Biography

Successful group of the Jovem Guarda movement, performed in several countries and recorded over 20 LPs. Beginning as the Clevers, they played along the same lines as the Shadows and the Ventures, but they also had vocal numbers. After their performance at the Ritmos da Juventude show at the Rádio Nacional (São Paulo SP), they were introduced to Continental by its host DJ Antonio Aguillar. Recording their first 78 in 1963 with "El Relicario" (José Padilla) in a twist arrangement, they had an instant hit with it. Immediately they recorded a LP, Encontro com the Clevers -- Twist. Along with the success in the solo career, the group also accompanied Demétrius, Orlando Alvarado, and other artists. They followed a tour through several European countries. After returning to Brazil, they organized another tour through Argentina, but before the departure, they broke up with Aguillar, who owned the name the Clevers. After the 40-day excursion, they discovered that Aguillar had formed another the Clevers band and were informed that they would be sued for the undue use of the brand. Taking the name Os Incríveis from one of their albums, they continued their career. In that period of enormous success, they recorded in Italian, Spanish, and English; they were also featured in the film Os Incríveis Neste Mundo Louco. The bassist Neno was replaced by Nenê in the '60s. Until 1969, they already had several hits like "Era Um Garoto Que Como Eu Amava Os Beatles e Os Rolling Stones" (G. Morandi, version by Brancato Jr.), "O Milionário" (Mike Maxfield, from the Dakotas), "Czardas," "Israel," "Te Amo," "Mundo Louco," "Menina," "Kokorono-niji," "Embora" (Nenê/Brancato Jr.), and others. Also participating in TV shows like Jovem Guarda na TV, they were at the peak of their success, having toured Japan and Europe in 1967-1968 and recorded the album dedicated to the Latin American market Los Increibles in Spanish, which was released by Argentinean CBS. But a series of recordings of Dom/Ravel's compositions (the song of the Mobral campaign, along with "Você Também é Responsável," "Homem Do Campo," and, mostly, "Eu Te Amo, Meu Brasil") sponsored by the military dictatorship made the Os Incríveis to become stigmatized by Brazilian society and was the beginning of the end of their career as a group. In their performances they were booed and their albums stopped selling. With no conditions of continuity, they decided to stop. Following different solo paths, Netinho formed the rock group Casa das Máquinas. Manito developed his instrumental career, also playing with the progressive rock group O Som Nosso de Cada Dia. Nenê became a requested session man. Mingo continued to record with other musicians, releasing albums under the name Os Incríveis. In 1973 and 1974, Risonho, Mingo, and Nenê got together and recorded two LPs. The first had three hits, "O Magnário" (Risonho), "Eu Sou Humilde," and "Adeus Tristeza." They also recorded a promo single with the Brazilian National Anthem, distributed as a soap bonus. The second had the hits "Você Vai Ser Mamãe" and "Isto é A Felicidade." But the rejection against them was too strong and they dissolved the group once more. In 1992, Netinho, Nenê, and Manito, joined by Netinho's son the solo guitarist Sandro, and sporadically by Risonho, teamed again as Os Incríveis, taking the retro wave. In 1995, the Jovem Guarda commemorated 25 years amidst reissues of representative albums and compilations, live performances of the bands of the period regrouped again, and new interpretations of its classics by new artists, but the Os Incríveis were unable to get together because of the decease of vocalist Mingo in that very year. ~ Alvaro Neder, Rovi