This pair of brothers, members of the Tabajara tribe of northern Brazil, we… Read Full Bio ↴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. 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. 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
Jungle Dream
Los indios tabajaras Lyrics
We have lyrics for these tracks by Los indios tabajaras:
Amapola Cabaret Pop Miscellaneous El Peine De Los Vientos Tu, tu y y…
Begin The Beguine When they begin the beguine It brings back the sound of…
Blue Moon Blue moon you saw me standing alone Without a dream in…
Girl From Ipanema Tall and tan and young and lovely The girl from Ipanema…
I Never thought I'd fall, But now I hear love call, I'm gettin…
I'm Getting Sentimental Over You Never thought I'd fall, But now I hear love call, I'm gett…
Lamento Borincano Uuuh, Ilegales Muévelo, muévelo, muévelo, muévelo En esta fi…
Los Indios Danzan Pretty boy baby Its is the remix Baby yo quisiera tenerte s…
Love Is a Many Splendored Thing Love is a many splendored thing It's the April rose that…
Maria Elena ya le absorvimos parejo y andamos bien paniqueados el vino…
Over The Rainbow Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high There's a land that…
Penelope Penélope, con su bolso de piel marrón why sus zapatos de t…
Polvo de Estrella And now the purple dusk of twilight time Steals across the…
Por Que Eres Asi ¿Porque suspiras? ¿que piensas de mi? Cuando te miro yoo ¿Po…
Serenata de Luna - Moonlight Serenade I stand at your gate and the song that I…
St. Louis Blues I hate to see that evening sun go down I hate…
Star Dust And now the purple dusk of twilight time Steals across the…
Stardust And now the purple dusk of twilight time Steals across the…
Te Quiero Dijiste Magic is the moonlight On this lover's dream night As I see…
The Girl From Ipanema Tall and tan and young and lovely The girl from Ipanema…
You Belong to My Heart Everything I know about love I learned from you, from…
The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos
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Georgiana Percia
I am very proud of my Uncle- Natalicio & my Dad -Antenor, for their wonderful dedication and musical talent. Miss them deeply.
They left me a wonderful and beautiful legacy of their love for the music they played. Whatever they heard , they were able to recompose it for guitars. Practicing 8-10 hrs a day with dedication to their fine tuning of their craft to become the finest virtuoso's that they became .
I thank everyone that loved them, their music & still love their music now.
Los Indios Tabajaras fue un grupo formado por dos hermanos del Brazil Natalicio Moreira Lima alias Erundi y Antenor Moreira Lima alias Mucapere. PAJARO CAMPANA fue uno de sus mas grandes éxitos. Otro de sus éxitos fue Maria Helena que vendió millones de discos en todo el mundo. Visitaron todos los países de Sur, Centro y Norte America y luego el resto del mundo. Hoy le rendimos homenaje a través de este maravilloso medio para aquellos que no conocen su música.
Thank you Mr. Bora MT for this great information about my Uncle & My Dad, which I heard through my mother over the years as well.
Appreciate you posting the information of their full names, which for some people had a hard time recalling or pronouncing.
I knew them as Erundi & Antenor most of their life, but heard my Dad being called, Musapeire too .
I am the daughter of Antenor Lima & am very grateful for All the people that loved them & to this day enjoy their music.
Miguel Angel Olondriz
La verdad es que esta pieza, de Los Indios Tabajaras es de las mejores y poco conocida yo tambien soy un fan de estos magníficos guitarristas , en mi canal tambien tengo mucha musica de los Indios Tabajaras subida casi toda inédita en You Tube, es mi deseo que la disfruten Saludos
dakpak1951
extremely underrated flip side of maria elena. i really am stunned that anybody knows this tune to post it. i am grateful
aVideoSharing
@mula1968 You are WELCOME and thanks for the great comments. Your dad sounds like a really smart guy. I fell in love with the flip side (Maria Elena) around 1963 when I was about 10 years old; listening to my parents Hi-Fi. I can only dream about playing like this; I never learned to play guitar. I believe the brothers LOS INDIOS TABAJARAS were the best ever. Thanks again for listening.
cappellen alain
en hommage à un oncle décédé qui adorait ces morceaux , une belle pensée pour lui , magnifique musique .
nelida calatayud
¡Bellisima, esta es una de las melodías mas bellas!!
Georgiana Percia
I am very proud of my Uncle- Natalicio & my Dad -Antenor, for their wonderful dedication and musical talent. Miss them deeply.
They left me a wonderful and beautiful legacy of their love for the music they played. Whatever they heard , they were able to recompose it for guitars. Practicing 8-10 hrs a day with dedication to their fine tuning of their craft to become the finest virtuoso's that they became .
I thank everyone that loved them, their music & still love their music now.
Los Indios Tabajaras fue un grupo formado por dos hermanos del Brazil Natalicio Moreira Lima alias Erundi y Antenor Moreira Lima alias Mucapere. PAJARO CAMPANA fue uno de sus mas grandes éxitos. Otro de sus éxitos fue Maria Helena que vendió millones de discos en todo el mundo. Visitaron todos los países de Sur, Centro y Norte America y luego el resto del mundo. Hoy le rendimos homenaje a través de este maravilloso medio para aquellos que no conocen su música.
Thank you Mr. Bora MT for this great information about my Uncle & My Dad, which I heard through my mother over the years as well.
Appreciate you posting the information of their full names, which for some people had a hard time recalling or pronouncing.
I knew them as Erundi & Antenor most of their life, but heard my Dad being called, Musapeire too .
I am the daughter of Antenor Lima & am very grateful for All the people that loved them & to this day enjoy their music.
mula1968
I was 13 in 1963, and when my Dad brought home the first of many albums by Los Indios Tabajaras and placed it on the Hi-Fi and he kept telling me and my 2 brothers (we were learning guitar then) "Boys, just wait 'til you hear these guys. wait 'til you hear 'em!" .. A-n-d this was the first tune he played! I've never forgotten that as well as much of their music but I will always remember Dad when I hear them. God bless you for posting this! Signed ...A devoted fan.
wattage2007
Lovely story. Amazing how many of us have similar memories of this tune.
Ruben Layne Ruiz
Sweeps you away, memories and all. Sometimes its hard not to cry.
rio babic
I actually have the original sheet music for this song in a book of there greatest hits. It is right on note for note.