Astrud Gilberto, ‘The Girl From Ipanema’ Singer, Dies at 83
Astrud Evangelina Weinert was born on March 29, 1940, in Bahia, Brazil, to a German father, Fritz Weinert, a language professor, and a Brazilian mother, Evangelina Weinert, who was also an educator.
When Astrud was a child, his family moved to Rio. There, during his teenage years, he befriended a group of young musicians who would become famous in Brazil, among them singers. Nara Leão and songwriter Roberto Menescal. She met Mr. Gilberto when she was 19 years old, and they married a few months later.
He began singing privately with his circle of musical friends, which developed into more established names such as Luiz Bonfá and Vinicius de Moraes. It was Mr. Moraes who wrote the original lyrics to “The Girl From Ipanema,” named after the seaside neighborhood in Rio where he and Mr. Jobim used to see a beautiful woman they passed.
After the song was a huge success, Mr. Getz and Mr. Taylor, the producer, described Ms. Gilberto was in the media as the housewife they found her to be—a characterization which infuriated her, recalling the years she spent singing privately with her friends. and her husband. “I can’t help but feel annoyed by the fact that they are forced to lie,” he said in an interview on his website.
She also experienced strain in her marriage and soon began a brief affair with Mr. Getz. (She and her husband divorced shortly after.) She toured the United States with Mr. Getz, billed as guest singer; resulting live albums, “Getz Au Go Go” (1964), featuring him on five songs.
The album’s success led to a solo contract with Verve Records, Mr. Getz. “Astrud Gilberto Albums,” was released in 1965, just missing the Billboard Top 40 pop. For his third album, “Look at the Rainbow” (1966), he broadened his sound by working with arranger Gil Evans, best known for his work with Miles Davis.
