Solano Ribeiro, producer of the festivals that gave rise to the term MPB, dies at 87
Music critic and producer died in São Paulo after cancer treatment; he was a central figure of the TV festivals of the 1960s.
Translated from the Portuguese original by the Panorama newsroom. Read in Portuguese
Summary written by the Panorama newsroom from the sources listed below. Facts are attributed to the original publications.
Solano Ribeiro, a music critic and producer with a central role in the history of popular music festivals on television, died in the early hours of Saturday (31), at 87. He was hospitalized at a clinic in São Paulo, in palliative care for cancer, Folha de S.Paulo reported.
Invited by Boni, he worked at the now-defunct TV Excelsior, where he produced the first Festival Nacional da Música Popular Brasileira in 1965, which gave rise to the acronym MPB. The event marks the debut of Elis Regina singing "Arrastão," by Edu Lobo and Vinicius de Moraes.
At Record, he held the second festival, in 1966, in which "A Banda," by Chico Buarque, and "Disparada," by Geraldo Vandré and Théo de Barros, tied for first place.
At the third, he was the one who encouraged the use of electric guitars in popular music, something considered heresy at the time. The winner was "Ponteio," by Edu Lobo and Capinan, and the edition inspired the 2010 documentary "Uma Noite em 67."
Solano worked behind the scenes, organizing the competitions and turning the presentation of new songs into major television events. The wake and cremation were scheduled for Saturday itself, in Vargem Grande Paulista, in Greater São Paulo.