1959 - Nat King Cole - Cab Calloway - Brenda Lee

1959

Roy Hamilton                    March 9 to 15

Nat 'King' Cole                  April 21st to 25

Cab Calloway w revue      May 28 to June 7

Yma Sumac                      June 8 to14

Renato Carosone             July 29 to Aug. 4

Marlene Dietrich               August 4 to 9

Sarah Vaughn                   August 11 to 16

Domenico Modugno        September 2nd to 6 

Brenda Lee                        September 10 to 16

Charles Aznavour             October 28 & 29

Billy Eckstine                    December 1st to 6                                        

15 March 1959 - US's Roy Hamilton was the first international attraction of 1959. He sang at Teatro Record and also at Jardim de Inverno Fasano on Avenida Paulista.

5 April 1959 - Nat 'King' Cole who turned out to be the biggest international attraction ever to visit these shores is announced from 21 through 24 April 1959 at Teatro Paramount at 8:00 and 10:00 pm.

26 April 1959 - the great Cab Cawoway opens on 29 April 1959, at the Copacabana Palace in glorious Rio de Janeiro.

21 May 1959 - here's the Cotton Club Revue of 1959 which received rave-reviews from everyone led by the great Cabell (Cab) Calloway - jazz singer & band-leader. Mary Wynne says Freddy Feld spent the week-end in Rio de Janeiro and told her Cab Calloway (born on 25 December 1907) was still the same at 52 years old as he was at 32 when he was on top. Ms Wynne gets all nostalgic remembering her young years at college when she'd hear a lot of Mr Calloway's 'hey-de-ho'... The Cotton Club Revue has a cast of 30 dancers and singers presenting a complete vaudeville show. 

Cab Calloway in the 1930s.

Cab in his famous zoot-suit in the 1940s.

13 June 1959 - Peruvian sensation Yma Sumac sang at Teatro Record for a whole week and also at Jardim de Inverno Fasano on 12 and 13 June 1959.

9 August 1959 - OESP's cartoonist Morales J. Morales' vision of Marlene Dietrich on the stage of Teatro Record.

Teatro Record on Rua da Consolação, 2008 showing Marlene Dietrich in 1959. See the tram rails on the street.

11 August 1959 - Teatro Record stage still had the scent of Dietrich when Sarah Vaughn started her 6-day stint.

Domenico Modugno from 2 to 6 September 1959 at Teatro Record; he also sang at Cine Universo, the largest cinema house in the city located at Penha, on the Sunday.

Domenico Modugno in 1959.

Domenico Modugno is the bone of contention between Marisa and Dolores Duran in Rio in 1959. Miss Duran would live less than a month after this shot. She died on 24 October 1959.

10 September 1959 - 14 year-old Brenda Lee starts tonight at Teatro Record while Domenico Modugno is saying good bye to the city at Cine Universo, the largest cinema in Sao Paulo. Mr Modugno is preceded by 'Folias 1959', a musical revue produced by Abelardo Figueiredo and starred by Otelo Zeloni. 

Charles Aznavour on 28 & 29 October 1959 at Teatro Record. 

28 November 1959 - US act Billy Eckstine appears at Teatro Record nightly from 1st to 6 December.

5 December 1959 - the opening act for Billy Eckstine was a millionaire revue 'Você falou, tá falado' (You've always got the last word) with top show girl Mara Rubia and Consuelo Leandro who could be a show girl and a comedienne to boot. 

6 December 1959 - Mary-go-round's Carrossel shows a photo with a smiling Billy Eckstine and Michel's owner Jimmy Christie. Eckstine was accompanied by the Fred Feld Trio at his night-club act at Michel's.

Revista do Radio, 9 January 1960.

Billy Eckstine in Revista do Rádio - 9 January 1960. Revista do Radio had a bias against foreign acts visiting Brazil. As the headlines says: 'He earned a fortune to sing in Brazil' the weekly magazine criticized Brazilian impresario Paulinho Machado de Carvalho for paying top dollars to have US and European acts come and perform at his Teatro Record in São Paulo. RR says the fee ran at $10,000 (ten thousand dollars) for top-entertainers which entailed they having to perform twice nightly from Tuesday through to Sunday. Sometimes they had a free day (usually Thursday) when they could travel to Rio and earn a little bit more on the side.

1960 - Ella Fitzgerald - Paul Anka

1960 

Hiroshi Maki                 January 15, 16, 17                        
Freddie Davis               January 19 

The Ink Spots                March 22 to 28

Yvonne De Carlo           April  4 to 10

Ella Fitzgerald               May 4 to 8

Sammy Davis, Jr.          May 20 a 26

Frankie Laine                June 11 to 17

Johnny Restivo             August 15 to 21

Frankie Lymon               August 22 to 28

Teddy Reno                   September 1 to 11

Paul Anka                      September 20 to 25

Harry James                  October 17 to 23

Jane Russell                  November 23 (only)

The Jamboree Circus   Nov. 25 to Dec. 18
Tex Beneke                    December 1st

This list is only of those acts signed by TV Record.

1960 was a big year for foreign acts in São Paulo... this is a Christmas time ad by TV Record displaying their main foreign attractions for the year.

Even though Japanese baritone Hiroshi Maki was not included as a '1960 foreign attraction' in the 1963 pamphlet TV Record sent their fans and associates, Hiroshi was the very first 1960 foreign attraction. He performed at Teatro Record nightly on the 15, 16 and 17 January 1960 in sold-out recitals due to the sheer number of Japanese immigrants and their off-spring who lived in S.Paulo then.

15 January 1960 - Japanese singer Hiroshi Maki is shown at Teatro Record with 'O Japão em São Paulo' (Japan in S.Paulo) a revue produced with local talents like rock'n'roller Takashi Ikeda and others.

Takashi Ikeda was a Japanese or a Nissei (ethnic Japanese born and raised in Brazil) young man who did a rock'n'roll act at Black Jack Boite, a Japanese night club on Avenida Ceci, 1776 in the Southern sector of the city. As one can see the crowd who performed at the night club put on a musical revue to support the real Japanese attraction - Hiroshi Maki - while he did his thing at Teatro Record.

This is what OESP columnist wrote about Hiroshi Maki's presentation at Channel 7, TV Record:

Foi na noite de sexta-feira que o Canal 7 transmitiu, às 22:00, o recital de Hiroshi Maki, apontado como o 'maior cantor melódico do Japão'. Tivemos apenas um recital de musica popular internacional interpretado por um cantor de nacionalidade japonesa.

O programa teve início com 'Arirá', canção do folclore coreano cujo refrão foi cantado em português para que os telespectadores soubessem do que se tratava. Hiroshi cantou o bolero 'Quien sabe', 'Ao belo som da flauta', também do folclore coreano, Feito um intervalo para que o artista mudasse de roupa, trocando o suntuoso traje japonês com que cantou a 1a. parte, por um 'smoking' de belo corte, ele cantou 'Ninguém me ama'. uma canção japonesa em ritmo de mambo e o recital terminou com 'História de um amor' em tango, com o frasear arrastado que Lucho Gatica popularizou.

É pena que a 1a. atração internacional apresentada pelas Emissoras Unidas tivesse sido esta. Sem dúvida, Hiroshi Maki tem uma bela voz de barítono, revela estar à vontade no palco e canta boleros, tangos, sambas, mambos melhor que Nat King Cole e até que muitos artistas sul-americanos. Mas nós e, acreditamos, a maioria dos telespectadores, preferíamos ver e ouvir um recital de música japonesa.

O restante da revista 'O Japão em S.Paulo', de que Hiroshi é o ponto alto, não foi apresentado. Cesar Medeiros foi um bom MC e, na direção de TV, A.A. de Carvalho mostrou-se atento ao espetáculo.

20 March 1960 - US Black vocal group The Ink Spots sing at Michel, on Rua Major Sertorio, 106, one of the best night-clubs in town. Bossa-Nova sensation João Gilberto would appear on 29 March; Yvonne De Carlo, straight from Hollywood would show her legs there on 4 April 1960.

The Ink Spots (1960 incarnation) arrive in São Paulo for a few performances.

The Ink Spots also performed at night-club Michel.

Ella Fitzgerald sings at Teatro Record from 4 to 8 May 1960. 

Ella Fitzgerald in Rio de Janeiro on 9 May 1960. 

triple Ellas sing at the Copacabana Palace's Golden Room in Rio on 28 April 1960. 

Ella sings at a Chicago nightclub in 1958.

10 July 1960 - at Teatro Record Frankie Laine gives some good performances of his greatest hits like 'My little one', 'Sunny side of the street', 'High noon', 'Gunfight at the OK corral' etc.; One could see two shows for the price of one: see Jose Vasconcelo's 'Eu sou o espetaculo' as the opening for Frankie Laine's recital.

                                                                         OESP 17 July 1960.

11 August 1960 - US actress and singer Dorothy Dandridge performs at the stage of Cine Marrocos, the best cinema house in town. Miss Dandridge was under contract with theatre impresario Carlos Machado. 

Dorothy Dandrigde photographed at home in 1954.

21st August 1960 - Johnny Restivo followed by Frankie Lymon 

Teddy Reno says goodbye to S.Paulo on 11 September 1960.

13 September 1960 - columnist Mary Wynne writes about Julie London's performance at Jardim de Inverno Fasano and Vadeco-Odylon-Plinio & Saba's combo at the same Fasano:  Vadeco, Odylon, Plinio e Saba, o nosso 'no.1 conjunto de 1959' (Miss Wynne couldn't shake off her English syntax) tiveram uma noite grandiosa para a sua estreia de ontem no Jardim de Inverno Fasano. Pois não é que a na mesma noite fez o seu 'debut' na vida noturna de S.Paulo a internacionalmente famosa cantora Julie London? Os 'crazy boys' vão fazer uma temporada longa na House of Fasano, mas a Julie estará no show só hoje (13) e amanhã (14 September 1960). O 'show time' é a meia-noite em ponto.

Harry James & his Orchestra from 17 to 23rd October 1960.

Jane Russell, dubbed 'The Bust' in one & only show on 23rd November 1960 at Teatro Record.

a little note at OESP on 27 November 1960 says Jane Russell's performance was good enough even though she had passed her prime. Typical Brazilian male chauvinism.

The Spectacular Jamboree Circus on Teatro Record in November & December 1960.

27 November 1960 - The Spectacular Jamboree Circus from New York. 

daily OESP's review of 1960 foreign acts visiting S.Paulo - 8 January 1961.