Los indios tabajaras
This pair of brothers, members of the Tabajara tribe of northern Brazil, were one of the most unlikely successes of the space age pop era. Nearly 20 years after they first began recording professionally and in the midst of the twist craze, they had a Top 10 pop hit with their cover of "Maria Elena," a Mexican folklore song.
RCA and their promoters have always drawn a veil of mystery around Los Indios Tabajaras, so it's tough to trace their early years accurately. Read Full BioThis pair of brothers, members of the Tabajara tribe of northern Brazil, were one of the most unlikely successes of the space age pop era. Nearly 20 years after they first began recording professionally and in the midst of the twist craze, they had a Top 10 pop hit with their cover of "Maria Elena," a Mexican folklore song.
RCA and their promoters have always drawn a veil of mystery around Los Indios Tabajaras, so it's tough to trace their early years accurately. Their literature claimed they discovered a guitar in the jungle near Ceara, Brazil, and, after making sure it wasn't going to explode like other firearms their tribesmen had found, began to examine it. Eventually, they both mastered the instrument and came to the attention of townspeople, one of whom took them to Rio de Janeiro to play.
Dressing up in ceremonial Indian costumes, the brothers perfected a nightclub act in which they sang and played Brazilian and Latin folk songs. They changed their names to Natalicio and Antenor Lima and began touring throughout South America. In 1943, RCA's Latin American arm signed them to a contract.
In the early 1950s, they took a break from touring and returned to study, each with a different teacher. Natalicio focused on melody and Antenor worked on harmony. They also added a substantial classical repertoire to their act, including guitar pieces by Bach, Falla, and Albeniz.
Another tour followed, this time to Europe as well, and they recorded several more albums for RCA in Mexico. One of their singles, "Maria Elena," released in 1958, became a steady seller, and by early 1962, its success caught the eye of RCA's U.S. division. They issued the tune, and this lovely, gentle melody quickly carved a solid niche in the U.S. pop charts. It ended up spending 14 weeks in the U.S. Top 10 and 17 weeks in the U.K. charts, and the subsequent album placed in the Top 10 album chart as well. Within a year, the brothers followed with another single, "Always in My Heart," but the novelty had worn off and it barely dented the Top 100.
Chet Atkins was particularly impressed by the brothers' guitar work, and he invited them to Nashville, where they recorded an instrumental album with Atkins and pianist Floyd Cramer, and--in one of the oddest releases of the countrypolitan era--one with singer Don Gibson ("Oh, Lonesome Me").
RCA--both the U.S. and Latin American divisions--continued to record them well into the 1980s, and the brother's mellow guitar style proved a big influence on a new generation of guitarists such as Rick Vito
RCA and their promoters have always drawn a veil of mystery around Los Indios Tabajaras, so it's tough to trace their early years accurately. Read Full BioThis pair of brothers, members of the Tabajara tribe of northern Brazil, were one of the most unlikely successes of the space age pop era. Nearly 20 years after they first began recording professionally and in the midst of the twist craze, they had a Top 10 pop hit with their cover of "Maria Elena," a Mexican folklore song.
RCA and their promoters have always drawn a veil of mystery around Los Indios Tabajaras, so it's tough to trace their early years accurately. Their literature claimed they discovered a guitar in the jungle near Ceara, Brazil, and, after making sure it wasn't going to explode like other firearms their tribesmen had found, began to examine it. Eventually, they both mastered the instrument and came to the attention of townspeople, one of whom took them to Rio de Janeiro to play.
Dressing up in ceremonial Indian costumes, the brothers perfected a nightclub act in which they sang and played Brazilian and Latin folk songs. They changed their names to Natalicio and Antenor Lima and began touring throughout South America. In 1943, RCA's Latin American arm signed them to a contract.
In the early 1950s, they took a break from touring and returned to study, each with a different teacher. Natalicio focused on melody and Antenor worked on harmony. They also added a substantial classical repertoire to their act, including guitar pieces by Bach, Falla, and Albeniz.
Another tour followed, this time to Europe as well, and they recorded several more albums for RCA in Mexico. One of their singles, "Maria Elena," released in 1958, became a steady seller, and by early 1962, its success caught the eye of RCA's U.S. division. They issued the tune, and this lovely, gentle melody quickly carved a solid niche in the U.S. pop charts. It ended up spending 14 weeks in the U.S. Top 10 and 17 weeks in the U.K. charts, and the subsequent album placed in the Top 10 album chart as well. Within a year, the brothers followed with another single, "Always in My Heart," but the novelty had worn off and it barely dented the Top 100.
Chet Atkins was particularly impressed by the brothers' guitar work, and he invited them to Nashville, where they recorded an instrumental album with Atkins and pianist Floyd Cramer, and--in one of the oddest releases of the countrypolitan era--one with singer Don Gibson ("Oh, Lonesome Me").
RCA--both the U.S. and Latin American divisions--continued to record them well into the 1980s, and the brother's mellow guitar style proved a big influence on a new generation of guitarists such as Rick Vito
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Rogelio alfredo Leocata
Muy buen sonidos de ésas guitarras
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BUENOS AIRES
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REPÚBLICA
🇦🇷 R 🇦🇷 A 🇦🇷
L 🇦🇷
ARGENTINA
_________________👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
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🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
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Jane Witwer
I am 78 my Mom and Dad used to dance to this in Dining room on Sundays. It brings tears to my eyes and can see them in my mind. My Mom's name was Mary Ellen. I just love this beautiful song.
Marisa Dalila
Io meno d'età ma adoro questa musica ...troppo
Mauricio Acevedo
Your good memories keep your love ones alive in your mind and hearth...
Steve Scafidi
I'm 73 it does the same thing to me. You've got company Jane!
Ranty M
My dad used to tell me the story of Tabajaras in Brazil
Brandon McGrew
Brings tears to my eyes to just read this.
Víctor S. Rodríguez
Estupenda interpretación, sencillamente sensacional, dios guarde a estos excelentes músicos Brasileños, gracias hermanos de Brasil por escuchar nuestra música Mexicana, aqui tambien escuchamos su música, saludos desde Mexico a todo Brasil...Víctor Rodríguez..
Marisa Dalila
GRAZIE ❤️💓💝😥
carlos rodriguez
Dios se escribe con mayúscula, mi estimado.
Alice Tydgat
Vind myn antwoord niet terug heerlyke herinnering?!