Radio Taxi
Encyclopedia
Radio Taxi is a Pop
/Rock band from São Paulo
, Brazil
, who had a string of hit single
s in the early/mid 80s. The band was formed in 1981 by guitar
ist Wander Taffo, drummer
Gel Fernandes, bassist
Lee Marcucci and singer/keyboardist
Willie de Oliveira, all ex-members of Rita Lee
's backing band, Tutti Frutti.
Their self-titled first album, released in 1982 featured the hits "Coisas de Casal" (written by Rita Lee with her husband Roberto de Carvalho as a gift to the band), "Dentro do Coração (Põe Devagar)" and "Garota Dourada". The band's popularity skyrocketed with the release of their second album, "Radio Taxi 2", and the first single out of the album, "Eva", a Portuguese
version of a song by Italian
singer Umberto Tozzi
. Willie de Oliveira left the band shortly after recording the second album and was replaced by Maurício Gasperini. With Gasperini now handling vocals and keyboards, they released the albums "6:56" (1985) and "Matriz" (1986), featuring the hits "Um Amor de Verão" and "Você se Esconde". The band split up in 1987, and all members went back to their successful careers as session musicians. Wander Taffo released 3 solo albums and opened a music school in São Paulo, following the successful format of the American
Musicians Institute
.
In 1993, drummer Gel Fernandes and bassist Lee Marcucci revived the band, with Marcinho Eiras on guitars. Despite extensive touring and positive feedback from fans, the new Radio Taxi soon disbanded without releasing any new material. The reunion of the successful mid-80s lineup happened in 2000, when Brazilian singer and pianist Guilherme Arantes
invited Taffo, Marcucci and Fernandes to play with him on a live album. After touring with Arantes, they began working on new Radio Taxi material with Gasperini and released a live album and DVD, featuring all the old hits alongside the new material.
Guitarist Wander Taffo died in Brazil on May 14, 2008, of a cardiorespiratory arrest. http://g1.globo.com/Noticias/Musica/0,,MUL469411-7085,00-MORRE+O+GUITARRISTA+WANDER+TAFFO.html
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
/Rock band from São Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, who had a string of hit single
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
s in the early/mid 80s. The band was formed in 1981 by guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
ist Wander Taffo, drummer
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
Gel Fernandes, bassist
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
Lee Marcucci and singer/keyboardist
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
Willie de Oliveira, all ex-members of Rita Lee
Rita Lee
Rita Lee Jones Carvalho , simply known as Rita Lee, is a Brazilian rock singer and composer. Lee continues to be a popular figure in Brazilian entertainment, where she is also known for being an animal rights activist and a vegetarian...
's backing band, Tutti Frutti.
Their self-titled first album, released in 1982 featured the hits "Coisas de Casal" (written by Rita Lee with her husband Roberto de Carvalho as a gift to the band), "Dentro do Coração (Põe Devagar)" and "Garota Dourada". The band's popularity skyrocketed with the release of their second album, "Radio Taxi 2", and the first single out of the album, "Eva", a Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
version of a song by Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
singer Umberto Tozzi
Umberto Tozzi
Umberto Antonio Tozzi is an Italian pop/rock singer and composer, born in Turin. His most internationally famous song is "Gloria" -Biography:...
. Willie de Oliveira left the band shortly after recording the second album and was replaced by Maurício Gasperini. With Gasperini now handling vocals and keyboards, they released the albums "6:56" (1985) and "Matriz" (1986), featuring the hits "Um Amor de Verão" and "Você se Esconde". The band split up in 1987, and all members went back to their successful careers as session musicians. Wander Taffo released 3 solo albums and opened a music school in São Paulo, following the successful format of the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Musicians Institute
Musicians Institute
Musicians Institute is a privately owned for-profit music vocational school located in Hollywood, California. Although not a regionally accredited school, the school offers a variety of unaccredited Bachelor Degree, Associate Degree and Certificate programs in fields including contemporary music...
.
In 1993, drummer Gel Fernandes and bassist Lee Marcucci revived the band, with Marcinho Eiras on guitars. Despite extensive touring and positive feedback from fans, the new Radio Taxi soon disbanded without releasing any new material. The reunion of the successful mid-80s lineup happened in 2000, when Brazilian singer and pianist Guilherme Arantes
Guilherme Arantes
Guilherme Arantes is a Brazilian singer-songwriter and pianist. As a teenager, he was a member of the band Os Polissonantes, which also featured Brazilian actor Kadu Moliterno on Bass guitar. In 1969, Arantes started the band Moto Perpétuo with fellow students from USP's architecture course...
invited Taffo, Marcucci and Fernandes to play with him on a live album. After touring with Arantes, they began working on new Radio Taxi material with Gasperini and released a live album and DVD, featuring all the old hits alongside the new material.
Guitarist Wander Taffo died in Brazil on May 14, 2008, of a cardiorespiratory arrest. http://g1.globo.com/Noticias/Musica/0,,MUL469411-7085,00-MORRE+O+GUITARRISTA+WANDER+TAFFO.html
Discography
- Radio Taxi (1982)
- Radio Taxi 2 (1983)
- 6:56 (1985)
- Matriz (1986)
- Ao Vivo (2006)