Ney Matogrosso

Ney de Souza Pereira was born in 1941 in Bela Vista, in what is now Mato Grosso do Sul, the son of a military officer, and had an itinerant childhood. He served in the Aeronáutica and lived in Brasília, sang in a vocal quartet, and, in 1966, went to Rio to try to become an actor, supporting himself through leatherwork. In São Paulo, he adopted his stage name and became the high-pitched voice and painted face of Secos & Molhados, a sales phenomenon from 1973 onward. After the group ended, he released his first solo LP in 1975, featuring "América do Sul", and recorded a double single with Astor Piazzolla in Milan. He continued as an interpreter of songs by Chico Buarque, Rita Lee, and Luli e Lucina.