Rosinha de Valença was a Brazilian singer-songwriter and one of her country's finest acoustic guitarists. Born Maria Rosa Canelas in 1941, she learned to play by accompanying music on the radio.
Translated into English, her professional name means Rosinha from Valença, a city in the state of Rio de Janeiro. The name was given to her by Sérgio Porto, a journalist she met after moving into Rio in 1960 in search of gigs. Porto felt as if she captured her entire city's soul on the guitar and introduced her to several major bossa nova artists, including Baden Powell, Sérgio Mendes, Sylvia Telles and Sivuca.
In 1964, she accompanied Sergio Mendes and Brasil '65 to the U.S. and recorded two albums with the band. There, she also played with Stan Getz, Sarah Vaughan and Henry Mancini.
Tragically, her career ended in 1992 after suffering brain damage following a heart attack. She died of respiratory failure in 2004, in her home town, after 12 years in a coma.
Here's her first album, the gorgeous Apresentando Rosinha de Valença, (Introducing Rosinha de Valença), released in Brazil in 1964...
Here's Roshina performing on guitar with bossa nova singing star Sylvia Telles in Germany in the 1966. It would be Telles's last concert...
Telles had just spent a chunk of 1965 recovering from an auto accident in Brazil. After this appearance in Germany, Telles flew back to Rio and soon became romantically involved with Horacio de Carvalho, a wealthy newspaper owner. On December 19, 1966, de Carvalho and Telles were driving on a freeway near Rio when Carvalho reportedly fell asleep at the wheel, resulting in a crash that killed both passengers. Telles was 32.
Translated into English, her professional name means Rosinha from Valença, a city in the state of Rio de Janeiro. The name was given to her by Sérgio Porto, a journalist she met after moving into Rio in 1960 in search of gigs. Porto felt as if she captured her entire city's soul on the guitar and introduced her to several major bossa nova artists, including Baden Powell, Sérgio Mendes, Sylvia Telles and Sivuca.
In 1964, she accompanied Sergio Mendes and Brasil '65 to the U.S. and recorded two albums with the band. There, she also played with Stan Getz, Sarah Vaughan and Henry Mancini.
Tragically, her career ended in 1992 after suffering brain damage following a heart attack. She died of respiratory failure in 2004, in her home town, after 12 years in a coma.
Here's her first album, the gorgeous Apresentando Rosinha de Valença, (Introducing Rosinha de Valença), released in Brazil in 1964...
Here's Roshina performing on guitar with bossa nova singing star Sylvia Telles in Germany in the 1966. It would be Telles's last concert...
Telles had just spent a chunk of 1965 recovering from an auto accident in Brazil. After this appearance in Germany, Telles flew back to Rio and soon became romantically involved with Horacio de Carvalho, a wealthy newspaper owner. On December 19, 1966, de Carvalho and Telles were driving on a freeway near Rio when Carvalho reportedly fell asleep at the wheel, resulting in a crash that killed both passengers. Telles was 32.
This story appears courtesy of JazzWax by Marc Myers.
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