They played with many famous names in the MPB scene such as Alex Luiz, Armando Geraldo, Jair Rodrigues, and Vinicius de Moraes, as well as famed musicians from other countries such as Earl Grant. They have also played abroad in Europe and the United States. They were the first samba group to play at the Olympia in Paris.[2][3]
Some of their major hits include "Tá Chegando Fevereiro" (Jorge Ben/João Melo), "Do Lado Direito da Rua Direita" (Luiz Carlos/Chiquinho), "A Dona do Primeiro Andar", "O Aniversário do Tarzan", "Esperanças Perdidas" (Adeilton Alves/Délcio Carvalho [pt]), "Vou me Pirulitar", "E Lá se Vão Meus Anéis" (Eduardo Gudin [pt]/P.C. Pinheiro), "Tragédia no Fundo do Mar (Assassinato do Camarão)" (Zeré/Ibrahim), "Se Papai Gira" (Jorge Ben), and "Nego Véio Quando Morre".[3]
History
The group was created as "Os Sete Modernos do Samba" in 1960. Since 1961, they have gone as "Os Originais do Samba", and performed at beaches and parties, including one at Copacabana Palace.[4][5]
They were based in Recife after making an excursion in the United States, and in 1968 they accompanied Elis Regina in a winning song at the first Bienal do Samba, called Lapinha,[6] written by Baden Powell and P.C. Pinheiro.[7][8][9]
With the resulting good publicity, the group, originally made up of Bidi, Bigode Chiquinho, Lelei, Rubão and Mussum, signed with RCA and recorded their first album, Os Originais do Samba, in 1969.[10] The album was a huge success, boosted by the single "Cadê Tereza?", written by Jorge Ben.[9][10] As further evidence of their success, in the first half of the 1970s, they had massive succeses wit "Do lado direito da rua direita" (Luiz Carlos e Chiquinho, 1972), "Esperanças perdidas" (Adeilton Alves e Délcio Carvalho, 1972) and "Tragédia no fundo do mar (Assassinato do camarão)" (Ibrain e Zeré, 1974).[10] They participated at festivals and were certified gold discs for the sales of their recordings, combining their unison singing style, matching clothes and humorous lyrics.[11]
In 1979, Mussum left the group to dedicate himself to his comedy career.[9] In 1980, they recorded a disc ("Mulher, Mulher", with Jorge Ben), a LP in 1981 titled Eu me Rendo (Fábio Jr.), and another LP in 1983 titled Canta Meu Povo, Canta.[4]
In 2000, they recorded the CD Ao Vivo with invited guests such as Almir Guineto, Carlos Dafé [pt], Joãozinho Carnavalesco, and Dhema [pt], among others. Another hit came with the remix of "A Subida do Morro", featuring the rapper Xis. In 2003, they recorded a samba-rock album Swing dos Originais, rerecording their biggest hits. In 2008, they independently released the album A Corda Arrebenta e o Samba não Cai, with 15 previously unreleased songs and two rerecordings.[4]
Since 2017, they had a change in the design of their group, while also keeping with the traditional elements of their group. In June 2017, they released the project Ontem, Hoje e Sempre,[12] where they shedded their older aesthetics, while also keeping with their musical style of traditional samba with new songs, as well as special guests such as Zeca Pagodinho, Benito Di Paula, and Reinaldo.[13]
^Grito!, Equipe O. (19 July 2017). "Os Originais do Samba chegam ao streaming". Revista O Grito! — Cultura pop, cena independente, música, quadrinhos e cinema (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 29 February 2024.