“It will cost ten sticks!” Throughout my childhood and a good part of adolescence, this phrase became a kind of mantra. It was one of the trademarks of Aracy de Almeida (1914-1988), one of the judges of Silvio Santos’ Show de Calouros, where she displayed a delightful bad mood towards any unsuspecting person who dared to take on the role of the night’s crooner.
Years later, I discovered that she, known by the nickname “Araca,” was a singer – and a good one at that. Aracy was, among other things, one of the interpreters who gave voice to the repertoire of Noel Rosa (1910-1937). Especially in the 1950s, when the “poet of the Vila” had been unjustly forgotten.
The primacy of Noel’s repertoire was just one of the many qualities of Aracy Teles de Almeida, born on August 19 in Encantado, in the northern region of Rio de Janeiro.
Her discography also includes a handful of samba-canções, a beautiful partnership of Antônio Maria with Vinicius de Moraes (Quando Tu Passas por Mim, 1953) and a composition by Caetano Veloso (A Voz do Morto, 1968, which naturally echoes Noel Rosa).
Want more? Mário de Andrade (1893-1945) praised her nasal way of singing; in a 1943 conference, he said that Aracy had “a great color of vowels and less fortunate articulation of consonants.”
She also performed alongside Joelho de Porco, which carried the epithet of “the first Brazilian punk group” (actually, more of a boast from its founder, the bassist and vocalist Tico Terpins). “Ao Vivo e à Vontade,” from 1980 (released only after her death), was a project of Terpins and Zé Rodrix, who recorded a performance of hers at the Teatro Lira Paulistana in São Paulo. “And now, here’s my dad, Aracy de Almeida,” jokes Terpins at the beginning.
The fame of being the greatest interpreter of Noel Rosa was born in the 1950s when Aracy recovered the composer’s catalog, which had been relegated to obscurity shortly after his death. But their friendship dates back to the 1930s.
The so-called “Poet of the Vila” met her on a radio program. At first, he didn’t pay much attention to the small candidate for a crooner. But after seeing her sing, he asked her out and gifted her with the composition Sorriso de Criança.
“From then on, I got to know the worst places in Rio de Janeiro with him. On the radio, there were people who frowned upon us. We were seen as people who were no good,” she confessed in a testimony to João Máximo, Noel’s biographer.
Their friendship was such that Noel gave Aracy his last composition, Último Desejo. “Noel called me to his house. He was thin, in pajamas. He showed me the music, took his guitar, and we sang together. Three days later, he died,” she said on the interview program Vox Populi on TV Cultura.
The relationship was so close that many believed it was more than just friendship. “No, Noel liked mulatas,” Aracy deflects. Her personal relationships were kept secret. “The man of my dreams was born dead,” she said whenever asked.
However, it is known that she had two relationships. José Fontana, known as Rey, a Vasco goalkeeper whom she got involved with in the late 1930s. And Capita, a retired medical colonel who was her most constant partner in the late 1950s.
One of her greatest artistic moments came when she started performing in the nightclubs of Rio, including Vogue and Zum Zum, in the late 1940s.
There, she not only brought a new light to Noel’s compositions but also made great friendships – among them Antônio Maria, Vinicius de Moraes, Dorival Caymmi, and Sérgio Porto, among others, all bohemian friends.
She always had good company. Aracy hung out with the painters Di Cavalcanti (author of the cover Os Sambas de Noel Rosa, from 1954, with arrangements by maestro Radamés Gnatalli), Aldemir Martins, and Dener, the famous fashion designer. Dener created the outfit that became her trademark: long pants because dresses no longer looked good on her; orthopedic boots because of her flat feet, and the famous shirts and thick-framed glasses. “I don’t wear heels because I have flat feet,” said Aracy on the same Vox Populi, when asked about the reason for her “tomboy” look.
Aracy de Almeida is in the popular imagination because of her appearances on Show de Calouros. There, with all due respect, the show was hers. It was where Aracy could finally be Aracy, with all the grumpiness she was entitled to. “I am who I am. The character is Pedro de Lara,” she said, referring to a jury companion.
Silvio Santos was crazy about the singer. When she fell ill, he helped her financially and called her friend every day. Aracy died on June 20, 1988, from a pulmonary embolism. She was 73 years old.
Aracy also saw the future. In the same Vox Populi, when asked about the disco fashion, she declared: “Soon, everyone will sing naked!”
In the face of the flood of interpreters dancing provocatively in skimpy outfits today, wasn’t she right? “It will cost MORE than ten sticks!”
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Arwen Volkov, A graduate of the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland with a degree in International Finance, Arwen specializes in sustainable finance and green investments. She began her career at an investment bank in London, where she developed financing models for environmentally friendly projects. Known for her analytical and strategic thinking skills, Arwen is a sought-after financial consultant. In her spare time, she mentors fintech startups, contributing to their growth strategies. She is also a nature enthusiast and an amateur photographer.
