Nelson Gonçalves
Encyclopedia
Nelson Gonçalves was a Brazil
ian singer and songwriter.
Born Antônio Gonçalves Sobral in Santana do Livramento
, Rio Grande do Sul
, he was raised in São Paulo
. As a young man, he worked at a variety of menial jobs, including boxing
, before embarking on a career in music that saw him become one of the most popular Brazilian radio singers of the 1950s.
Nelson Gonçalves had a very productive collaboration with lyricist Adelino Moreira and recorded numerous successful albums. One of the great crooner
s of the day, he gained an international following and appeared at venues such as Radio City Music Hall
in New York City
. Nelson sold more than 62 million albums around the globe and is the second best-selling Brazilian artist of all time, behind Roberto Carlos
(77 million).
His personal life was sometimes filled with turmoil and at one time, a cocaine addiction almost destroyed his career. Having an outstanding singing voice, he was known to suffer from severe stuttering in his regular speech.
Nelson Gonçalves died of a heart attack at the age of 79.
On his passing, Nelson Gonçalves was interred in the Cemitério São João Batista
in Rio de Janeiro
.
In 2001, director Elizeu Ewald filmed a docu-drama about his life.
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian singer and songwriter.
Born Antônio Gonçalves Sobral in Santana do Livramento
Santana do Livramento
Santana do Livramento is a city in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. It is located along the border with the city of Rivera, Uruguay, which helps form an international city of 200,000 inhabitants.- Overview :...
, Rio Grande do Sul
Rio Grande do Sul
Rio Grande do Sul is the southernmost state in Brazil, and the state with the fifth highest Human Development Index in the country. In this state is located the southernmost city in the country, Chuí, on the border with Uruguay. In the region of Bento Gonçalves and Caxias do Sul, the largest wine...
, he was raised in São Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
. As a young man, he worked at a variety of menial jobs, including boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
, before embarking on a career in music that saw him become one of the most popular Brazilian radio singers of the 1950s.
Nelson Gonçalves had a very productive collaboration with lyricist Adelino Moreira and recorded numerous successful albums. One of the great crooner
Crooner
Crooner is an American epithet given to male singers of pop standards, mostly from the Great American Songbook, either backed by a full orchestra, a big band or by a piano. Originally it was an ironic term denoting an emphatically sentimental, often emotional singing style made possible by the use...
s of the day, he gained an international following and appeared at venues such as Radio City Music Hall
Radio City Music Hall
Radio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue located in New York City's Rockefeller Center. Its nickname is the Showplace of the Nation, and it was for a time the leading tourist destination in the city...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Nelson sold more than 62 million albums around the globe and is the second best-selling Brazilian artist of all time, behind Roberto Carlos
Roberto Carlos (singer)
Roberto Carlos Braga is a Grammy Award-winning Brazilian singer and composer, who has achieved a great deal of success and recognition in his 50 year career, also known as King of Latin Music....
(77 million).
His personal life was sometimes filled with turmoil and at one time, a cocaine addiction almost destroyed his career. Having an outstanding singing voice, he was known to suffer from severe stuttering in his regular speech.
Nelson Gonçalves died of a heart attack at the age of 79.
On his passing, Nelson Gonçalves was interred in the Cemitério São João Batista
Cemitério São João Batista
Cemitério São João Batista is a private cemetery in the neighborhood of Botafogo, Rio de Janeiro owned and operated by the Santa Casa da Misericórdia do Rio de Janeiro a charitable organization with a Catholic identity founded by the Portuguese]] in Rio during the colonial era...
in Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
.
In 2001, director Elizeu Ewald filmed a docu-drama about his life.