Alcione Dias Nazareth is also known as, "Alcione", and "A Marrom" and is one of the most successful female samba singers, or sambistas, in Brazil. She first gained international recognition in the late 1970 and has had nineteen gold records, as well as five platinum and a double platinum records. In 1987, she dedicated the song João de Deus to Pope John Paul II and 500,000 people during his second visit to Brazil.
Biography
She was born in São Luís, Maranhão. Her father was a military musician who worked as the conductor of the corps marching band. Alcione was introduced to traditional Brazilian music by her father. At the age of thirteen, she was already performing at college parties. At the same time, she began studying the clarinet and the trumpet. At age 20, Alcione moved to Rio de Janeiro. There, she worked at the city's TV Excelsior and later went on tour in Argentina and Chile for four months. After returning to Brazil, she settled in São Paulo, working in nightclubs and making appearances on television. In 1970, she started her two-year tour in Europe, performing as a vocalist and a trumpet player. In 1972, when back in Brazil, Alcione recorded her first single. The following year, she traveled to sing in Mexico and, in 1974, Portugal, where she recorded her first full-length album. In 1975, Alcione released her LP, A Voz do Samba, which achieved gold sales status and featured several hit tracks. The most successful songs were "Não Deixe o Samba Morrer", written by Edson and Aloiso, and "O Surdo", written by Totonho and Paulinho Resende. In the late 1970s, Alcione became well known as a samba artist and achieved international recognition. She recorded Alerta Geral for Philips Records and, in 1978, released this album—the title of which was taken from a television show that Alcione had hosted on TV Globo for two years. Following its success, Alcione continued to release several other full-length albums in late 1970s and early 1980s, including her self-titled album. In 1997, Alcione signed with Universal Records, subsequently releasing a debut album titled, Valeu, through Polygram the next year. This was followed by Celebração that same year, and Claridade---Uma Homenagem A Clara Nunes in 1999. In December 2002, Alcione was recognized for playing an important part in founding the Paraíso School of Samba in London, England. She also helped organize and prepare the stage for a British version of the Carnival Brasil, Paraíso dos Orixás. Her 2002 album, Ao Vivo, received the Best Samba/Pagode Album Award at the fourth Latin Grammy Award ceremony in 2003. She has had several hits, such as "Não deixe o samba morrer", "Lá vem você", "Gostoso veneno", and "Ilha da maré". On July 7, 2007 she performed at the Brazilian leg of Live Earth in Rio de Janeiro.
