established rock and pop forms. Os Mutantes subsequently appeared at the Olympia in Paris. With bassist Liminha and drummer Dinho they entered the V FIC performing “Ando Meio Desligado,” after which A Divina Comédia surfaced later that year and O Jardim Elétrico (Polydor) arrived in 1971. In 1972 Lee cut Hoje é o Primeiro Dia do Resto de Sua Vida (Philips) with Os Mutantes backing her. Following the release of E Seus Cometas no País do Baurets, she exited the ensemble. Emerging from a period of depression during which she had contemplated retirement, she continued composing the songs that would define her independent career. In 1973 she joined Lúcia Turnbull for Phono 73. The rock band Tutti Frutti, featuring Turnbull, was formed for engagements at Teatro Ruth Escobar; at the label’s urging they became Rita Lee & Tutti Frutti. The unit achieved sustained success, issuing Lee’s signature tracks “Ovelha Negra,” “Agora só Falta Você,” “Esse tal de Roque Enrow,” “Miss Brasil 2000,” and “Jardins da Babilônia.” Atrás do Porto tem uma Cidade (Philips) appeared in 1974. Turnbull departed in 1975, after which Fruto Proibido (Som Livre) was recorded. In 1977 Lee received a one-year house-arrest sentence for marijuana possession; during confinement she co-wrote “Arrombou a Festa” with Paulo Coelho, a single that sold 200,000 copies. Court permission allowed continued performances. Elis Regina invited her to a TV Bandeirantes special where they duetted on Lee’s “Doce de Pimenta.” Around this time Lee entered an unofficial marriage with Roberto de Carvalho, who joined the band as guitarist and songwriter. They toured with Gilberto Gil on the Refestança project, preserved on a namesake LP. After issuing Babilônia in 1978 the group disbanded amid internal friction. Lee next assembled Rita Lee & Cães e Gatos for a tour under that banner. The 1979 album yielded “Mania de Você,” her most substantial hit, prompting a shift to fully solo status. International notice followed the release of “Lança Perfume,” which prompted Prince Charles to name her his favorite singer. In the early 1980s she scored further success with “Joujou e Balangandãs,” recorded alongside João Gilberto. Her openly dance-oriented, commercially potent albums repeatedly set sales benchmarks while her concerts evolved into large-scale spectacles. Health issues surfaced during the 1983 Rita Lee e Roberto de Carvalho tour, including an onstage collapse; she opted for rest and released an album without accompanying dates.
She made a brief January 1985 appearance at the Rock in Rio Festival. Seven months later another well-received album emerged. In 1986 she realized an ambition by hosting a radio program on São Paulo’s 89 FM, later moving to Rio’s Rádio Cidade. Flerte Fatal drew sharp press criticism upon its 1987 release. Two further albums met similar disapproval before she concluded her professional partnership with her husband, though they collaborated on the film Fogo e Paixão. Subsequent work included the soundtrack for Cacá Diegues’s Dias Melhores Virão, which earned a Denzer Festival prize in Europe in 1990. Portraying the late Raul Seixas in the short Tanta Estrela por Aí brought her a Best Male Actor citation from Rio’s municipal authorities. Television credits encompassed the telenovelas Top Model and Vamp plus her own program, TV Leezão. The 1990 album Bossa N' Roll achieved strong sales and secured an opening slot for the Rolling Stones’ Brazilian dates. She toured behind A Marca da Zorra, again with Roberto de Carvalho. In 1991 she became the first woman and first pop figure to receive the Prêmio Shell de MPB. The Prêmio Sharp de Música followed in 1997, along with Santa Rita de Sampa and the large-scale Acústico MTV. She issued the CD 3001 in 2000 and Aqui, Ali, em Qualquer Lugar, a bossa-styled collection of Beatles material, in 2001. Touring persisted through the decade, yielding Balacobaco in 2003. Reza, released in 2013, was her final lifetime album. An autobiography appeared three years later, and she accepted a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2022 Latin Grammys. Lee died at her Brazilian home in 2023 at age 75.
