Singer
Geraldo Vandré > O

Geraldo Vandré (artistic name of Geraldo Pedrosa de Araújo Dias, born in João Pessoa PB, Sep 12, 1935) is a Brazilian singer and composer. In 1966, Vandré won the Festival of Brazilian Popular Music, a hugely popular music contest in 60's Brazil broadcasted by 'TV Record', with the song "Disparada", sung by Jair Rodrigues. The song won first place, along with "A Banda", by Chico Buarque. In 1968, Vandré participated in the III International Song ... Festival with "Pra não dizer que não falei das Flores" (or "Caminhando)". The composition was a hymn of resistance against the military government, and became a huge hit in Brazil. Refrain: "Vem, vamos embora Que esperar não é saber Quem sabe faz a hora Não espera acontecer." It was interpreted as a call to fight against the local dictatorship. The song acquaired second place in the festival, losing for "Sabiá", by Chico Buarque and Antonio Carlos Jobim. Still during 1968, with the AI-5 (institutional act), Vandré was exiled. After passing days in hidden farm of the widower of the great writer Guimarães Rosa (dead in the previous year), the composer left to Chile and then France. Came back to Brazil in 1973, until then, has been living in São Paulo, still composing. Many, however, believe that Vandré has gone crazy because of supposed tortures that he might have suffered during the military dictatorial government. The musician, however, denies that he has ever been tortured and declares that he doesn't perform live shows anymore because of his image, "Che Guevara from music" which diminishes his work. A relatively recent song contributed a lot to the madness theory spread out.The song is "Fabiana", a composition to praise the Brazilian Air Force (or "FAB"), presented in the decade of 90 in the Municipal Library of São Paulo. See more [+]