In 1996, Gary booked the Bonnie Leigh Show with my band, Freedom, at an event in São Paulo, Brazil. Since Gary was flying back to the U.S. from Singapore, I met him in San Francisco so we could fly to São Paulo together. The band flew down from Nashville.
The farthest I had ever been south of the border was Cabo San Lucas in Mexico where we would go fishing with a group of friends, so this was to be quite an adventure.
We arrived the night before the event, and the band was already there getting things set up and ready for the following night's festivities. We left them and checked in to our hotel, the InterContinental. It was very nice and the staff couldn't have been more accommodating.
Gary contacted Paco, the promoter to let him know we had arrived, and he invited us to dinner that night to a place called The Dirty Table. It wasn't fancy by any means, and I was wondering how the food was going to be. Let me tell you that we had some of the best beef dishes I have ever tasted and done to perfection. You know, I am all about food! They had several musicians who played guitar and sang, and we were entertained magnificently! A very relaxed and enjoyable evening.
The next day, I went to check out the local street vendors who sold all sorts of art, ceramics and sculptures from A-Z. I met Gary for lunch, caught up with the boys for a sound check and got ready for the show. We were the only act from the U.S. in the festival, and we met many of the local musicians who were eager to talk with us and share stories.
The festival attracted over 50,000 people with musicians from all over Brazil. It was set up with multi-stages. Lots of Latin and Salsa rhythms, Rumba and other types of music, and people were able to dance in some areas. The people do love to dance. And those Latin rhythms really get you moving.
Our performance was scheduled for 9pm. We brought an entirely different type of music with everything from country music like Rocky Top which the banjo and fiddle player really excelled, Rock and Roll like Old Time Rock and Roll to big band like New York, New York. I have always been eclectic with my music, so this was something very new for this audience and they came over by the thousands to listen.
Paco made sure there were large screens on either side of the stage, and the lyrics on the screens were translated into Portuguese. Gary had sent the set list with English lyrics ahead of time at Paco's request so they would have time to translate. The audience was definitely warm and receptive. The show was definitely a huge success!
Later that night, we all went back to the hotel to celebrate the evening and some of the local musicians from the show joined us in the bar/lounge. Some of them had brought their instruments, so our guys went up to their rooms and brought the acoustic guitars and bass down to the lounge as well. Party time!
The bartender closed the room to the public, but many were already there enthusiastically wanting to participate in the festivities. It was packed to say the least. Word travels fast! We sang songs and jammed well into the wee hours of the morning. Even visitors staying in the hotel joined in with a song or two. Such a pleasure to play with other musicians who truly enjoy the music, are good at their craft and love to have fun. We met so many people from all over the world that night who gave us song requests and shared their stories. Lots of laughs that night.
The next day, the band flew back to Nashville, and Gary and I went on to Rio de Janeiro, known as the city by the sea, as he had business there. It was 276 miles away which would take us approximately 6-1/2 hours.
One of the things I found of particular interest along the way were the fields of large dirt mounds. I asked our driver what they were. He said they were ant and termite mounds. They were giant!! Fields completely full of them. Sure wouldn't like to have to battle that near our home. But, as nature would have it, they also have giant ant eaters who just love those insects. Oh, yum!
As we drove along, our driver pointed out points of interest and gave us a little history of Brazil. Did you know that the official language of Brazil is Portuguese? I would have never guessed that. He went on to say the Portuguese arrived to the area that would become Brazil on April 22, 1500, commanded by Pedro Álvares Cabral, an explorer on his way to India under the sponsorship of the King of Portugal and the support of the Catholic Church.
He also told us Rio is also known for its famous beaches like the Copacabana and the beach called Ipanema Beach for which the song Girl Fom Ipanema was named after.
As we approached the city from afar, I saw an enormous statue on top of a mountain which overlooked the city and outlying land and sea. Our driver said it was a very famous landmark called the Statue of Christ the Redeemer. Very impressive and memorable.
After arriving in Rio de Janeiro, we stopped for a late lunch and a brief meeting with Gary's business contact, Rafael. When their meeting was adjourned, we mentioned that we still needed to check into our hotel. "No, no, no," he said." "You must come and stay at my guest villa and have dinner with me and my family tonight. My son, Bruno who is 16 years old, is also a musician." Then looking at me, he asked, " Perhaps, we might have a little music later if you would be so kind?" I happily agreed, and we proceeded to his home and the guest villa.
I wish I had photos of this magnificent place! It was so well appointed and quite large. I took a brief nap in the very large bed while Gary worked, and we walked over to the main house for dinner much later, guitar in tow. The food was wonderful and the family was delightful. His wife, Isabella, was not only drop dead gorgeous, she was the perfect hostess and warmly welcomed us. It was so obvious to see that this family was very happy and there was a lot of love and affection there. It was also easy to see that Rafael adored his beautiful wife.
After dinner, we went out to the patio which was surrounded by beautiful gardens of flowers and greenery. Bruno brought out his guitar, and I listened to him play a few songs. He was really very good. He played finger-picking style and also would tap the body of the guitar for rhythm. Then, he asked me to sing.
I decided to sing the song Feelings which was written and performed by Brazilian artist, Morris Albert and released in 1974. It was well received internationally and peaked on our Billboard Hot 100 at #6. When I started to sing it, Bruno was shocked and amazed that I knew this song. He asked me, "How do you know this song? It is a Brazilian song." I replied that it was a big hit in our country and how much I loved it. So he asked if we could sing it together which we did. I would do a bit in English and he would do the next part in Portuguese, then we harmonized the chorus together in English. It was wonderful. Bruno had a beautiful romantic sound to his voice when he sang, and looking back, I bet he went far in his musical endeavors.
I could see that both Rafael and Isabella were very proud of their son. We continued to sing and play for a few more hours and shared some stories. Finally, we headed back to the Villa as Gary had an early meeting with Rafael in the morning, and then we would be heading back to the U.S.
The entire evening was so lovely and it seemed the air was filled with romance. A wonderful memory.
For your enjoyment, here is the video of Feelings by Morris Albert. I still love this song!