Carmen Miranda
The first Brazilian performer to attain international stardom, singer and actress Carmen Miranda was born Maria do Carmo Miranda da Cunha on February 9, 1909 in Marco de Canavezes, Portugal, but she was raised in Rio de Janeiro from infancy onward. After quitting school, she began working at an area shop, where her habit of singing on the job brought her to the attention of a local radio station. Seemingly overnight, Miranda emerged as one of the top attractions on the Rio club circuit, and upon signing to RCA in 1928, she became a massive star throughout Brazil. She made her film debut in 1933's A Voz do Carnaval, solidifying her fame two years later with Estudantes. While performing at Rio's Casino da Urca in 1939, Miranda was spotted by Broadway impresario Lee Shubert, who immediately arranged to bring her to America; she soon made her New York debut in his show The Streets of Paris before settling in Hollywood the following year.
In the years which followed, Miranda virtually embodied Hollywood's narrow and condescending concept of Latin American culture -- from her first starring role in 1940's Down Argentine Way, her enduring public image remained that of the feisty Brazilian bombshell, invariably clad in some sort of enormous fruit-basket headdress while singing and dancing. It was an image she proved unable to shake during her film career; worse, during her first visit back to Brazil, Miranda was accused of becoming too "Americanized." (The experience later resulted in her song "Disseram Que Eu Voltei Americanizada" -- "They Said I Came Back Americanized.") As World War II drew to an end, however, the market for the light, campy musicals on which Miranda's fame rested began to dry up, and in 1953, she made her final screen appearance in the Dean Martin/Jerry Lewis vehicle Scared Stiff.
Undaunted, Miranda focused increasingly on her nightclub appearances, also becoming a fixture on television variety shows -- indeed, for all the stereotyping she faced throughout her career, her performances made huge strides in popularizing Brazilian music, while at the same time paving the way for the increasing awareness of all Latin culture. Still, she suffered from severe depression throughout the final years of her life, returning to Brazil for the final time in 1954; while taping a strenuous song-and-dance number for an episode of television's The Jimmy Durante Show on August 4, 1955, Miranda suffered a heart attack, and after returning to her Beverly Hills home, she died the following morning at the age of just 46. Her body was flown back to Brazil, where her passing was met by a period of national mourning. A museum was later constructed in Rio de Janeiro in her honor, and in 1995 she was the subject of the acclaimed documentary Carmen Miranda: Bananas Is My Business.
© Jason Ankeny /TiVo
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Disseram Que Voltei Americanizada
World - Released by Black Sheep Music on 3 Oct 2013
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A Night in Rio
Folk - Released by Shellac Revival on 12 Nov 2019
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Camisa Listrada
World - Released by Black Sheep Music on 3 Oct 2013
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When I Love I Love
Pop - Released by Firefly Entertainment on 5 May 2008
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Camisa Listada
Latin America - Released by Svetlana Novojilova Shulguina on 11 Jan 2011
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The Brazilian Bombshell
Brazil - Released by MNR Media on 5 Sep 2011
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Latin Miranda - [The Dave Cash Collection]
Latin America - Released by The Dave Cash Collection - OMP on 9 May 2011
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Chica Chica Boom Chic
Film Soundtracks - Released by Vision 21 OMP on 20 Oct 2009
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Carmen Miranda (Vol. 4)
MPB - Released by Universal Music Ltda. on 5 Jan 1996
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The Great Carmen Miranda
Pop - Released by Ibiza Friends on 22 Dec 2011
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Latin Pearls vol.3
World - Released by Balandras éditions on 23 Aug 2009
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O nêgo no samba (1929-1933)
Pop - Released by Brazilian Classics on 1 Jan 2011
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Disseram Que Voltei Americanisada (1939-1942)
Pop - Released by Brazilian Classics on 1 Jan 2011
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Carmen Miranda Selected Favorites
Vocal Jazz - Released by Charly Records on 20 Jun 2006
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Carmen Miranda's Rebola A Bola
Soundtracks - Released by Charly Records on 25 Jun 2006
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Carmen Miranda Selected Favorites
Soundtracks - Released by Charly Records on 20 Jun 2006
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A Nossa Carmen Miranda
MPB - Released by EMI Brazil on 1 Jan 1965
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Os Carnavais De Carmen
Pop - Released by EMI Brazil on 1 Jan 2006
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Carmen Canta Ary Barroso
Pop - Released by EMI Brazil on 1 Jan 2006
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