Star of the Golden Age of radio, singer Cauby Peixoto became, on Tuesday night (30/4), Carioca Cultural Heritage, in a ceremony at the City Palace, in the South Zone of Rio. The artist’s importance for the city’s history was immortalized on the traditional blue heritage plaque, handed over by the president of the Rio Heritage of Humanity Institute (IRPH), Laura Di Blasi, to Mrs. Magali Peixoto, the artist’s niece, and to the executive manager in Rio de Janeiro at AZO, construction company that acquired the A Noite building, Marcio Gonçalves Coutinho.
The plaque in honor of the singer will be displayed on the iconic A Noite building, in Praça Mauá, where Rádio Nacional operated for decades, which launched and boosted Cauby’s successful career. Otávio Almeida, Cauby’s interpreter, treated the honoree’s fans by performing “Molambo”, “Conceição” and “Blue Gardenia” a cappella.
– IRPH has this project, which has existed since 1992. Our famous blue plaques, already spread throughout the city, which identify important places, assets and personalities in Rio’s cultural scene. This action aims to value and publicize Rio’s cultural heritage, promoting knowledge history and strengthening our cultural diversity. We gathered to pay homage to the great Cauby Peixoto, considered one of the most versatile and important singers in Brazil and one of the protagonists of the Golden Age of Brazilian radio, named by critics as a technically perfect singer – celebrated Laura Di Blasi.
Also present at the ceremony were the actor Diogo Vilela, who brought the artist to life in the theater, Dalmo Medeiros, member of the MPB4 group, the journalist Rodrigo Faour, author of the work “Bastidores – Cauby Peixoto – 50 Anos da Voz e do Mito”, in addition to by historian Ricardo Cravo Albin.
– As a historian of Brazilian music and, in particular, as a chronicler of this city, writing weekly, I followed Cauby’s arrival to popular recognition in the early years of the 50s. His pure crystal voice imposed itself on the hit charts of that time. Hit parades are somewhat diffuse, because they are very celebrated and highly sought after by foreign music in general, those imported from the United States, through the cinematographic camera and the camera. But Cauby prevailed with “Conceição” and the version of “Blue Gardenia”, by his idol Nat King Cole – commented Ricardo Cravo Albin.
The singer is now considered a heritage of Rio de Janeiro, due to his artistic importance for the city and for Brazil, for promoting the country abroad, in his consolidated international career. Cauby Peixoto is the second musician to be part of the Music Circuit, alongside Renato Russo. The recognition is made by the City of Rio through the Rio Heritage of Humanity Institute (IRPH), responsible for preserving and conserving the material and immaterial cultural heritage of Rio de Janeiro.
The meeting was opened by a small exhibition, which displayed costumes from the artist’s shows in Brazil and abroad, with items such as clothes, shoes, microphone, which helped shape Cauby’s artistic personality, as well as records, books and magazines, between others. At the ceremony, a brief video was also shown, with a little about the artist’s history and excerpts from interviews. Fans and friends were present, who paid tribute to the singer.
– I am very happy, very excited. Because that’s what we always want, to remember the person, because his life was music. He lived it intensely. I’m always in favor of anything to celebrate it – said Dona Magali.
Throughout his career, Cauby Peixoto is considered one of the most important male voices in Brazilian music, with an artistic life spanning almost seven decades of success. The singer became the most famous on the radio when he joined the cast of Rádio Nacional, in 1954. Two years later, he released his biggest hit, “Conceição”, the most famous song of that year. In 1958, the artist launched his international career, being reported as the “Brazilian Elvis Presley” by Time and Life magazines. Even after his peak, he released one of his most successful albums, the LP “Cauby! Cauby!”, in celebration of 25 years of career. He also won the Latin Grammy, in 2007, for “Best Romantic Music Album”, with the album “Eternamente Cauby Peixoto – 55 anos de career”. He passed away in May 2016.
Currently, the Carioca Cultural Heritage is made up of 22 circuits, with 278 plaques of cultural assets installed in various locations throughout the city, separated by themes such as: Literature, Cinemas, Bars, Bossa Nova, Samba, African Heritage, Traditional Business, among others.
