June 6, 2023 – 3:13 PM
Brazilian singer Astrud Gilberto has died at the age of 83, her colleague Paul Richie announced on social media. writes the Guardian. Born in Rio de Janeiro in 1940, Gilberto credits Brazilian music culture with making the hit song “The Girl from Ipanema” known worldwide, the English version of which is still played everywhere.
The singer made the record after touring New York with her husband João Gilberto in 1963, where she collaborated with jazz artist Stan Getz and bossa nova star Antonio Carlos Jobim. The producer of the syndicated show had the idea of making an English version of The Girl from Ipamena in order to make the song more popular with American audiences.
The remake was performed with her husband for the first time, and Astrud Gilberto’s name wasn’t even on the record’s list of creators, so she only received minimal royalties. Later, a re-edited version of the song without João Gilberto’s vocal was released, and in 1964 it became one of the five most popular songs in the US, reached the top thirty in the UK, and in 1965 won the Song of the Year award. Grammy Award .
